On Thursday 13th October the Walsh Memorial Concert will be held in the Chapel. This promises to be a lovely hour of music to recognise the contribution of the Reverend B.W.N. Walsh Memorial Fund which was set up in the name of our former Chaplain to upgrade the Chapel Organ. A plaque in memory of ‘Bert’ Walsh will be placed on the organ and unveiled at the concert.
All visitors from the Columban community and beyond it are welcome to join us in the College Chapel for the concert, which starts at 7.30pm. There is no charge for entry.
As well as soloists Colm Carey (organ) and Angela Hicks (soprano), the College Choir under the direction of Geraldine Malone-Brady will perform the choral works ‘Sheep May Safely Graze’ by J.S. Bach, Hewson’s ‘Let us Now Praise Famous Men’ and Mozart’s ‘Laudate Dominum’.
Our guest star, Colm Carey, enjoys a career as both concert organist and choral director, and is widely acknowledged as a characterful and inspiring performer.
Colm is one of a handful of distinctive concert organists who have set out to promote the instrument in a fresh way, widening its appeal through imaginative programming and stimulating outreach work. That he has emerged as a respected and acclaimed performer is testimony to his dedicated mission not only to champion the instrument’s remarkable breadth of repertoire but also to devise projects involving exciting performing and recording collaborations with other musicians.
Born in Dublin, Colm was a pupil at St Columba’s College, where he studied music and organ with David Milne before entering the Royal Academy of Music in London and subsequently the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève. Winning top performing awards with distinction at both institutions, his numerous appearances, both live and recorded, in the UK and Ireland, formed strong foundations for his subsequent solo performances in Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA.
As a recording artist, Colm has produced a number of solo and chamber CDs, and he was the featured organist on Paul McCartney’s classical album, Ecce Cor Meum, which premièred at the Albert Hall in London (available on DVD) and the Carnegie Hall in New York. His interpretation of Bach’s The Art of Fugue has been admired for its originality and scholarship.
From 2003 to 2016 Colm was Belfast City Organist. As well as giving many recitals on the Mulholland Grand Organ in the Ulster Hall, he performed many concerti – including Poulenc, Parker, Handel, Haydn, Rheinberger, Jongen, Leighton and Guilmant – with the Ulster Orchestra. Many of his performances from the Ulster Hall have been broadcast, and in 2005 he presented four programmes on the history of the organ for BBC radio. He has collaborated with many artists (especially brass players and singers) and organisations, and in June 2014 the international – Dublin based – PIPEWORKS Festival held the final of its competition in the Ulster Hall.
In addition to his freelance work, Colm is Master of Music of the Chapels Royal, HM Tower of London. Under his direction the choir provides music for the weekly services in the Chapels as well as for special events – including royal visits – in the two historic Chapels Royal. He has toured with the choir to South Africa, Italy and Ireland, and as well as releasing a CD of music inspired by the Psalms of David the choir has broadcast on several occasions, most notably to all the countries in the Commonwealth on Christmas Day 2011.
Colm’s interest in assuring programming that is imaginative and stimulating has led to the recent formation of the Odyssean Ensemble (which he directs) – a flexible group of musicians brought together by Colm to explore, through innovative projects and collaborations, the notion of music being a journey – a journey that challenges the listener and stimulates the mind, body and senses. Although still in its infancy, the group gave the opening concert of London’s Spitalfields Festival this summer to much acclaim.
Colm is delighted to be performing in the concert with the Choir of St Columba’s College, and his fiancée, Angela Hicks.
Follow Colm’s activities @colmcareymusic
Angela Hicks is a graduate of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance which she attended with the assistance of scholarships from the Dame Susan Morden Trust and the Trinity Trust. She now enjoys a busy career as both a choral singer and soloist.
As a soloist, Angela is regularly invited to perform core oratorios with a variety of ensembles. She is also very active in chamber music, often performing cantatas and other smaller works accompanied by period instruments. She has also sung much contemporary repertoire and especially enjoys working directly with composers.
As a choral singer, Angela is a member of a number of leading UK groups including The Monteverdi Choir, Ex Cathedra and the choir of The Chapels Royal, HM Tower of London. She also sings, and plays celtic harp, with the leading medieval ensemble Joglaresa, directed by Belinda Sykes.
