The choir of Christ Church cathedral, Dublin enjoys an enviable reputation as one of Ireland's finest choirs, and is constantly in demand to perform in concerts, on tours and on radio broadcasts nationwide. Tracing its origins to 1493 with the founding of the choir school, the cathedral choir has always been highly regarded in Dublin's musical life and took part in the first performance of Handel's Messiah in Dublin in 1742.
Precise phrasing and sensitivity to the words, immaculate intonation, and care over dynamics are the hallmarks of a long-established choir that has earned critical acclaim for its exemplary sound quality and vocal balance.
With the largest repertoire of any cathedral choir in the country, covering more than five centuries and including many works commissioned especially for it, the present choir is a mixed ensemble of twenty adult singers under the direction of Judy Martin, the Cathedral's Director of Music.
In addition to the full part it plays in the cathedral's worship, singing five choral services each week, the choir undertakes a busy schedule of concerts, tours and broadcasts on both the RTÉ and BBC networks. In recent years the choir has also recorded a number of CDs, including an award-winning collection of Christmas Carols and two critically acclaimed CDs, Meditations and Remembrances, of the works of contemporary composer Francis Pott, and I Love Alll Beauteous Things, a disc of the choral and organ music of Herbert Howells, recorded and released in 2008 to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the composer's death.
The choir has toured extensively in Ireland, England and France. It has performed in concerts and at services in New Zealand, Germany, Croatia and Slovenia, and in Westminster Abbey. In the summer of 2005, the choir undertook a week's residency at St Paul's Cathedral in London, and in February 2006 it undertook a highly successful tour of the United States of America. Most recently, the choir travelled to Loreto in Italy to perform Messiah at the invitation of the Associazione Rassegna Lauretana di Musica Sacra.


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