Page 184 - Gonzaga at 60
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GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
curriculum. At Leaving Ceriicate, in Gonzaga as well as throughout the Irish secondary system,
music was sill very much a minority subject. Boys with talent and interest opted for the subject
Félim Gormley: born 1969 and achieved remarkable success: many going on to successful careers in music as instrumental
performers, singers, producers and managers. In the case of one of the irst Leaving Ceriicate
Alto, Tenor, Baritone saxes class this success was as a composer. The mass sung at the irst mass of Fr John McCann had
and lute. been writen by him for the occasion. As Fr John Columba McCann OSB he is now a leading
Tutored by Leo Barnes and composer of liturgical music.
Mike McMullen When, in the early nineies, it was decided to abandon O-level examinaions and instead take
Irish Wind Ensemble, Irish
Youth Jazz Orchestra. the Junior Ceriicate examinaion in Third Year two further changes occurred in the musical life
1st major tour 1986 of the College. The junior cycle music curriculum was studied for the ceriicate examinaion and
with Johnny Logan ... my the Fourth Years, now liberated as Transiion Years from the regular curriculum, undertook classes
Leaving Cert year ... in musical appreciaion. The pieces studied were chosen from the programme of subscripion
that proved to be an concerts of the NSOI and so, having completed two months of listening to recordings and studying
interesing one! the structure of certain works, the class heard them performed in the Naional Concert Hall.
Shortly followed by As the numbers taking music grew a second music teacher was appointed: Mrs Rosemary
Hazel O’Conor and then
the adventure of The O’Brien. Iniially Mrs O’Brien taught the Junior Ceriicate programme and prepared small
Commitments. ensembles for performance at the Christmas Mass. Later, following Gerry Murphy’s reirement
Recorded and toured with she became senior music teacher.
various aristes since, most The appointment in 1990 of a lay headmaster with over 20 years experience as a Church
memorably Ronnie Wood, Choirmaster was likely to have an efect on the College choirs. It did. Patrick Pots followed the
Rock ‘n’ Roll. tradiion of two of his predecessors, Frs. Dermot Murray and Peter Sexton by assuming the role
Now enjoying touring and of Choirmaster. He increased the number of choristers in the Senior Choir to over eighty: one
recording with my own
jazz trio. third of the eligible senior pupils. When added to the signiicant numbers of First Years with
Best sax moment: sill unbroken voices this meant that at Christmas Mass the four-part choir could exceed 150 in
Senior 1 ... solo in Gerry’s number. They could (and frequently did) produce a glorious sound. This Headmaster’s liturgical
opera ‘Cofee Break’ slant was more tradiional than that of his predecessors and so the choir’s repertoire came to
include far more Gregorian chant and Lain hymnody than had been the case since the early
My Memories of Gerry... 1970’s. Many of the senior boys having realised that choral singing was enjoyable went on ater
leaving school to join the more notable choirs in the city and for many years were the backbone
Cool sandals, deadly
beard, beauiful family. of the UCD Choral Scholars.
The most wonderful Another innovaion of the late 1990’s was the annual music tour. These tours were
teacher, mentor and organised and led by Gerry Murphy to places and venues signiicant in the life and career of JS
friend I could have Bach or Mozart (depending on which was the more important composer in the programme for
ever wished for. that year’s Leaving Ceriicate).
Gerry Murphy reired in 2006 and, as menioned above, Rosemary O’Brien took over as senior
Thanks, music teacher and director of the Junior Choir. However the number of boys studying music had now
Félim increased so that yet another music teacher was required. Ms Aoife Dunne who joined Rosemary
as teacher of senior and junior music came with a wealth of experience as a choral director and
was herself a professional vocal soloist. To her fell the diicult task of illing Gerry Murphy’s shoes
Felim Gormley photo by Tony Murphy
GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
curriculum. At Leaving Ceriicate, in Gonzaga as well as throughout the Irish secondary system,
music was sill very much a minority subject. Boys with talent and interest opted for the subject
Félim Gormley: born 1969 and achieved remarkable success: many going on to successful careers in music as instrumental
performers, singers, producers and managers. In the case of one of the irst Leaving Ceriicate
Alto, Tenor, Baritone saxes class this success was as a composer. The mass sung at the irst mass of Fr John McCann had
and lute. been writen by him for the occasion. As Fr John Columba McCann OSB he is now a leading
Tutored by Leo Barnes and composer of liturgical music.
Mike McMullen When, in the early nineies, it was decided to abandon O-level examinaions and instead take
Irish Wind Ensemble, Irish
Youth Jazz Orchestra. the Junior Ceriicate examinaion in Third Year two further changes occurred in the musical life
1st major tour 1986 of the College. The junior cycle music curriculum was studied for the ceriicate examinaion and
with Johnny Logan ... my the Fourth Years, now liberated as Transiion Years from the regular curriculum, undertook classes
Leaving Cert year ... in musical appreciaion. The pieces studied were chosen from the programme of subscripion
that proved to be an concerts of the NSOI and so, having completed two months of listening to recordings and studying
interesing one! the structure of certain works, the class heard them performed in the Naional Concert Hall.
Shortly followed by As the numbers taking music grew a second music teacher was appointed: Mrs Rosemary
Hazel O’Conor and then
the adventure of The O’Brien. Iniially Mrs O’Brien taught the Junior Ceriicate programme and prepared small
Commitments. ensembles for performance at the Christmas Mass. Later, following Gerry Murphy’s reirement
Recorded and toured with she became senior music teacher.
various aristes since, most The appointment in 1990 of a lay headmaster with over 20 years experience as a Church
memorably Ronnie Wood, Choirmaster was likely to have an efect on the College choirs. It did. Patrick Pots followed the
Rock ‘n’ Roll. tradiion of two of his predecessors, Frs. Dermot Murray and Peter Sexton by assuming the role
Now enjoying touring and of Choirmaster. He increased the number of choristers in the Senior Choir to over eighty: one
recording with my own
jazz trio. third of the eligible senior pupils. When added to the signiicant numbers of First Years with
Best sax moment: sill unbroken voices this meant that at Christmas Mass the four-part choir could exceed 150 in
Senior 1 ... solo in Gerry’s number. They could (and frequently did) produce a glorious sound. This Headmaster’s liturgical
opera ‘Cofee Break’ slant was more tradiional than that of his predecessors and so the choir’s repertoire came to
include far more Gregorian chant and Lain hymnody than had been the case since the early
My Memories of Gerry... 1970’s. Many of the senior boys having realised that choral singing was enjoyable went on ater
leaving school to join the more notable choirs in the city and for many years were the backbone
Cool sandals, deadly
beard, beauiful family. of the UCD Choral Scholars.
The most wonderful Another innovaion of the late 1990’s was the annual music tour. These tours were
teacher, mentor and organised and led by Gerry Murphy to places and venues signiicant in the life and career of JS
friend I could have Bach or Mozart (depending on which was the more important composer in the programme for
ever wished for. that year’s Leaving Ceriicate).
Gerry Murphy reired in 2006 and, as menioned above, Rosemary O’Brien took over as senior
Thanks, music teacher and director of the Junior Choir. However the number of boys studying music had now
Félim increased so that yet another music teacher was required. Ms Aoife Dunne who joined Rosemary
as teacher of senior and junior music came with a wealth of experience as a choral director and
was herself a professional vocal soloist. To her fell the diicult task of illing Gerry Murphy’s shoes
Felim Gormley photo by Tony Murphy
