Who are the Choir?
The St. Mary of the Angels Gospel Choir came into being four years ago. It resulted from the work of two Capuchin Franciscan Brothers, John and Richard, with St. Joseph's Secondary School Stanhope St, Dublin 7. A number of the senior pupils communicated to Br. John that they were extremely dissatisfied with the kind of Religious Music they were expected to sing. At the same time they expressed a high degree of interest in American Gospel Music. (Influenced to no small measure by the release of the Sister Act Movies around this time!) Br. John began to teach about twenty of the pupils and so the Choir began. They gave their first performance in April of 1996 in the Capuchin Franciscan Church, Church St. This performance or Night of Soul as it was called, was received with great acclaim and the Choir has been growing and developing ever since.
To date the Choir comprises almost forty singers, dancers and musicians drawn from the greater Dublin area. They range in age from eighteen to "thirty-something", the majority being in their late teens/early twenties. The Choir is supported by their own Band which includes Keyboards, Drums, Bass and Lead Guitar with Fran on Saxaphone. The Choir rehearse two to three times a week with Br. John as Conductor and Mr. Kevin Murphy and Ms. Lucy Dundun as Choreographers to the Choir.
With
the President of Ireland, 1997