Foscadh Housing Association’s Loving Life community choir will perform its first standalone concert in the Stokes Theatre, the Barbican Centre in Drogheda on Monday 5 December 2022 at 7.00pm.

Foscadh Housing CEO Mr Ken O Heiligh said the concert will be the first time the choir members, aged between 5 and 18, have performed as a group in front of a captive audience.

“The choir has a fantastic track record of performing to raise funds for charity and also as part of other shows, but this will be the first time the spotlight is solely on them,” Mr O Heiligh said.

“Choir members have done a fantastic job to learning new songs, remember the lyrics, work on harmonies, learn where to stand and how to move to the music and the Family Concert is set to be a really great event.”

The concert will feature a variety of musical performances from the choir as a whole, in small groups, as well as some solo performances including one to be sung in the Irish language.

Following the intermission, the concert will take a festive turn with three Christmas songs performed by the whole choir.

The choir has benefited from the appointment of a permanent Choir Director, Ms Eileen Foley who has implemented a structured choir program that teaches members essential music skills such as rhythm, beat patterns and harmonies.

The choir is also supported by local choreographer Kelley McArdle who is teaching members valuable performance skills, such as how to perform on stage, how to hold a microphone, how to move with music, and how to engage an audience.

The concert is made possible through the support of the RTÉ
Toy Show Appeal by the Community Foundation for Ireland, which awarded Foscadh Housing €27,326 in June 2022 in support of the development of its program for the Loving Life Choir.

The funding has been used to engage a choir director and a choreographer to help build choir members’ skills in performance, communication and self-expression, while also showing them what is possible through their exposure to the creative arts.

Membership of the Loving Life Choir is free and provides members with a safe, inclusive and supportive environment to make new friends, develop their confidence and express themselves freely.

The Loving Life Choir has won two national awards for community integration, delivered a number of public performances, and has appeared on RTÉ radio and television, including the Late Late Toy Show in 2021.