New Dublin Voices, an award-winning chamber choir based in Dublin, Ireland, was founded by conductor Bernie Sherlock in October 2005. New Dublin Voices, whose concerts range in style and period from the medieval to the contemporary, takes special pleasure in exploring the music of living composers and has given many Irish premières, as well as numerous world premières of works by Irish composers. As well as giving concerts, New Dublin Voices is a regular participant in competitions, both internationally and at home in Ireland. The singers who make up New Dublin Voices come from many backgrounds, sharing in common high levels of experience and musicianship, a commitment to attracting new audiences, and above all a love of performing excellent choral music.
New Dublin Voices is regularly engaged to present concerts at prestigious international festivals at home and abroad. This has seen them tour extensively across Provence, Normandy, Burgundy and Catalonia in recent years. Highlights include:
New Dublin Voices performing at Polyfollia, France, 2014
Germany: 7th Internationale Chorbiennale Aachen, 2023
England: 33rd Association of British Choral Directors Annual Convention, Leeds, 2018[1]
Spain: 11th World Symposium on Choral Music, Barcelona, 2017[2]
Ireland: 63rd Cork International Choral Festival, 2017[4]
USA: 2nd World Choral Festival, Kansas City, 2016[5]
France: 23rd Festival des Chœurs Lauréats, Provence, 2015[6]
France: 6th Polyfollia – The World Showcase and Marketplace for Choral Singing, Normandy, 2014
Switzerland: 9th European Festival of Youth Choirs, Basel, 2014
France: Musique en Morvan, Burgundy, 2012
Awards
Bernie accepting first place in the Grand Prix, Arezzo, 2013
Bulgaria: 3rd prize in the Chamber Choirs category and 3rd prize in the Mixed Choirs category, at the 42nd International Choir Competition "Prof. Georgi Dimitrov" in Varna, 2024
Poland: Grand Prix for the best choir, 1st prize and Golden Diploma in the Sacred Music category, 1st prize and Golden Diploma in the Mixed Choirs category, and the Special Prize for distinction for conductor (Bernie Sherlock), at the 13th International Krakow Choir Festival "Cracovia Cantans", 2024
Italy: 1st prize in the Secular Music Programme category, 2nd prize in the Sacred Music Programme category, and the Special Prize for best contemporary programmes and performances, at the 71st Concorso Polifonico Internazionale "Guido d'Arezzo", 2023
Wales: 2nd prize in the Mixed Choirs category, Gwobr Jayne Davies Prize for most outstanding conductor (Bernie Sherlock), at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, 2022
Northern Ireland: 1st prize in the International Competition, at the 7th City of Derry International Choir Festival, 2019
Germany: 3rd prize overall and the Pro Musica Viva - Maria Strecker-Daelen Prize to a conductor (Bernie Sherlock) for the best interpretation of a contemporary choral work (Ave Regina by Rudi Tas), at the 16th International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf, 2019
Hungary: 1st prize in the Mixed Choirs category, Special Prize for best conductor (Bernie Sherlock), and the Special Prize for the best interpretation of a contemporary piece (Under-Song by Seán Doherty (composer)), at the 28th Béla Bartók International Choir Competition in Debrecen, 2018
Latvia: Grand Prix at the 2nd International Baltic Sea Choir Competition in Jūrmala, 2017[7]
Finland: 2nd prize overall and the Special Prize for best interpretation of the set work (Mais je suis mort by Riikka Talvitie), at the 5th International Harald Andersén Chamber Choir Competition in Helsinki, 2016
France: Prix pour une œuvre de création (In te, Christe by Seán Doherty (composer)), at the 45th Florilège Vocal de Tours, 2016
Ireland: 1st prize in the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition, 2nd prize in Ireland’s Choir of the Year, the Perpetual Trophy for the Performance of Irish Contemporary Choral Music, and the International Jury Award, at the 61st Cork International Choral Festival, 2015
Slovenia: 3rd prize overall and the Special Prize for best interpretation of the set work, at the 13th International Choral Competition Gallus in Maribor, 2015
England: Audience Prize at the 1st London International A Cappella Choir Competition, 2014
Hungary: finalist in the 26th European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in Debrecen, 2014
Northern Ireland: 2nd prize in the International Competition at the 1st City of Derry International Choir Festival, 2013
Italy: Gran Premio Città di Arezzo and 1st prize in the Vocal Ensembles category, at the 61st Concorso Polifonico Internazionale "Guido d'Arezzo", 2013
Ireland: 2nd prize in the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition, 1st prize in Ireland’s Choir of the Year, and the Perpetual Trophy for the Performance of Irish Contemporary Choral Music, at the 59th Cork International Choral Festival, 2013
Spain: 3rd prize in the Polyphony category at the 44th Tolosako Abesbatza Lehiaketa, 2012
Belgium: Six prizes, including Choir of the Festival, at the 11th International Choir Contest of Flanders-Maasmechelen, 2011
Italy: Three prizes, including 1st prize in the Renaissance category, at the 58th Concorso Polifonico Internazionale "Guido d'Arezzo", 2010
Ireland: 2nd prize in the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition, the Schuman/Europe Award, and the International Jury Award, at the 56th Cork International Choral Festival, 2010
Finland: 3rd prize overall and the Special Prize for best interpretation of the set work (Laudatio Domini by Joonas Kokkonen), at the 3rd International Harald Andersén Chamber Choir Competition in Helsinki, 2009
Germany: 3rd prize overall at the 11th International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf, 2009
Hungary: Grand Prix and the Interkultur Special Prize for best conductor (Bernie Sherlock) at the 12th Budapest International Choir Competition, 2009
France: Prix pour une œuvre de création (Sea Swell by Enda Bates), at the 37th Florilège Vocal de Tours, 2008
Discography
Snow Dance for the Dead - Choral Music by Seán Doherty, released 21 February 2025
Christmas with New Dublin Voices, released 20 November 2010[10]
Something Beginning with B, released 24 September 2010[11]
Other work
As well as concerts and competitions, New Dublin Voices maintains a busy calendar of other activities including fund-raising – most recently charity concerts for Pakistan flood relief with Concern Worldwide, and for the PREDA Foundation which cares for neglected children in the Philippines
The choir makes occasional television appearances – notably appearing with The Priests in their debut Armagh concert broadcast nationwide in the US and Canada, and on RTÉ's Off the Rails, The Den, and others.
In 2016, Sony Classical released the original motion picture soundtrack for The Letters, a Hollywood feature film about the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.[12] The album features New Dublin Voices and the Macedonian Radio Symphony Orchestra performing the film's original music composed by Ciarán Hope as well as Leona Lewis performing the song "Run" by Snow Patrol.[13]
Prayer for those who shall return by Paweł Łukaszewski
Comrades by Eoghan Desmond
War - A Soldier’s Grave by Ēriks Ešenvalds
Bean Pháidín arranged by Seán Doherty
We Three Kings arranged by Eoin Conway
Luminous Star by Jonathan Nangle
Little Girl Blue arranged by Seán Doherty
The Stolen Child by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
The Second Coming by Alex Ryan
Noel: Christmas Eve 1913 by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
Stille Nacht arranged by Eoin Conway
The Christmas Song arranged by Eoin Conway
The Darkest Midnight by Eoghan Desmond
Love Came Down at Christmas by Mark Armstrong
We are the Music-Makers by Colman Pearce
Psalmus by Péter Louis van Dijk
Snow Dance for the Dead by Seán Doherty
Christmas Time is Here arranged by Eoin Conway
Adam Lay yBounden by Eoghan Desmond
There is no Rose by Eoghan Desmond
Can it be True? by Seán Doherty
Our Christmas Bells Ring by Mark Armstrong
The Same Stream of Life by Vytautas Miškinis
Northwoods by Ola Gjeilo
In te, Christe by Seán Doherty
Down by the Salley Gardens arranged by Mark Armstrong
O Holy Night arranged by Eoin Conway
The Spire by Stephen Gardner
The Smock Race at Finglas by Stephen Gardner
Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by Eoghan Desmond
Obsessive Choral Disorder by Daniel McDermott
For the Love of Quiet Things by Jonathan Nangle
Blackberry Picking by Éna Brennan
Sing No More by Hugh Martin Boyle
Wave by Richard Gill
Salve Regina by Ryan Molloy
Dreams by Seán Doherty
Would like to Meet by Peter Leavy
On the Strand by David Collier
Bubbles… by Donal Mac Erlaine
Arrgh by Kian Geiselbrechtinger
To One Dead by Patrick Connolly
Song for Billie Holiday by Anna Clifford
Dancing on the Threshold by David Bremner
All I Want for Christmas is You arranged by Eoin Conway
Cantate Canticum Novum by Dan Forrest
In the Bleak Midwinter by Alex Ryan
The Wexford Carol arranged by Eoin Mulvany
Mr. Blue Sky arranged by Eoin Mulvany
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen arranged by Eoin Conway
Coventry Carol arranged by Jonathan Nangle
The Savior must have been by Stephen Gardner
Love is Stronger by Ben Hanlon
Pauper's Lament/A Stealing Sadness by Enda Bates
O frondens virga by Ben Hanlon
Sea Swell by Enda Bates
Bealach Conglais by Ian Wilson
Curoo Curoo by Elaine Agnew
Fall Approaches by Linda Buckley
Three Meditations for Twenty Voices by Daniel Jacobson
Lux Aeterna by Ian McDonnell
Upon His Departure Hence by Michael Fleming
...[and] in the end, with so much swelling silence, why bother to make sounds at all? by Jonathan Nangle
Press Quotes
"...a soft-textured beauty...New Dublin Voices has this in abundance." - Michael Dervan, The Irish Times[14]
"My first impulse after playing Make We Merry...was to play it all again. It has 18 tracks...and bubbles with energy and wit." - Richard Morrison, The Times (UK)[15]
"...the choral effect being simply breathtaking throughout in its refined beauty." - Dick O'Riordan, The Sunday Business Post[16]
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