Gregorian Chant Workshop

Saturday 28 February 2009 11.00am to 6.00pm
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Eur20 per person (RSCM members Eur15 per person).
Contact Peter Parshall , Co-ordinator RSCM Ireland,
The Chapter House, Christ Church Cathedral, Christ Church Place, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Tel:+353 (0)1 671 2426, Fax:+353 (0) 1 679 8991, email: pparshall@rscm.com , web: www.rscmireland.org

A reminder of the Chant workshop which is to take place on Saturday 28 February 2009 at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin. Due to the last minute indisposition of Eamon Manning, we're delighted that the acknowledged Chant expert Nick Gale has agreed to lead the event (biography below). The day will conclude with Vespers sung by course participants and Christ Church Cathedral choir. Please make the event widely-known and feel free to pass on this message to anyone you think would be interested in this fascinating subject.

Programme for the day

*Introduction to Chant
*Vocal Warm-up
*Reading Chant Notation with exercises
*Basic Chant Repertoire

Break for lunch (not provided)

*The structure of Vespers
*Vespers Repertoire: The Psalms of Vespers and Psalm Tones. The Antiphons. Versicles and Responses
*'Putting Style into Vespers: the example of Fontgombault' (Aka Tricks of the Trade)
*Rehearsal with cathedral choir
*Sung Vespers
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Biography - Nick Gale

Nick Gale was born in 1975 and educated at Belmont Abbey School, where he was organ scholar and a pupil of Dom Alan Rees OSB. He graduated from the University of Oxford where he was organ scholar at Lady Margaret Hall.

He spent a number of years as Director of Chapel Music at Ratcliffe College in Leicestershire before being appointed Director of Music at St George's Cathedral, Southwark, and Head of Academic Music at the London Oratory School.

He studied Gregorian Chant at the world-famous Monastery of St Pierre de Solesmes in France under Dom Daniel Saulnier, Head of Chant Studies at the Pontifical Institute of Liturgical Music in Rome. He is an honorary fellow of and secretary to the Academy of St Cecilia.

Nick Gale has directed Gregorian scholas across Europe, recent highlights including directing Solemn Mass (ordinary form) and Solemn Vespers and Benediction at Westminster Cathedral, Solemn Vespers and
Benediction in Cologne Cathedral and Solemn High Mass (extraordinary form) at the FSSP Church of Ss. Trinita dei Pellegrini in Rome. Recent tours include Germany, Italy and the US. He has also conducted choirs
for a number of Solemn High masses for the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.

Recent courses Nick has directed include a week-long residential school for the Panel of Monastic Musicians at Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight, day courses for parishes in the Archdiocese of Southwark and a master class for the Schola Gregoriana of Belfast. He organised the Academy of St Cecilia's International Gregorian Chant Symposium in London in 2006, assisted by Dr Naji Hakim, Dom Daniel Saulnier and Prof. Nick Sandon, and is directing the Academy's next Gregorian Chant Study Day, assisted by Sr Bernadette OSB and Prof. John Caldwell of the University of Oxford, in July 2009.