Top soloists sing for St Michael’s Church’s 175th year

Majella Cullagh, Friday May 10 at Pery Square

2019 marks the 175th anniversary of St Michaelโ€™s Church, Pery Square where Sunday worship takesย  place weekly.

Over many yearsย this modestย church has beenย a centre ofย social events,ย hosting concerts, Culture Night, the former Kate Oโ€™Brien Weekend, Open House Festival and Limerickโ€™s Pipe Organ Festival.

Tenor Owen Gilhooly, founder of Aoide Choir.

From the man behind the pipe festival, St Maryโ€™s Cathedral organist Peter Barley, we hear that the church is having โ€œa celebratory concert featuring international opera singers Majella Cullagh and Owen Gilhooly, with Aoide Choir, at 8pm thisย Friday May 10. It will be presented by Lorcan Murray and the pianist is Irina Dernova.

โ€œIrina is organist at St Michaelโ€™s and basically, she has brought this concert together with her colleague Owen, with whom she teaches in the Mid West Vocal Academy. He is founder.โ€

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Peter Barley is delighted with the calibre of these renowned singers booked for May 10. โ€œSoprano Majella Cullagh is a bel canto specialist whose career has brought her to many prestigious opera stages of England, Europe, U.S.A. and New Zealand.

โ€œMajella and Owen both studied at Britainโ€™s National Opera Studio which I know to be one of the most prestigious in Europe. Itโ€™s good to know that our best singers are trained internationally and recognised as such.โ€ As well as opera and oratorio performances, Majella has a discography of 30 recordings. Also working as a vocal coach and adjudicator, she is on the board of Cork Opera House.

Tenor Owen Gilhooly performs extensively in Ireland, England and in Europe, and teaches with the RIAM.

Thereโ€™s a tie in between St Michaelโ€™s celebrations and that of St Maryโ€™s Cathedral 850th anniversary.

โ€œWe were very excited to get some funding from the local authorities,โ€ Peter continues. โ€œIt is encouraging to have some musical events to celebrate the 175th year as really, last year was a very big year for the Cathedral and we were keen to build on that. There is renewed energy and focus on making St Maryโ€™s Cathedral part of the community.โ€

Tickets at โ‚ฌ15 from St Maryโ€™s Cathedral, Bridge Street, tel.061-310293.

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