10 June 2018 at 20:00

ARDÚ Vocal Ensemble

William Woods (organ)

ARDÚ

This six-voice group is internationally recognised, having represented Ireland at the Tempere Vocal Festival in Finland, as well as performing on Sky 1's a cappella show ‘Sing: Ultimate A Cappella’. The ensemble has also recently performed at the London A Cappella Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, building their standing as Ireland’s ambassadors of contemporary a cappella. 2017 also saw  Ardú host the first ever Irish International A Cappella Competition, featuring Grammy Award winners The Swingles.

Ardú are also busy at home in Ireland. Recent performances include Allegri's 'Miserere' at City Hall, Dublin as part of MusicTown 2017, and guest performances at the Dublin Choral Festival and VocaJazz, a newly created show of jazz arrangements curated by artistic director Ciarán Kelly. They have appeared on TV and radio several times, including the Ray Darcy Show (RTÉ 1), Classical Connections (BBC Radio Ulster) and Marty in The Morning (RTÉ Lyric FM). 

The ensemble are musicians in residence at An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk and have developed educational partnerships with Dundalk Institute of Technology and St Kevins School, Crumlin. Their education programme is popular in schools around Ireland and reaches young singers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

Ardú were prizewinners in the National Competition for Chamber Choirs and the National Competition for Light, Jazz and Popular Music categories at the 2017 Cork International Choral Festival, runners-up in Lyric FM's Choirs for Christmas 2015, and prizewinners at the City of Derry 2015 International Choral Festival. 2018 will see Ardú present a programme of newly arranged contemporary music at festivals across Ireland and internationally, including the Pipeworks Festival in Dublin.

William Woods

William Woods obtained a first class honours degree in music performance from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, having studied piano with Mary Breslin and Pádhraic Ó Cuinneagáin, and organ with Una Russell. He was organ scholar in Dublin's Pro-Cathedral under the tutelage of Gerard Gillen, and accompanied the Palestrina choir (in which he had sung as a boy) for various tours and concerts. From 2006 to 2010 he served as a chapel organist under the direction of John O'Keeffe at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, while a student at the college. He has since studied organ with David Adams and has partaken in masterclasses with Gillian Weir, Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin and Ansgar Wallenhorst. From 2011 to 2016 he was organist of University Church, St Stephen's Green, Dublin. He is currently pursuing doctoral studies in ecclesiastical history at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, and in September 2017 was appointed organist and director of music at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar.