Emmanuel -- voices, hands and hearts raised in the Helix (March-2012)
"A unique collaboration of deaf and hearing students will raise their voices and hands on the stage of the Helix in Dublin next week as part of the Emmanuel concert series.
For the first time students from St. Mary's Girls School for the Deaf in Cabra will participate in the concerts, involving over two thousand secondary school students from all over Dublin.
This morning (Tuesday) girls from the deaf choir joined students from St. Dominic's College in Cabra and Belvedere College at a special musical preview of the 2012 Emmanuel series, with RTÉ presenter Miriam O' Callaghan and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.
Regina O'Connell, Principal, St. Mary's School for Deaf Girls said, "We were delighted to be asked to participate in the Emmanuel concert. For the last few months one of our teachers, Shirley Higgins, has trained the choir and she will conduct the group of eleven third year students throughout the concert. The choir will perform all 23 songs, many with two and three part harmonies. Although it has been an enormous challenge, all the girls feel they have benefitted greatly from the experience and are really looking forward to the night. As principal of St. Mary's, I feel very proud of the efforts of all the students and staff involved."
Emmanuel is one of the largest events of live spiritual music to take place in Dublin every year. Secondary school children from around the city and county take part in three days of music and prayer workshops, run by the Archdiocese of Dublin. Each morning of workshops is followed by full rehearsals and then a live concert involving hundreds of children in front of a full Orchestra in the Helix."
The girls are too busy rehearsing to do a full interview, but here are some of their comments, and we'll post a full interview after the concert.
"It is amazing! Ever since we started preparing in October, we've been trying to learn the steps and listen to the beat and rhythm and give facial expressions. We've improved a lot, like 100% better.
This show has given us huge confidence; we've never felt so confident in ourselves.
We just want to show people that we're no different; as Ciara said, we're just showing our identity. We really show our personalities in our performances.
It brought us closer together as a group. We worked together like a team and we're there for each other, encouraging each other and we don't let anyone down.
Ms. Higgins brought us here to this point. She had huge faith in us, and we couldn't have done it without all her hard work every morning from 8.30 to 9 and during free classes."
Update: The girls have now been asked to perform on all three nights at the Helix: Tuesday 13th, Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th March.
photographer: John Mc Elroy
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