Section 3

THE ALEXANDRAN 2010-2011

Hermione Art Week...............................................................................................93Drama Report....................................................................................................96-98Drama Club ...........................................................................................................99 One Act Play...................................................................................................100-101Cyrano De Bergerac..............................................................................................102Verse Speaking Choir............................................................................................103“Anything Goes” Musical...............................................................................104-105Drama Awards................................................................................................106-107Drama Feis.....................................................................................................108-109College Choir...................................................................................................110-111Choir Competition..........................................................................................112-113Chamber Orchestra...............................................................................................114College Orchestra..................................................................................................115Intermediate Choir................................................................................................116Trad Band.............................................................................................................117Jazz Band..............................................................................................................118Culwick Cup...................................................................................................119-123

SECTION III - ART, DRAMA AND MUSICThe Hermione Art Exhibition and Lecture

23rd to the 27th of March 2011

As per tradition, for one week this year the science block was transformed from a place of lab coats and beakers of chemicals into a place of art. On March 23rd, after each picture frame had been straightened and each sculpture stripped of it’s bubble wrap

the hermione art exhibition opened to the public. Teachers, students, artists and art lovers poured in to revel in works by the likes of John Behan RHA, Liam Belton RHA, Sahoko Blake, Carey Clarke PPRHA, Michael Cullen ARHA and Martin Gale to say but a few. Prospective art buyers where charmed buy fifth year art students who floated around between the guests serving finger food and grad-ually red dots began to appear on labels. The significance of these purchases was highlighted by Robert Ballagh in his opening speech when he commented on the very real economic stress that artists are now suffering under in Ireland.

Once our guests had had their fill of gazing at the painting, drawings and sculpture slowly they began to trickle over to the lecture thea-tre where the accompanying Hermione Lecture was being held. Renowned artist Robert Ballagh, aptly described as ‘the Renaissance man of contemporary art’, soon stood up to address a packed lecture theatre.

He began; ‘The Irish visual artist occupies a gate lodge listening to the heavy literary traffic traveling up the drive to the big house.’ and went on to deconstruct 400 years of Irish history explaining why economics, politics and religion never allowed for the patronage of artists to equal our literary giants. He answered the question of why, while we have masterpieces by the like of Carravagio hanging in our National Gallery, we have no ‘Irish Carravagio’. He finished by saying that despite or countries bleak financial affairs that ‘Now is the time for our artists to tell our story with both truth and clarity’.

An huge thank you, to Ms Germaine Murphy and Ms Patricia Crowley who work tirelessly every year to ensure that the whole event is a massively successful.

Katie Duggan (5th Year)

92 93 THE ALEXANDRAN 2010-2011

HERMIONE ART WEEK


The Hermione Art Exhibition

This year the 19th annual Hermione Art Exhibi-tion took place. The opening ceremony was

held on Tuesday the 22nd of March. The exhibition is one of the most treasured events on the school calendar. Each year it provides a platform for tal-ented artists to show case their work such as: Liam Belton, Donald Teskey, John Keating, Una Sealy, Charles Cullen, Tom Ryan, Carey Clarke, Sean Mc Sweeney, Maria Simmonds Gooding , John Behan, Rachel Joynt, Geraldine O Neill, Brian O’Doherty, Mary Lohan, Brian Henderson and David Godbold.

Since 1896, thanks to the funding of Hermione, the Duchess of Leinster, it has been the tradition that the Art Exhibition is accompanied by a lecturer who speaks at the opening of the event. Down through the decades, lecture topics have explored the art and architecture of our world and have seen many distinguished and celebrated people. This year the lecture was given by Robert Balagh one of Irelands most distinguished artists, he explored the reasons as to why Irelands artists aren’t as renowned as Ireland’s writers. It was an excellent and insight-ful lecture, followed by questions from the audience. A huge thank you goes to Mrs. Murphy and Mrs.Crowley who put in so much effort each year in making the Hermione Art Week the successful and professional exhibition that it is today.

Beth Milofsky (5th Year)

HE

RM

ION

E A

RT

W

EE

K



Planning for the drama department for this year had begun quite a few months in advance of our return to school in September. We knew it was to be a ‘musical’ year, which brings a lot of extra work and that Clodagh Rycraft and I would be teaching our first batch of LAMDA acting exams, so we were preparing for a year that would fly, and fly it has!

The results for our summer exams had come in last June and we were delighted to discover that Molly O’Cathain had been nominated for the Leinster School of Music and Drama Excel-lence award scheme. This nomination was for her performance in her Grade Ten exam, unfortunately she was unable to compete in the semi-finals held during the summer months, as she was away.

The Verse Speaking Choir reformed this year with a vengence. A huge number of girls signed up and their enthusiasm was infectious, I decided that we should prepare something for The Hope Concert which was to be held at the beginning of November. As the concert would take place on Armistice Day, the 11th November, we thought it would be fitting to choose a poem from one of the war poets. The one we settled on in the end was “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen. With the help of Rachael Lavelle in 6th year who sang a verse of Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’ to set the scene, and some footage from WWI projected on to some screens behind them, the girls gave a most poignant performance. (See seperate report on The Verse Speak-ing Choir from Sarah Thursfield) Also performing in the same concert were; Ruth Farrell, Ellen O’Toole, Vanessa Winn, Kerri Lyons and Molly O’Cathain. The girls each spoke a piece of poetry that they had worked on in the previous year.

At this point in the year, preparations for the Transition Year Performance Nights were well underway. Justine Driscoll was producing the overall show and I was to direct my Drama Module girls in a selection of extracts from plays under the theme of “Isolation”.The plays that we had chosen were all from different periods and genres of drama and the girls auditioned for the piece that they wished to be a part of. We took a scene from Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”, Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” (who can forget Rita’s “Yes Aunt Agusta” in her lovely Spanish accent?), an extract from “Chatroom” by Enda Walsh and of course the wonderful “Educating Rita” by Willie Russell. The final piece was to encompass the full ensemble and was to be based on Christopher Durang’s comedy “The Actor’s Night-mare”. This play is about a man who finds himself in a stage play which is constantly changing around him. The girls decided to change it to “The Student’s Nightmare” and Fiona Claffey took on the challenge of writing the script. This was an extraordinary piece of writing, showing Fiona’s substantial writing abilities and a wonderful script to finish our section on.

The first set of Drama Exams were held around this time also, although they were hampered by the snow and ice and not all the students who were supposed to do the exams were able to. From the student’s who did attend, there were another three nominations for the excellence award; Ellen O’Toole for her poem “House of the Deaf ” by Harry Guest, Sophie Nannetti for her drama piece “Invisible Friends” by Alan Ayckbourne and Alex Reihill in fifth year for both her poem “Broken Moon” by Carol Satyamurti and her drama “Cigarettes and Chocolate” by Anthony Minghella, all three girls will compete in the semi-finals in July.

During all of this, we were busy rehearsing for the musical, which was to take place in The Mill Theatre in Dundrum at the beginning of February. The musical is a team effort between Clodagh Rycraft and myself from the drama department and Evelyn Hearns and Ben Murray from the music department. This year it was to be Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes”. (See seper-ate report on “Anything Goes” from Anna Rose Charleton)

The fifth years, alongside rehearsals for “Anything Goes”, were also busy rehearsing for the One Act Play Festival which takes place every year in Saint Andrews College. Clodagh Rycraft

was directing the group had chosen a play called “Be My Baby” by Amanda Whittington. This play is set in 1964 and follows the fortunes of Mary Adams, aged 19 and seven months preg-nant. Sent to a mother and baby home, Mary and her fellow inmates have to cope with the shame of their pregnancy and the realisation that they will have to give their babies up for adop-tion. The girls performed with huge maturity and skill and were awarded a merit award in acting for Alex Reihill and Runner-Up Best Actress for Anna-Rose Charleton. (See seperate report from Ruth Farrell and Mary-Kate Bolger).

March saw The Festival of Poetry and Drama reach it’s seventh birthday. The Festival runs over three days with two adjudicators, two competition centres and many, many competitors. Our two adjudicators this year were Patricia McHugh and Kathleen Byrne who used their years of experience to deliberate carefully over the thirteen competitions. The Junior Adjudicator’s Prize this year went to Freya Gillespie in Third Year, The Senior Prize to Leanne Ennis in Sixth Year and The Patricia McHugh Cup for Most Promising Performer went to Anna-Rose Char-leton in Fifth Year. We were truly delighted with the standard of performance this year, and especially with the duologues which gave such entertainment to us all over the three days. Many thanks to the TY students, Kerri, Bella and Lana who costumed all the scenes for us.One of the most exciting things for us this year was the visit to the school during the festival of Sharon O’Doherty, a mime tutor. Sharon trained with Marceau in Paris and gave an ex-traordinary workshop to a group of our senior students on the last day of the festival. This is something, which we would like to expand on in the next few years, by inviting experts to the school, to pass on their specialised experience to the girls who are serious about the field of drama.

April saw us hold our first set of LAMDA exams over two days. The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts provide a syllabus in Acting and in Public Speaking, which is of a very high standard. We had decided last year to put some of our senior students in for these exams as they carry with them UCAS accreditation. This means that points can be accrued from the exams, which can go towards a UCAS application for third level placement. We were aware that this first group would be our ‘guinea pigs’ but pushed ahead and prepared the girls as best we could. The exams are far more comprehensive and require a greater understanding of theatre and performing. We were delighted when the results came back and we found that six girls, out of the fourteen who completed the exam, had received distinctions.

The Drama Club, who are made up of a group of enthusiastic first and second year students, have met every Monday after school this year. In May they treated us to a very thought provok-ing production of the play “The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty” by David Calcutt. This play has the theme of bullying as its central focus and the students rose ably to the challenge of presenting it to an audience of teachers and fellow students. Their teacher Justine Driscoll would like to acknowledge their hard work and the work of fifth year Mary Kilduff who has helped out with Drama Club for the last two years.

May was also the month that our group of sixth year students completed their Certificiate Exam in Speech and drama. This comprehensive exam tests their ability to create a recital on a theme, including pieces of poetry, prose, modern drama and Shakespeare. They must include linking material and they can also use music if they wish. This year some of the themes were beautifully explored and included ideas such as ‘Regret’, ‘Mind, Body, Spirit’ and ‘Resiliance’. Of the eight girls who have completed their exam so far, three of them were awarded medals, quite an achievement for this exam.

As I am writing this we have received the wonderful news that Molly O’Cathain in sixth year has been given an ‘unconditional’ offer to study drama in Trinity College Dublin, Megan Carey, (...continued)


DRAMA REPORT DRAMA REPORT


Drama Club ReviewAs usual Drama Club was busy this year with over twenty members, the majority being first years, but also some second years.

We met once a week after school and for the first four months we concentrated on a lot of improvi-sation work, some mime, theatre games and scene work. We got to know each other through this process and the girls grew in confidence.

Normally we put on a play during the festival of poetry and drama but the festival was early this year so we decided to put it on a little later in the term.

The play we chose was The terrible fate of Humpty Dumpty by David Calcutt, a play about bullying. The Play focuses on a boy called Terry Dumpton, played by Keelin Cassidy, who is nick-named Humpty Dumpty. He is bullied in his new school by a gang led by a cruel boy called Stubbs, played by Lea Rogers.

Terry’s only friend Sammy, played by Alice McKeirnan, is a coward who can’t stand up for himself. As the bullying gets worse, Terry begins to skip school.

The girls really enjoyed the rehearsal process and were very committed to the production. Flora Perry Knox Gore designed the set and Hilary Lynch painted it. Both girls also acted in the production.

Three second years acted as the stage manage-ment crew: Xaena Sheehan, Emma Gleeson and Emily O’Hanlon. They were mentored by Fifth year Mary Kilduff. Two Fourth years helped with costumes, Bella Purcell and Kerri Lyons.


(...continued)also sixth year has been offered a place in U.C.C. Anna-Rose Charleton in fifth year has been accepted with scholarship, to the Walnut Hill Arts School summer theatre programme and will be heading off to Massachussets USA for five weeks. All very exciting.

One of the events this year that I am most proud of is the one act play produced by the TY Play Production Module. This group of students’ formed the production team for a one act play. They have been responsible for auditioning the cast, blocking and directing the play and creating the sets, costumes, props and for the lighting and sound. The play, “Between Mouthfuls” by Alan Ayckbourne, was put on before their Finale Night and brought in a full house. It has been an extraordinary experience for me to watch the learning that has taken place in this module and I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to all the girls who took part.

The end of our drama year brought with it our summer set of exams. The first years took an exam in Effective Communication, second years did Public Speaking Grade Two, complete with use of keynote and power point presentations, fourth and fifth years took their second Speech and Drama Exam of the year. The results have just come in and we are delighted with how well the girls have done once again. In particular, with how many medals were received by our second years attempting their first Public Speaking Exam. The students approached this exam with extraordinary creativity, with some of them doing surveys and then applying the results to pie charts, and some even making short films to demonstrate the points they wanted to make. A wonderful learning experience!

We have had a fantastic year and want to thank all the students for their contributions to our busy programme of events.

Lynn Brehony

DRAMA REPORT

6th Year Drama CertBack Row: Ms Brehony, Molly O’Cathain, Leanne Ennis, Michaela Rowan, Kine Good, Amy CorriganFront Row: Indy Abrahams, Róisín Barron, Yvanne Kennedy, Megan Carey, Rachel Lavelle

Drama ClubBack Row: Sophie Breslin, Flora Pery Knox Gore, Laura Williams, Emma Gleeson, Xaena SheehanMiddle Row: Ms Justine Driscoll, Adela Passas, Cliodhna McGirr, Ellie Walters, Alice McKiernan, Emily O’Hanlon, Mary KilduffFront Row: Camrynn Meigs Smyth, Lea Rogers, Roisin O’Keefe, Keelan Cassidy, Eimear Hickey, Hilary Lynch, Emily White, Anna Childs


One Act Play

The one act play, Be My Baby by Amanda Whitting-ton took place on Thursday, the 17th of February.

The roles were cast in early October from a group of 5th year drama students. The standard was extremely high, however, the decision had to be made and soon enough the character list was up. The cast were as follows: Ruth Farrell as Mary, a young woman of middle class who falls pregnant and is brought to St. Savior’s; a house for unmarried, pregnant women. Anna Rose Charleton as Queenie, a rebellious young woman who later befriends Mary. Alex Reihill as Nora, a twenty year old who becomes mentally unstable after giving her baby up for adoption. Anna Daly as Dolores, a naïve teenager who has a sheltered view of the world. Mary Kilduff as Mrs. Adams, Mary’s protective mother who values appearanc-es. And Mary Kate Bolger as Matron, a motherly figure who looks after the girls during their time at St. Savior’s.

Rehearsals began in November, and very soon we were off to the One Act Play Festival in St. Andrews. Prior to this performance, we held a lunchtime showing for the Alex 4th years. This went down like a dream. The audience laughed wholeheartedly and even shed a few tears towards the emotional end.

The performance in St. Andrews also went down a treat. Furthermore, we were delighted to hear that Alex Reihill had been awarded a certificate for her acting, while Anna Rose Charleton had won Runner Up, Best Actress.

Overall the night was a success and we all felt a great sense of pride in ourselves after months of intense, yet enjoyable rehearsals. We can’t thank Mrs. Rycraft enough for her guidance and direction, but most of all for giving us this wonderful opportunity!

by Ruth Farrell and Mary Kate Bolger

One Act Play


One Act PlayAlex Rehill , Anna Daly, Mary Kilduff, Ms Rycraft, Ruth Farrell , Mary Kate Bolger, Anna Rose Charleton


Cyrano De Bergerac

The annual Sandford Park School play took place in April, put on by the transition year students under the direction of Mr. Carl Shepard. As always, fifth year girls from Alexandra College were invited to audition so as to mix the cast and to make the production authentic. Auditions were held in November, where six of us - myself,

Evie Clarke, Natasha Britton, Beth Milofsky, Kirsten Levermore and Freya Guinness - tentatively journeyed to Sandford to meet with the director, Mr. Shepard. We were delighted to be greeted with great warmth and enthusiasm by him, as he told us that we were all guaranteed a part in the play, and he would decide later who would have a background part and who would have a larger role. Either way, we were assured of impressive period costumes. We found out more about the play we were now involved in: “Cyrano de Bergerac” by Edmond Rostand. Set in 1640s Paris, the play revolves around Cyrano, whose shame about his appearance causes him to hide his feelings for the woman he loves, Roxane, and instead help his friend to woo her. From drama and romance to war and comedy, it’s a captivating play that has something for everyone. We were all eager to begin rehearsals. We felt slightly alien at our first rehearsal, as we attempted to place ourselves in seventeenth century Paris, but we became more relaxed after a few visits. We had help settling in from Aaron Heffernan, a former Sandford student, who loosened us up with warm up exercises and encouraged us not to be shy. Lia Cowan from fourth year joined the cast slightly later, and we were introduced to Carrie Leger, a third year student at Trinity College who was to play the female lead Roxane. We were rehearsing one or twice a week, so as to get comfortable in our performance. Mr. Shepard was keen to promote professionalism among us, so that the finished production would be pol-ished. Unfortunately, we were slowed down by Christmas exams and extreme snow conditions in late November and December, which halted our rehearsals altogether.

We returned after Christmas to discover that the play had been postponed due to our inability to rehearse before the holidays. The performance dates were pushed back from February to April, to everyone’s relief. We were still enthusiastic about our rehearsals, and three more fifth year girls, Sarah Thursfield, Chloe Laird and Rebecca Schwartz joined the cast in February, as Mr. Shepard wanted to create more of a gender balance. The three speaking parts were cast, with Freya as Buffet Girl, myself as the Duenna (Roxanne’s assistant) and Sarah Mrs. Rageneau, the baker’s wife. By the time we came back after mid term, with rehearsals twice a week, we were feeling that the performance was getting close. The set was starting to take shape and the play really started to come together. With Aaron coming to some of the rehearsal’s and Carrie acting as assistant director to Mr. Shepard, we had plenty of support, though we still had quite a long way to come.

When we had just two weeks left before opening night, we saw our costumes for the first time. Seeing as they were rented from a professional costume outfitters, they were professional and ideal for us and we had great fun donning our hoop skirts and ruffles, while the boys had an array of costumes from soldier’s uniforms to a monk’s robe. Photographs for the programme were taken that evening. On the Wednesday before our performances, we spent the day at Sandford to prepare the set, rehearse and bond as a cast. The tech and dress then crept up on us, and everything began to feel very real. Opening night soon arrived, and everything was hectic back stage, with make-up, hair, props and attaching an enormous false nose on to Chris, our lead. Performing was an adrenaline rush and we enjoyed it more each night. Back stage there was always a great atmosphere of excitement and camaraderie. Our third and final night arrived, which drew in our biggest crowd and compelled us to give our best performance. The show finished with a presentation to thank those involved. The cast had a card and gift for Mr. Shepard, our tireless director, there were flowers for the teachers involved and the girls were taken by surprise when the cadets presented each of us with a rose. We felt quite downcast to see the end of the play, as each of us thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it.

Anna D’Alton

Verse Speaking Choir

The Verse Speaking Choir, a group of 5th and 6th year students led by Mrs Brehony, meets every Wednesday lunch-time to rehearse and perform pieces of poetry and drama, and experiment with different mediums of communicat-ing, by use of props, or even masks.

When I first signed up for the Choir, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I had a rough idea of what it would be like, and I envisioned it to be sitting in a huddle with other students, whilst chanting and making vague hand gestures. I was happy to find that it was the complete opposite to what I imagined it to be. I’ve learnt so much about being part of a group and anticipating each other while performing, as

well as the techniques of blending voices and creating atmospheres within the pieces we do together. It’s a very democratic group of girls - we all agree on a piece we’d like to learn, and are all able to voice our opinions on how we think it could be performed to make it come across well.

Our first performance was at the Concert for Calcutta, where we would be reciting the poem ‘Dulce et Decorum est’, by Wilfred Owen. All of us felt the nerves, especially our conductor, Mrs Brehony, as being in a verse speaking choir is a lot trickier than it seems - unlike a musical choir, we have no accompaniment to guide us for coming in at the same time, so we all had to work really hard to anticipate each other, and to really mould together as a group. Getting onto the stage, and letting all the elements of our performance blend together really spurred us on, and we all had an amazing experience, which gave us a taste for performing even more!

I am extremely fortunate to have put my name down on the list for this choir, as I’ve learnt so much about performance and communication, and I’ve also made a lot of new friends. Of course, all thanks goes to Mrs Brehony, whose expertise, creativity and belief enabled us to mesh as a choir, gain confidence and learn so much. I’d definitely recommend the Verse Speak-ing Choir to anyone who has an interest in drama, or even just performance - it’s a great experience, and I’m definitely signing on again for next year!

Sarah Thursfield


Back Row: Chloe Laird, Sarah THursfield, Emily Thornton, Natasha Britten, Molly O’Cathain, Ms Lynn Brehony, Michaela Rowan, Anna Rose Charleton, Lucy O’Donoghue, Lucy WattersFront Row: Holly McQuillan, Eleanor White, Indy Abrahams, Chloe Duggan, Yvanne Kennedy, Megan Carey, Kirsten Levermore, Sadhbh Stapleton Doyle, Mary Kilduff, Freya Guinness


“Anything Goes” Musical

Every two years, Alexandra College stages a large scale musical in the Mill Theatre, Dundum. It is open to all fourth and fifth year girls, and everyone has to audition to take part.

This year, the musical of choice was ‘Anything Goes’, music and lyrics by Cole Porter, script by P.G Wodehouse. For audition songs, we all had to sing the title number, ‘Anything Goes’.

After a week of nerves and tension in the auditions, Remy Naidoo and Eleanor McGovern were chosen to play the lead roles of Reno Sweeney and Hope Harcourt, with Jenny Mulvin, Chloe Duggan, Georgia Murphy, Eleanor White and Anna-Rose Charleton playing supporting roles. Mary Kilduff and Beth Milofsky were chosen for the key backstage job of stage managers. However, the show couldn’t be performed with an all-girls cast, so we also enlisted the help of four boys, Jack Bailey, Andrew O’Donoghue, Matthew Tector and Lorcan Clarke from Sandford Park School.

Rehearsals started in November, and almost immediately the schedule was demanding, requiring full commitment form all cast members. Around Christmas we experi-enced a lot of disruption to rehearsals, due to problems relating to the snow, like school days cancelled, and people living far away not being able to make their way into school.

However we soldiered on anyway, even meeting for some rehearsals over the Christmas holidays. Things began to get really exciting after Christmas, when we all started to get fitted for costumes, and our sets started to take shape, allowing us to rehearse in costume and on sets. One of our most nerve-wracking moments in the weeks leading up to the show was performing in the senior school assembly, singing the song ‘Bon Voyage’, the show’s opening chorus number. This was in full costume, and many of us (including me!) were dressed up as men, so it gave us all a good laugh.

We finally go into the Mill Theatre to rehearse just two days before opening night, so tensions were running high for those few days. When opening night finally came around, it’s safe to say that every single person behind the scenes of the performance, including backstage crew, costume crew, props crews teachers and performers alike. However, once the adrenaline kicked in there was no stopping us, and we performed the very best we could, with backstage work-ing overtime to keep everything running smoothly. On the Friday night the show was filmed, so thank goodness we delivered another assured and (mainly) mistake-free performance. Altogether, we did five shows, and they all literally flew by in a whirl of hairspray, painted-on stubble and ironing sailor suits. The musical was a definite highlight of my personal school year, and I’m sure I speak for the whole cast when I say that the memories of those few months will stay with me forever.

Anna-Rose Charleton

ANYTHING GOES


THE ALEXANDRAN 2010-2011106 107 THE ALEXANDRAN 2010-2011

Senior Feis Winners

Back Row from left: Natasha Britton, Mary Kilduff, Anna-Rose Charleton, Anna D’Alton, Lucy Watters, Alex Reihill, Mary-Kate Bolger.

Middle Row: Sadhbh Stapleton-Doyle, Freya Guinness, Lana Mullen, Cliona Beattie, Michaela Rowan, Molly O’Cathain, Leanne Ennis, Ms Lynn Brehony

Front Row: Rachael Lavelle, Clodagh Moran, Beth Milofsky, Emily Thornton, Yvanne Kennedy, Ruth Farrell, Kirsten Levermore, Roisin Barron.

Excellence AwardsClodagh Flinn, Ellen O’Toole, Alex Rehill

Patricia McHugh CupAnna-Rose Charleton

Adjudicator’s Prize winners Leanne Ennis and Freya Gillespie

Junior Feis Winners

Back Row: Eva Kennedy, Ashlyn O’Neill, Kate O’Reilly, Clíona Malin, Zaena Sheehan, Aoife Maginn, Mary Louise Ryan, Lauren McDonald, Ciara O’Reilly, Ciara Malone, Jane O’Grady Walshe, Isabelle Mehigan, Millie Cooper, Eimear Fahey, Keelan Cassidy, Camrynn Meigs Smyth

Middle Row: Hannah Rose Manning, Ivana Nedic, Fiona Bourke, Ellie McGuinness, Vanessa Winn, ?, Ceithleann Ní Conluain, Tori La-hart O’Reilly, Lauren Lynch, Rachel Cosgrove, Ellen O’Toole, Kate Campbell, Emma Malone, Jessica Bagnall, Ms Lynn Brehony

Front Row: Laura McKenna, Freya Gillespie, Laura Knowles, Lucy Haine, Jan Cleary, Muireann Reilly, Namthip Winter Collier, Lia Rogers, Ellie Walters, Jessica Kearns, Claudia O’Reilly Dempsey, Meadbh McGann, Megan Staunton, Louise McCollum, Rachel Blennerhasset

Exam Medal Winners

Back Row: Leanne Ennis, Rachel Blennerhasset, Freya Gillespie, Sophie Nannetti, Ceithleann Ní Conluain, Ivana Nedic, Emily Shannon, Ciara Malone, Flora Pery Knox Gore, Kate Lennon, Rachel Lavelle

Middle Row: Alex Rehill, Anna Rose Charleton, Ellen O’Toole, Louise McCollum, Suzy Menton, Megan Staunton, Laura McKenna, Lauren Lynch, Clodagh McNamee, Ruth Farrel, Sadhbh Stapleton Doyle, Ms Lynn Brehony

Front Row: Roisin Barron, Vanessa Winn, Eva Kennedy, Kate O’Reilly, Eimear Fahey, Tori Lahart O’Reilly, Rachel Cosgrove, Lorna Watters, Ashlyn O’Neill, Lauren Wojnar, Beth Milofsky, Anna D’Alton


DR

AM

A F

EIS

DR

AM

A F

EIS



Reflections of the past year for College choir are tinged with memories of frenetic learning of music, fittings for new shirts, arranging buses, overseeing TV filming, preparing for numer-ous competitions, delighting in many successes and many more special moments! College Choir got off to a frantic start last September as our entry in the All Island Choir Competi-

tion forced us to learn and record two songs in the space of three weeks! Auditions were held, songs chosen and rehearsals resumed apace. The 40 girls involved in the competition really entered into the spirit of the competition and were willing to attend many extra early morning rehearals. We recorded the CD in Sandford Park School and, on the 29th September were delighted to hear that we had qualified for the regional finals. Our two songs were ‘Sure on this Shining Night’ by Samuel Barber and ‘Skimbleshanks’ by Lloyd Webber. Three more busy weeks followed during which we tidied up our songs, adding some ‘colourful’actions to our Lloyd Webber song! We travelled to the Solstice Theatre in Navan on Wednesday, 20th October to compete against four other Dublin schools in the regional finals. The standard was very high and we were completely thrilled to be declared winners on the night. This was such a delight for the entire choir and school body, the girls’ hard work was recognised and rewarded accordingly. We received a magnificent Waterford crystal trophy on the night and a cheque for €1000. This money was spent on new shirts for the choir and some pizza! The regional final was broadcast on RTE on 31st October which we all watched nervously.

This win meant that we were now in the National final which was to be held in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast in November. This event was to be televised live and so we had TV crews in the College, filming the campus, daily school life and a choir rehearsal. Our impending half term break meant we only had two weeks to prepare two new songs, one of which had to be unaccompanied. The girls were amazing; they were so committed and their attendance at every extra rehearsal was greatly appreciated. We travelled to Belfast on Sunday, 14th November as a very excited and nervous bunch, partly because we had another coach following us with 60 supporters from school, along with several car loads of parents and students too. So, we were feeling the pressure! The supporting staff were terrific all that day, helping the girls, ironing shirts, tending to our every need – thank you. We sang superbly; our rendition of ‘Debussy: Beau Soir’ was really quite beautiful and then we sang ‘Summer again’ which also went very well. We sang second so had a nervous 45 mins waiting to hear the judges’ result. All four choirs were at their best and sang to the very best of their ability. Alas we were not declared the winners on the night, being narrowly defeated by Presentation, Ballyphehane, Cork. Our girls were so gracious in defeat and were very mature in their reaction. We were tired and emotional at that stage but a quick stop at McDonald’s seemed to bouy them up somewhat! It was difficult to put those heady weeks behind us as the whole experience had soaked up so much time, energy and commitment. But, in true Alex style, the girls bounced back with the help of the incred-ible support and help from staff and students. Everybody’s enthusiasm and involvement was so humbling, thank you to all. The cards, texts, letters and calls of congratulations flowed in for many weeks after which was also a great tribute to the choir. We had a winter Concert to stage, scheduled for the end of November so our Tuesday rehearsals resumed with the boys from Sandford Park School. Then, it snowed!! We realised we had to protect the safety of all so we were forced to postpone the Winter Concert until January 16th. We were also forced to drop out of an exciting concert in St. Ann’s on 21st December when the whole of Dublin grounded to a halt due to an amazing snow blizzard. Our performance at the annual Carol Service was also postponed due to the inclement weather so we had a quiet few weeks in December.

We had a most successful Winter Concert in Sandford Park School in January with a full house and some amazing music from our College Orchestra and all the performing groups involved. Then it was time to think about the Wesley Festival, Feis Ceoil and Leaving Certificate practical exams. The girls won first prize in the Wesley Festival in March winning the William Kirkpat-rick trophy. We were all delighted by this win as our rehearsals had been rushed and our music only barely learnt! Then, at the very end of that long evening, the joint choir won the william Watson trophy in the four part competition which again was a great surprise to us all. A very successful trip to Wesley! We then focused our attention on Feis Ceoil which took place in early April. The joint choir entered two compeitions and were awarded 2nd place in the prestigious Turner Huggard Memorial Cup competition and 3rd place in the Alice Yoakley Quirk competi-tion. The standard of singing was so high in these competitions, any of the choirs could have been winners. Our joint choir really appreciated being able to hear other choirs sing so well. The following week saw the girls use choir as part of their Leaving Certificate practical exams. The boys from Sandford joined the girls and the exams went very well for all of them.

Then ten of our choir joined the boys for their exams and all were happy with their performances.It really has been a whirlwind choral year and, while we achieved such high standards in so many performances, I must pay tribute to the attitude and enthusiasm of all members at those tough Tuesday rehearsals. Week after week, the girls arrived with a smile, sang everything that was presented to them, reached an amazing standard of choral singing, made new friends, learnt some new singing skills, gained in maturity through the experience of being part of a choir and, most of all, gave me enormous faith in the dedication and ability of the whole choir. It is always a pleasure to enter the Junior School on Tuesday afternoons and greet a group of keen, able and motivated singers. I wish the sixth year members the best of luck in their exams and in the future. I do hope they continue to enjoy choral singing all through their lives as they have had a terrific opportunity while at school and should continue to develop this. Choral singing crosses all divides so, age is irrelevant! Thank you girls for all the wonderful singing, your continued commitment, the emotional rollercoaster that was Belfast, the beautiful gift and, most of all, your willingness to learn and share my deep love of choral singing.


COLLEGE CHOIR COLLEGE CHOIR

Back Row: Evie Clarke, Rachel Gardiner, Jenny Gilsenan, Anna D’Alton, Georgia McGurk, Rebecca Lait, Susan Buckley, Caitríona Callan, Molly O’Cathain, April McEntee, Maeve JonesO’Connor, Sarah Connolly, Yvanne Kennedy, Niamh Murray, Anna-Rose Charleton, Aisling Byrne, Clodagh Farrelly, Ali Donnellan, Harriet Walsh

Middle Row: Beth Milofsky, Kate Lenehan, Rachael Lavelle, Rachel Fitzpatrick, Katie Nichols, Aoife Madden, Anna Stein, Jane Butler, Simi Odukomaiya, Meadhbh O’Rourke, Sarah MArtin, Leanne Ennis, Síofra McNamee, Sibéal Carolan, Chloe Duggan, Darcey Dougan, Ellen Duffy, Aoibhinn Helly, Chloe Laird, Ms. Evelyn Hearns

Front Row: Aisling Byrne, Roisín Woods, Nicola Stokes, Molly O’Leary, Alex Conlon, Sinéad Swan, Hannah Vard Ryan, Eve Brehony, Annah Kenna, Dervla Malone, Oyinade Williams, Grace Tunney, Sarah Thursfield, Eleanor White, Charlotte Herron, Jenny Mulvin, Bebhinn Sheil, Fiona O’Meara, Emily Thornton

Absent: Anna Daly, Ruth Farrell, Kate Falkiner, Alison Gibbons, Joanna Turley


Choir Competition

It’s safe to say that College choir has had a very eventful year this year. College choir is made up of girls from 5th and 6th year. Entrance is audition based, rehearsals take place every Tuesday after school, both for College Choir and for Chamber Choir.

The first big event of the year for the College Choir was RTE’s The All Island School Choir Competition. We submitted a recording of two songs - “Sure On This Shining Night” by Samuel Barber and “Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat” by Andrew Lloyd Webber to the competition in September. Based on this recording we qualified for the Leinster regional final.

This was a pre-recorded show which took place in the Solstice Theatre in Navan. To our surprise and delight we won this final, qualifying us for the all-Ireland final, in which we would have to sing two songs, one of them unaccompanied. However, the final was slightly different to a normal competition in one respect. It was going to be broadcast live on RTE to the entire country. With President Mary McAleese in the front row, mistakes were not an option.

On the day of the final, all 40 members of the competition choir got the school bus up to the Waterfront Theatre in Belfast. We were positively giddy with excitement, mixed in with nerves, making the bus journey up to Belfast loud to say the least. When we got to Belfast, we got our first chance to check out the competition live after having watched them in their regional finals. We knew we had stiff competition, but when we heard the other choirs our hopes raised a little. Could we have a chance?

After a nervous and exciting day of waiting around for the evening to arrive, it was finally our turn to perform. The whole performance was slightly surreal, knowing all our months of hard work were about to culminate in just four minutes on stage. We eventually got out there and performed our two songs, Beau Soir by Debussy, and Summer Again by Krenek, and in all honesty we could not have sung any better.

We were all jubilant when we got off stage, and anxiously we waited for the judges verdict. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, we were ushered back onstage to hear the judging. There wasn’t a single one of us on the stage who wasn’t praying to hear their school name called out I’m sure, and when the moment of truth came, you could have heard a penny drop in that tiny second of silence before the winner was announced. All of us by this stage had convinced ourselves we could win it after our performance having gone so well, but unfortunately, it was not to be.

However, the choir we had all placed last, Presentation Secondary School in Ballyphehane, Cork, took the prize. But maybe that’s just the sour grapes talking. The bus ride home was more than a little depressing, heightened by the elimination of Aiden Grimshaw from the X Factor, which we watched from the greasy comfort of a McDonald’s somewhere between Belfast and Dublin.

Though in the end we were left disappointed, the All-Island School Choir Competition left us with a great set of memories, and above all else, a choir of an extremely high standard which would stand to us for the rest of the year.

Our next big competition was the annual Wesley Inter-Schools Music Festival, which took place on March 4th, the same day as the hockey final. College Choir entered the girls’ four part competition, and the joint chamber choir of Sandford Park School and Alexandra College entered the boys and girls four part competition. This time round there was not nearly so much drama, or so much disappointment. We won both competitions, with renditions of Didn’t It Rain in the girls’ four part, and Jonah by Rollo Dilworth with the joint choir.

This whole year in College Choir has been eventful to say the least. Hopefully, next year will be just as busy and full of fun.


Belfast ChoirBack Row from left: Roisín Woods, Jenny Gilsenan, Georgia McGurk, Susan Buckley, Rachel Fitzpatrick, Caitríona Callan, Molly O’Cathain, Anna-Rose Charleton, Simi Odukomaiya, April McEntee, Sibéal Carolan

Middle Row: Rachael Lavelle, Katie Nichols, Aoife Madden, Anna Stein, Jane Butler, Ms. Evelyn Hearns, Meadhbh O’Rourke, Sarah Martin, Leanne Ennis, Niamh Murray, Jenny Mulvin.

Front Row: Kate Lenehan, Nicola Stokes, Molly O’Leary, Alex Conlon, Sinéad Swan, Hannah Vard Ryan, Eve Brehony, Annah Kenna, Dervla Malone, Sarah Thursfield, Eleanor White.Roisin Barron.

Absent: Ruth Farrell, Maeve Jones O’Connor, Sarah Connolly.


The College Orchestra consists of 66 students from all years and rehearses

every Thursday after school. The College Chamber Orchestra is made up of 17 committed string players from years 2 to 6 who wake up extra early every Friday to make music before school starts.

The first performance in this academic year for both orchestras was in Sandford Park School on January 16. Originally scheduled for late November, the Winter Concert was postponed to January due to a cold snap. In December, the Col-lege Orchestra rehearsed carols for the Carol Service, but unfortunately that got cancelled because of the ongoing, disruptive icy weather.

The College Orchestra opened the Winter Concert, which was a joint concert with Sandford Park School, with “Egmont Overture” by Beethoven, and followed with “The Moldau” by Smetana, both arranged by Meyer. Our performance was greatly enhanced by the presence of Ms. Hearns and Mr. Cooney in the percussion section. Toward the end of the evening, the Chamber Orchestra played “Concerto in G for Four Solo Violins and Strings” by Telemann; arranged by Doan, and “Irish Legend” by Kerr, arranged by Newbold. A fabulous diversity of music combined with a hall full of an enthusiastic audience and a pleas-ant atmosphere made the concert a pleasure to perform in and memorable for all present.

On the evening of May 12, the “Music in May” concert was held in Alexandra College. The College Orchestra played “Finale from Symphony No. 2” by Tchaikovsky, arranged by Dacklow, and “Slavonic Dance No. 8” by Dvorak, arranged by Stone. The Chamber Orchestra played “Waltz No. 2” by Shostako-vich, arranged by Lavender, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, arranged by McDonagh.

On behalf of the College Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra, I would like to thank our fantastic conductor Vanessa Sweeney. The Orchestras could not have existed, not to mention achieved all we have achieved, without her hard work, encouragement and patience. I look forward to another exciting year playing many beautiful pieces with the two orchestras.

Anna Livia Kimura (4T)

Feis Ceoil

On the 8th of April, the chamber choir participated in the 2011 Feis Ceoil Competition.After hours spent learning the music, practicing our rolled r’s and sourcing the choir

shirts, we excitedly headed off to the RDS. Mrs Hearns skillfully chose the repertoire for the event, including the negro spiritual, ‘Jonah’, the romantic Elgar piece ‘Torrents in Summer’, the contemporary spiritual ‘Glory Halleju’ and the beautiful ‘Gaelic Blessing’ by John Rut-ter. Fortunately, the hard work paid off. Combined with the boys of Sandford Park, we were awarded 2nd place in the Turner Haggard Cup choir competition and third place in the Alex Yoakley Quirk competition. This was a great achievement, as the standard of the competition was exceptionally high.


Chamber Orchestra

Back Row: Ellen Mc Kay, Beibhinn Sheil, Niamh Doody, Clodagh Farrelly, Ruth Farrell, Caytlin Chaloner, Hannah O’Connor, Ms Vanessa Sweeney (Director)

Front Row: Caitriona Callan, Dervla Malone, Jessica Redden, Sibeal Carolan, Niamh Murray, Meadhbh O’Rourke, Harriet Walsh

Colllege Orchestra

Back Row: Ellen McKay, Charlotte Haydon, Tess Higgins, Sarah O’Connor, Lucie Wolfe, Ciara Cassidy, Mollie Barlow, Laura McKenna, Clarissa Mulcahy, Niamh Crowley, Ruth Brehony, Robyn Reddy, Isabelle Roche-Griffin, Katie Nichols, Rebecca Lait, Indy Abrahams, Harriet Walsh Middle Row: Mr Ron Cooney, Shannon Power, Fiona Bourke, Sadhbh Sheil, Rhona Barry, Sophie O’Neill, Lauren Wojnar, Alison Redden, Hannah Bloom Teseky, Sarah O’Neill, Holly Brown, Clara Despard, Anna Rose Charleton, Ellen Duffy, Ms Vanessa Sweeney Front Row: Laura Dempsey, Aisling Kraus, Rachel Blennerhassett, Roisin Doody, Natalie Stafford Johnson, Alix Bent, Hilary Lynch, Ruth Cullen, Adela Passas, Imogen White, Heather Lawrie, Ruth Farrell, Kate Falkiner, Niamh Doody, Beibhinn Sheil


Rehearsals began in early September when with a choir of forty girls,work began for the schedule planned for

2011. The intake of new first years was less than usual, with just eleven singers, however they all settled in really well and proved themselves a truly committed group. The choir had its first airing in mid September when the girls sang an African folk song at the Junior School morning Assembly.

Because of the December snowfalls the Annual Carol Service was postponed until January when the Choir performed John Rutter’s Angels’ Carol. Work then began in earnest for the Wesley Inter Schools Music Festival where the girls sang in the three part competition (a departure from previous years when they had competed in the two part section of the Festi-val). They performed Ride the Chariot, a spiritual arranged byW.H.Smith.

Against huge opposition they were delighted to be awarded highly commended and 3rd place, with 88%. This was fol-lowed by participation in the Dublin Feis Ceoil where the choir were placed 2nd out of eight entries in the McCarry Cup, beaten one mark by the boysof Belvedere College.

In May,the choir travelled to Co. Meath where they sang in the Navan Choral Festival, competing against eight other choirs and were delighted to win their competition with 90%, returning home with the Paddy Newman Trophy for the 2nd consecutive year. Exhilarated after their success the girls enjoyed a picnic in beautiful weather up on the top of Tara Hill before returning to school.

The next event for the girls was to participate in the Prefects’ Ceremony, singing an arrange-ment by Aaron Copland of the beautiful American Shaker song Simple Gifts.

Their final performance of the year took place as part of Vanessa Sweeney’s Orchestral and Instrumental ensemble Music in May evening, when they sang Simple Gifts and All that Jazz arranged by Alexander L’Estrange.

As always sincere thanks are due to Ben Murray. His playing of all the piano accompani-ments for the choir at competitions and concerts is greatly appreciated and is a source of inspiration and support to the girls. Thanks also to Mrs. Orla Kelly for her enthusiastic help on trips.On behalf of the College Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra, I would like to thank our fantastic conductor Vanessa Sweeney. The Orchestras could not have existed, not to mention achieved all we have achieved, without her hard work, encouragement and patience. I look forward to another exciting year playing many beautiful pieces with the two orchestras.

Anna Livia Kimura (4T)

The trad band meets during lunchtime every Wednesday. Students from any year are welcome to join. This gives

the girls an opportunity to learn another style of music. We play a range of tunes consisting of slow airs, dance tunes, marches etc.

This year was a busy year for the trad band. We performed at a special lunch in The Grange Golf Club on January 13th. We were made very welcome by Ms. Ruddock who was a former principal of Alexandra College. On Febru-ary 9th we were invited to perform for the patients at St. Glad’s nursing home in Harold’s Cross. The patients seemed to enjoy our selection of music as they clapped and tapped their feet during our performance.

On March 10th we had our annual trip to Sallins and Clon-dalkin. We have built up a great relationship with these two primary schools over the last five to six years. We started our day by going to Sallins. The children from St. Laurence’s collaborated with us. After the concert we had refreshments and time to chat with some of the teachers from the school. We then went on to The Sacred Heart School in Clondalkin. Again we were made very welcomed as soon as we stepped out of the bus. They had lunch ready for the girls on arrival. We did two concerts there, a short one for the very young children and a longer concert for the older children. We got a great reception at both concerts. We have been invited back to both schools next year. This is a great day out for the girls.

The next day we were back in Alexandra College where we did our annual gig for Seachtain na Gaeilge. There was plenty of ceol agus craic in the school that day. The following week, on March 16th, we performed at special assembly in the junior school.

Overall I think all members of the trad band enjoyed themselves and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their commitment throughout the year.

Orla Kelly


Intermediate Choir

Back Row: Lauren Kemp Galagher, Alex Hussain, Laura Ashmore, Cara Dougan, Emily MacKeown, Erin Dougan, Lorna Dempsey, Sadhbh S, Charlotte Thursfield, Lorna Watters.

Middle Row: Natalie Stafford Johnson, Ciara Cassidy, Louisa Muldowney, Isabelle Roche Griffin, Sarah O’Connor, Polly Dougan, Ciara O’Reilly, Rachel Swanick, Heather Lowrie, Jessica Maloney, Jane O’Connor, Ms Sandra Ganly.

Front Row: Emily Murphy, Sophie Rafter, Lexi MacKeown, Aisling Hickey,Molly Barlow, Giselle Keenan, Eimear Hickey, Camerynn Meigs Smith, Mairead Murphy Bond, Lizzie Vallely, Muireann O’Reilly, Alexandra McDonnell

Trad Band

Back Row: Amy Ryan, Alisha Barton, Sophie O’Neill, Orla Kelly, Jullie Ryan, Ellen Duffy and Anna D’Alton

Front Row: Harriet Walsh, Alexandra McDonnell, Hillary Lynch, Angela Qiao, Yvonne Clarke


The Jazz band has always attracted musicians of high quality and discernment, and this year

was no exception. In the early part of the year we were joined by the rhythm section of Bella Purcell, Hannah O’Connor, Kerri Lyons, and clarinetists Anna Nichols and Anna Rose Charleton, trumpeter Rachel Blennerhassett, and pianist Ellen Duffy.

The new line up gave its first performance at the Junior School, followed by the Hope Concert on the following evening. The reed section of Niamh Crowley and Ellen McKay, Clara Despard and Celestine Wolfston and long haul players Indy Abraham and Katie Nichols made sure the show stayed, while singer Remi Naidoo made it all look so easy.

Every year we lose the 6th years and this yearwas no exception, with Indie, Celestine and Ka-tie moving on. These girls have been in the band for practically their full school career and we have shared some really nice times together playing music we loved and enjoying each others company. They will be missed for a long time, and both Mr.Deykin and myself wish them all the best in the world.

Ron Cooney


Jazz Band

Back Row: Mr Ron Cooney, Celestine Wolfson, Anna Rose Charleton, Ellen Duffy, Clara Despard, Katie Nichols, Indy Abrahams, Mr John Deykin

Front Row: Remi Naidoo, Niamh Crowley, Rachel Blennerhasset, Ellen McKay

CULWICK CUP WINNERS (6th Year)


Previous to the start of the Culwick Competition this year, two 6th year students Leanne Ennis and Molly O’Cathain decided to investigate the history behind thisunique choral and singing competition and inform the rest of the school on the origins of this wonderful event. This is what they discovered.

Our search began in the music block where we discovered a plaque for the ‘Florence Culwick Memorial competition for self trained choirs.’ From there we began researching Florence Culwick on Google and through the online censuses from 1901 and 1911. We also used ‘Gladly learn and Gladly Teach’ a book about the history of Alexandra Col-lege, written by a former teacher Anne O’Connor and Parkes. Here is what we found:

In the 1901 census online, we found details of the Culwick family. In 1901 the family consisted of Dr James Culwick (head of the family), his wife Mary Jane and their daugh-ter, Florence. The family was recorded as living in a large house on Upper Mount Street, near St. Stephen’s Green. At this time Florence was 23 and both herfather and herself were noted as being Professors of Music. Dr James Culwick taught music in Alexandra College for over 25 years, under Principal Anne Jellicoe. He was a notable figure in musical circles at the turn of the last century in Dublin. He founded the Culwick Choral Society and later was involved in the founding of the Feis Ceoil.His daughter followed in his musical footsteps, as she too was a music teacher in Alexandra College. She taught choral singing in both the college and school and was much loved by her pupils. When her father died she took over his position as director of the Culwick Choral Society and led them to great success.Ms Florence Culwick suddenly passed away in 1929, and the Culwick cup was presented to Alexandra College in her memory. Since 1931 the cup has beenawarded to the self-trained choir most deserving of this honour. Over the years, the competition has steadily continued to grow and has become an integral part of school life.

A variety of awards have been added to the competition. These include:Best Conductor: (Years 1-3) and (Years 4-6)

Best Accompanist: (Years 1-3) and (Years 4-6)Best Presentation: (Years 1-3) and (Years 4-6)

The fourth, fifth and sixth years are known to take the competition very seriously and a competitive spirit fills the school during the weeks leading up to the competition.This year was no exception.

It all starts in October, when each form class in first to third year, and each year group from fourth to sixth year is given the chosen song, elects a conductor for theirchoir, and chooses a pianist. The conductor has to try and get the group together to rehearse, then make the rehearsals productive. This is rarely an easy job.The day itself, this year the 18th November, is the day that the previous few weeks of stressful lunchtime and after school rehearsals are supposed to come together. Thisyear we were delighted to welcome back Paul Deegan as the adjudicator.

This year the First Year song was “I Won’t Grow Up” from Disney’s Peter Pan, the second year song was “Somewhere Out There” from the film ‘An American Tail’ andthe third year song was “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. All twelve form class choirs sang to win the Culwick Cup, and in the end, 3R were crowned the winners.3R won the prize for presentation, and Emma Noonan in third year won the prize for Best Conductor. While the competition is taken seriously by the students in first to third year, it really heats up between the senior years. This year the song for fourth, fifth and sixth years was “All That Jazz”, from the musical Chicago. All three year groups really went all out with costumes and dance moves, but in the end it was the sixth years who won the Glwadys Jones Cup for self trained choirs years 4-6. They also went on to win the Molly Dunlop Cup for Best Conductor Years 4-6 (won by Dervla Malone), and Jackie Pomeroy award for best accompanist years 4-6 (won by Aoife Madden).Every year it’s a great day for all involved, with the winning choirs eager to defend their title next year, and the losing choirs hungry for revenge. The school calendarwould not be complete without it.

The results from this year’s competition are as follows:

The Anne Cassidy award for best accompanist in years 1 – 3 went to Jane O’ConnorThe J. Pomeroy award for best accompanist in years 4 – 6 went to Aoife MaddenThe Brenda Wilkes award for best conductor in years 1 – 3 went to Emma NoonanThe Molly Dunlop Cup for best conductor in years 4 – 6 went to Dervla MaloneThe Gladys Ruddock prize for best presentation in years 1 – 3 went to 3RThe Gladys Ruddock prize for presentation in years 4 – 6 went to the 4th year groupThe Culwick Cup for self-trained choirs in years 1 – 3 went to 3RThe Gwladys Jones Cup for self-trained choirs in years 4 – 6 went to the 6th yeargroup.

As part of the day of choral singing there are two solo singing competitions where allsolo singing students are encouraged to participate and compete for 2 awards.The Junior students (years 1 – 3) compete for the Jean Dolan Cup and the Seniorstudents compete for the honour of being awarded the Geraldine Temple Laing Cup.

This year, as every other, there was a wonderful atmosphere in Res Rec where thecompetition takes place and our esteemed adjudicator Mr. Paul Deegan had a difficulttime in deciding on the winners from a very talented pool of singers.

The results from the Jean Dolan Cup 2010 are as follows:

2nd place went to Alison Redden1st Prize went to Alex Hussain

The results from the Geraldine Temple Laing Cup are as follows:

2nd Prize went to Rachael Lavelle1st Prize went to Remi Naidoo


Culwick Cup Winners (3R)

Back Row: Ciara Cassidy, Dervla Walsh, Alex Hussain, Melis Colleran, Emilie Mackeown, Ailbhe O Faolain, Isabel Ottewill, Fifi Heather, Sophie Nanetti, Carly Menton

Front Row: Alicia Barlow, Hannah Bloom Teskey, Fionnuala Reilly, Lizzie Scholefield, Sadhbh Sheil, Stacey Leonard, Lauren Lynch, Sorcha O’Reilly Dempsey, Caitriona de Burca

CULWICK CUP

THE ALEXANDRAN 2010-2011122 123 THE ALEXANDRAN 2010-2011

CULWICK CUP CULWICK CUP

Molly Dunlop CupDervla Malone

J. Pomeroy Perpetual TrophyAoife Madden

Jean Dolan CupAlex Hussain

Geraldine Temple Lang CupRemi Naidoo

Anne Cassidy CupJane O’Connor

Brenda Wilkes CupEmma Noonan

Section 3

Documents

Transcript of Section 3