Each year, secondary school students across Ireland try their hands at writing for choir in Composers in the Classroom, an educational programme delivered in partnership by Chamber Choir Ireland and the Contemporary Music Centre.
Throughout last term, students received coaching from some of Ireland's leading composers and professional singers as they learned to compose their own piece of choral music.
Composer mentors this year included Anselm McDonnell, Norah Walsh, Karen Power, and Anne-Marie O'Farrell.
Students in Ballbriggan, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Mallow, Mullingar, Newry, Ranelagh, and Rathfarnham, have been hard at work on their choral compositions, and this January they will get to hear them brought to life in a gala concert for their friends, families, and members of their school communities.
Composers in the Classroom gives young people the tools to express their creativity through composing music, and the transformative experience of hearing it brought to life. It is delivered free of charge to participating schools and students.
Students select their own texts to set to music, which have previously ranged from poetry by Emily Dickinson and Maya Angelou, to dramatic retellings of GAA finals. This year, a number of students have focussed on texts with significance to the world around them, addressing issues of diversity, migration, and climate change.
"I never thought that I'd be able to actually do something like that, it has filled me with so much confidence in myself." Beth, Composers in the Classroom participant 2024
Composers in the Classroom is delivered by Chamber Choir Ireland and the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland, with support from the Arts Council/an Chomhairle Ealaíon, Dublin City Council, and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through its National Lottery Fund.
This performance is presented with kind support from IMRO, as part of their commitment to fostering and developing music creation in Ireland.
