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Dr Gavan Ring and friends are planning something special for Christmas Eve.
DR Gavan Ring – Cahersiveen’s own international tenor – is bringing the people of Kerry and further afield together for a special Christmas Eve broadcast of the famous Christmas song ‘O Holy Night.
In association with Creative Ireland Kerry/Kerry County Arts and Radio Kerry, and accompanied by legendary Cahersiveen organist Barbara Gloinson, “O Holy Night” will be sung by Gavan and a digital cross-community choir comprising principally of people from South Kerry and South Kerry diaspora.
Gavan’s performance will not be live but will be pre-recorded from the historic acoustics of the Daniel O’Connell Memorial Church in Cahersiveen in early December and will then be broadcast into homes around the county at 6:25pm on Christmas Eve on Radio Kerry (who will also carry a video of the performance on their Facebook Page).
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The digital choir will be made up of individual recordings of those involved singing the chorus of “O Holy Night”.
Working with renowned film production company The Reelists, choir members’ recordings and footage will then be mixed together over the master track of Gavan and Barbara to create the effect of an authentic choral performance.
“This project has a strong focus on citizen well-being,” says Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer and Creative Ireland Kerry coordinator in Kerry County Council.
“It will allow a coming together across many communities. There is healing power in music and song and we want people across Kerry to feel comfort and joy through this event.”
As choirs and singers continue to be prohibited from gathering and singing together due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, this project will imaginatively reconnect singers, choirs and the wider Kerry community using technology to bring some sense of normality back to their lives. So far, there are upwards of 50 singers from Iveragh and all across the globe involved in the project.
“This is just incredible! We have people joining us from New York, California, Greece, all around the country and the county to digitally part-take in this project! I am so grateful to Kerry County Arts and Radio Kerry for making this a reality”, exclaimed a delighted Gavan.
“O Holy Night is possibly the greatest Christmas song of all time and this special broadcast will not only give the singers involved a huge lift, but the whole county – and indeed the world! – will be able to experience a truly magical and uplifting musical moment at a time when we will all be sorely missing the wonderful music-making we traditionally associate with Christmas Eve and in particular with midnight mass”, he added.
Tune in to Radio Kerry at 6:25pm on Christmas Eve to witness this, truly historic and momentous broadcast.
