Open invitation to come and sing for Culture Night

There’s an exciting year ahead for much-loved Naas choir “The Nás na Rí Singers”, originally established in 1972 and drawing membership from all over Kildare, Wicklow and Dublin.

Thursday night rehearsals in Naas are a hub of enthusiastic singing and chat, with choir members from many backgrounds and ages enjoying their weekly immersion in choral music, led by their very accomplished Musical Director, Nathan Barrett and wonderful Accompanist Judith Gannon, a talented musician and teacher in her own right
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As a choral conductor, Nathan has worked with choirs across Ireland, ranging from primary schools right up to “OAP” choirs, having studied with Dr. Shaun Ryan (University of Ulster), David Stevens (Belfast Cathedral), Ian Keatley (Christchurch Cathedral), David Brophy (RTE Orchestras) and Dr. Katalin Kiss (Kodaly Institute).

Nathan’s day job is in Alexandra College, Dublin as Choral Conductor for the Intermediate, College and Chamber Choirs along with teaching Junior and Leaving Certificate Music. In addition, he runs workshops for young choral conductors and organists, especially in the more rural areas of Ireland. And recently, Nathan has been busy working as a Choral Facilitator for selected secondary schools around the country, in collaboration with Sing Ireland. “This is a very rewarding and exciting time” said Nathan “as I have been able to focus on student’s creativity in exploring music and composition”.

According to Edel Fitzmaurice, Chairperson of the choir, “This ties in nicely with one of the objectives of the Nás na Rí Singers – to promote, encourage and perform choral singing to the highest possible standards – and we are delighted to have Nathan and Judith with us as we embark on a new year of exciting plans both in Naas and further afield”.  At the annual Carol Service in 2018, the choir drew together many musicians from Naas and further afield, including a large number of young singers from some of the local secondary schools. These young people had attended special rehearsals with “the Singers” and the collaboration was of great benefit to all, young and old alike.  The concert was a sell-out and the committee are already working on the plan for another sell-out Christmas concert in the Church of Our Lady and St. David on Friday December 13th.  

Audiences can expect to hear a variety of music, ranging from the more classical genre, to well- known carols and family favorites and Nathan who is an elected member of the Irish Composer’s Collective has added one of two of his own creations to the choir’s huge repertoire.

Plans are afoot to travel to Limerick Choral Festival in 2020, but the committee are concentrating on events closer to home during Autumn/Winter 2019, including the Henry Flanagan Memorial Concert in Newbridge on September 25th and of course the popular Culture Night festivities on September 20th.  

The Culture Night open rehearsal takes place in a well-known building formerly, The Dara Cinema and now known as “Church on Main St”,  located opposite the new Dunnes Stores on Main Street Naas. Bringing their collective talents to this old “centre of entertainment” in the middle of Naas town and encouraging the public to join them for a fun evening of singing followed by refreshments, continues the choir tradition of promoting choral music while at the same time reaching out to and involving the local community.

Further information on http://www.kildare.ie/culturenight and http://nasnarisingers.ie and Facebook.

Please join us in welcoming our new committee and wishing them the best for the 2019-2020 term.

Committee 2019-2020

• Chairperson: Edel Fitzmauice
• Vice Chair: Denis McCarthy
• Honorary Secretary: Margaret Coller
• Treasurer: Helen Cullinane
• Asst Treasurer : Eileen Spring
• P.R.O: Stephen O'Reilly
• Debbie Buchannan
• Siobhán Moriarty

Don't worry Santa, there's plenty of time to grab a ticket for our gala concert.

We are delighted to report that tickets are selling fast for A Christmas Miscellany; this year's Nás na Rí Singers Gala Christmas concert 8pm 18th December, in the church of Our Lady and St David, Naas.

Get your Christmas celebrations off to a flying start this year with the Nás na Rí Singers and our friends. The Nás na Rí singers are one of Kildare’s longest-established and largest community choirs, and our Christmas concerts are a celebrated feature in the Kildare musical landscape. This year the choir is delighted to support our charity partner for Christmas 2018, Homeless Care CLG. Homeless Care CLG was created to support the housing and training needs of Kildare’s homeless youth, focusing on transitioning out of homelessness and into employment and stability.

Continuing our recent programme of outreach to young local musicians, the Nás na Rí Singers are delighted to be joined onstage by the young voices of some of our local secondary schools. The choirs of St Mary’s College, Naas Community College and GaelCholáiste Chill Dara will join us onstage at our gala concert, to present songs and spoken pieces in the time-honoured tradition of RTE's Sunday Miscellany. And who better to serve as master of ceremonies than the queen of Sunday Miscellany, the inimitable Mae Leonard, who will lend her charm and humor to the evening?

Tickets, priced at €10 and €5, for this beautiful candle-lit concert of Christmas carols and songs and ever-popular choruses from Handel’s Messiah, are available at Barker and Jones, Naas and from choir members and members of Homeless Care CLG. Although tickets are selling fast, don't worry,  tickets will also be available on the door. After recent Christmas concerts in smaller venues have sold out, leading to disappointment for some music fans, we are once again delighted to avail of Naas's largest venue, with thanks to the Parish. 

Accompanying the choirs on this glorious evening of music will be the wonderful Kildare County Orchestra. In return, the choir is delighted that the orchestra has invited them to participate in the Orchestra’s concert at Newbridge Town Hall, on Sunday 9th December at 5 pm.