First Posted: 2/28/2014
The sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church, Clarks Summit, will be filled with Irish music, limericks, toasts, blessings and probably a few bad Irish jokes on Sunday, March 9 when the Lyric Consort presents its all-accappella program titled “A Planxty for St. Patrick.”
A “planxty” is defined as a tune written to honor some person, however this program will honor not only the Patron Saint of Ireland, but the whole Irish musical culture.
Musically, the Lyric Consort will sing acappella arrangements of a wide variety of Irish folksongs, as well as some art music by Irish composers, and a number of humorous novelty or sentimental songs. Examples of the folksong repertoire include “The Lark in the Clear Air,” “The Minstrel Boy,” “The Wearin’ of the Green,” “The Star of the County Down” and “The Rocky Road to Dublin.” Examples of the art music would be Sir Charles Villiers Stanford’s lovely musical landscape, “The Blue Bird,” and American Samuel Barber’s “The Coolin,” which sets a lovely old Irish poem translated into English. Examples of the humorous repertoire would be “Phil the Fluter’s Ball” and “Columbus Was an Irishman,” while sentimental favorites will include “Danny Boy,” “When Irish Eyes are Smiling,” “The Irish Lullaby,” “Galway Bay” and “My Wild Irish Rose.”
Members of the Lyric Consort are Susan Kelly and Leslie Mason Moran, sopranos; Carol McMullen and Lisa Cardoni, altos; Alan Baker and Steven Thomas, tenors; and Francis McMullen and Chris Gallo, basses. Alan Baker also guides the group as its Artistic Director. 2013-2014 marks the group’s 20th anniversary as an ensemble.