By Niamh Byrne
Photos: Ian Davis
Dublin Social Choir is a new community choir set up by Orla Gargan and Lisa Nagle, in the hope to bring happiness to people through song. The pair decided to theme the group ‘Joy’ to inspire people to bring Joy through performance. Learning new vocal techniques, building a community and meeting new people in a way to make everyone feel comfortable and empowered is the group’s vision and priority.
The group was originally set up in 2019, but had to stop for a while due to covid circumstances. Ever since, the group has been thriving and even took up performances in many places, one being the Helix! Both Lisa and Orla have an impressive background in music, with Orla being the director of Dublin’s Gospel Choir. It is the perfect opportunity for anyone looking to meet new people that have the same passion for singing and just having fun. The cool thing about it is, you don’t need to audition, you can just come along and join in! The group is a tight net, ranging from all different age groups.
To start off the class, Orla did some warm up challenges to get their voices going. The group was split into three sections for the class: Soprano, Alto and Tenor. They all learned their parts for the song separately, then sang together afterward with all the harmony combined. Every week they learn a new song from all different eras from Soul and Gospel to R&B, Pop music and Rock.
Every Monday classes take place from 8pm – 9:30pm at St Mary’s Church Hall on Haddington Road. The classes are completely free and are a safe space for anyone looking to sing for fun and get involved in shows.
They are welcoming new members now for their seven week run.
To register email: dublinsocialchoir@gmail.com
For more info check out Dublin Social Choir on Instagram and Facebook @dublinsocialchoir
