| Biography | On 16 December 1945, the Amalgamated Catholic Choirs of the Diocese of Dublin -- a choir comprised of 360 singers -- made its debut at the Capitol Theatre with a performance of Handels Messiah, conducted by Vincent OBrien. Dr. OBriens son Oliver conducted the second performance. Dublin audiences embraced the new choir. Eminent attendees at the first performance included President Séan T OKelly, Taoiseach Eamon De Valera and Alderman PS Doyle, the Lord Mayor of Dublin. Buoyed by its success, the choir was formally convened in 1946 as Our Ladys Choral Society, with Archbishop John Charles McQuaid serving as President, Father Griffith as Director and Vincent OBrien as Chorus Master, a position he held until his death two years later. Almost immediately OLCS assumed its position as Dublins premier choir.
Over the years, Sir John Barbirolli had become, to quote former Chorus Master Oliver OBrien, a true inspiration and greatly loved friend of OLCS. Barbirolli served as guest conductor on a number of occasions, including the concerts in the National Stadium to mark the choirs 25th anniversary in 1970. These performances of Elgars The Dream of Gerontius and Verdis Requiem were the last choral concerts he conducted.
In 1979, the choirs leadership realised that if OLCS were to achieve a professional standard, the choir would have to become more self-critical. It decided each member would be re-auditioned every three years. This policy, which continues today, allows the Music Director to maintain the balance and quality of the choir. A new version of Our Ladys Choral Society appeared in the early 1980s. The number of singers had been reduced from over 300 to 120. Under the musical direction of Ó Duinn, this leaner choir was able to focus on major oratorios as never before.
In February 2009, Our Ladys Choral Society had the distinction of being the first choir to perform Handels Messiah in the Vatican. The choir was invited to perform the oratorio in the Paul VI Audience Hall for Pope Benedict XVI and an audience of 6,000 on the occasion of the 80th Anniversary of the Vatican City State. |