Cantairí Avondale was founded in 1970 by Seán Creamer. Since then the choir has performed a wide variety of choral music, including sacred and secular partsongs, modern and jazz classics, oratorio and plainchant. The choir has won many choral competitions, most recently the Mixed Voice Choir Competition and the Popular Music/Choruses Competition at Navan Choral Festival 2011; and the Mixed Voice Choir Competition and the Chamber Choir Competition at AIMS Choral Festival, New Ross 2011. The choir has previously won the Open National SATB competition at Cork International Choral Festival.

In 1988 Seán was succeeded as director of music by Mary O’Flynn, who enjoyed a very successful tenure for 20 years. Ruaidhrí Ó Dálaigh, the choir’s current director, was appointed in 2008 and he has continued the choir’s tradition of performing a wide variety of challenging choral music.

The choir has a proud record of commissioning new choral works by Irish composers such as John Buckley, Marion Ingoldsby and Rhona Clarke. In recognition of Mary O’Flynn’s contribution to the choir, Michael Gallen was commissioned to compose a choral work based on a poem by Ann Leahy. The work Pursuing Moths was premiered in April 2010.

Ruaidhrí Ó Dálaigh started singing with the Palestrina Choir in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral at the age of six. He subsequently studied piano and theory at the Dublin College of Music, before graduating from NUI Maynooth in 2007 with a BMus (International). After his graduation, he directed the Chamber Choir there for a further two years.
Ruaidhrí has established the Amici Singers, a small ensemble specialising in modern close harmony and the Maynooth Early Music Ensemble, who perform music from the 9th – 15th centuries. In addition to Cantairí Avondale, Ruaidhrí holds the directorship of Belvedere College Choir and the Third Day Chorale.

David Grealy, a native of Galway city, is a first-class honours music and history graduate of NUI Maynooth, where he studied organ performance under Professor Gerard Gillen. He has been assistant organist at St Bartholomew’s Church, Dublin since September 2011. In 2011 he was organist-in-residence at Westminster Cathedral having previously served as organ scholar there (2008-2009). From 2006 to 2008 he was organ scholar at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, and was also assistant director to the choirs from 2009 to 2010. Prior to this he held the organ scholarship at Galway Cathedral for three years where he performed several times in the cathedral’s recital series. David is also in regular demand as an accompanist. He has featured in RTÉ broadcasts, including televised Easter and Christmas liturgies in 2007. He has also won numerous prizes for organ-playing, including the Stanford Prize (2003) and the Advanced Organ Prize (2005) at the Feis Ceoil (Dublin).

Francisco Correa de Arauxo (1584–1684)
Lauda Sion salvatorem

Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548–1611)
O quam gloriosum
Ne timeas Maria

Nicolas de Grigny (1672–1703)
Pange Lingua [3 movements]

Rhona Clarke (b1958)
A Song for Saint Cecilia’s Day

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)
Cantique de Jean Racine

Jehan Alain (1911–1940)
Intermezzo

Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924)
The Blue Bird

Gerald Finzi (1901–1956)
My Spirit Sang All Day

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958)
Valiant for Truth

Marcel Dupré (1886–1971)
Prelude and Fugue in B major

Sydney Guillaume (b1982)
Kalinda