Coming up
Christmas Concert 2024 – Thursday December 12 in the National Concert Hall, Dublin
Our Christmas Concert for 2024 will take place on December 12 in the National Concert Hall in Dublin. We will be performing parts 1, 4 and 5 of JS Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, along with a selection of other works. More information about the concert will appear here when available.
Recent events
Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with pianist John O’Conor – Sunday June 9th in the church of St. Thérèse, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin
We were delighted and honoured to be able to perform Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy on Sunday afternoon, 9th June 2024, with the internationally acclaimed Irish pianist John O’Conor. This was a repeat performance of the work which he previously gave with the choir in Dublin in December 1976. The concert took place in the church of St. Thérèse, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin, the venue for our memorable performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in February 2023.
Celebrating centenaries – Saturday April 6 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin
The choir presented a concert of works commemorating the centenaries or bicentenaries of three prolific composers: Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924), Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884), and Anton Bruckner (1824–1896). Under the direction of John Dexter, we were joined by four accomplished vocal soloists and a brass ensemble, along with David Leigh on the St. Patrick’s organ. The works performed include Stanford’s Te Deum, Jubilate Deo and Beati Quorum Via, Bruckner’s Te Deum and an exciting organ arrangement of Smetana’s Vltava (from Má Vlast).
Christmas Concert 2023 – 11 Dec in the National Concert Hall, Dublin
We returned to the National Concert Hall in Dublin on Monday 11 December 2023 for our annual Christmas concert. This time we were performing Bach’s cantata “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland” (BWV 61), Vivaldi’s “Dixit Dominus”, “Rorate coeli” by William Byrd and a selection of European Christmas carols. The choir and orchestra were joined by a number of solo vocalists under the direction of John Dexter with David Leigh at the organ. The photo shows John with soloists (L-R) Rory Lynch, Megan O’Neill, Eilís Dexter, Aimee Kearney and Matthew Mannion.
St. Mary’s C of I, Navan – Saturday 14th October
We took part in a charity concert in St. Mary’s Church of Ireland in Navan on Saturday evening, 14th October, performing an eclectic range of a capella works of various musical styles and periods. Also taking part were the Navan Silver Band.
Summer concert 2023 – 28th May in St. Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, Dublin.
Our summer concert for 2023 took place on Sunday 28th May in St. Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, Dublin. We presented a multilingual musical journey through Europe visiting Ireland, England, Holland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Russia including choral and instrumental favourites by Johann Sebastian Bach, Anton Bruckner, William Byrd, Joseph Haydn, Heinrich Isaac, Thomas Morley, Orlando di Lasso, Henry Purcell, Igor Stravinsky and others.
The choir was conducted by our musical director John Dexter and we were joined by violinist David O’Doherty.
Bach’s St. Matthew Passion – 26 February 2023 in the church of St. Thérèse, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin
We were thrilled to be able to present a rare performance in Ireland of JS Bach’s magnificent St. Matthew Passion, which took place on Sunday evening February 26, 2023 in the church of St. Thérèse, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin. A full and appreciative audience was in attendance for a moving and memorable performance of this pinnacle of the choral repertoire.
The following performers took part:
Evangelist: Dustin Drosdziok
Christus: Jeffrey Ledwidge
Sopranos: Katy Kelly, Aisling Kenny
Altos: Sharon Carty, Iris Fiona Nikolaou
Tenors: Christopher Bowen, Rory Lynch
Basses: Brendan Collins, Rory Musgrave
Goethe Choir
Goethe Ensemble
Conductor: John Dexter
Go to our Gallery page to see some photos from the evening and to hear a recording of our performance of the final chorus.
Christmas concert 2022 – 8 December in the National Concert Hall, Dublin
After a break of 3 years due to the Covid pandemic, we 
returned to the National Concert Hall in Dublin on December 8th 2022 for our annual Christmas concert. Entitled ‘Rejoice! A Christmas Celebration’, the concert featured works by Handel, Kuhnau, Vierne, Schütz and Bach, as well as a selection of European carols. The choir and orchestra was conducted by our musical director John Dexter, with vocal soloists Ami Hewitt, Sharon Carty, Gavan Ring and Rory Dunne, and organist David Leigh.
An evening in aid of Ukraine – Thursday 12th May 2022 in St. Finian’s Lutheran Church, Dublin
We were delighted take part in an evening of music in aid of Ukraine in St. Finian’s Lutheran Church in Dublin on Thursday 12 May, where we performed a number of works from our previous concert in Christ Church cathedral in Dublin, as well as some additional pieces.
Spring concert 2022 – Sunday 24th April at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Following our resumption of normal rehearsals earlier in the year we were delighted to return to the Dublin concert scene after an absence of over two years with our Spring Concert for 2022, which took place on Sunday 24th April in Christ Church cathedral in Dublin, an occasion which was thoroughly enjoyed by the choir and a capacity audience. The programme consisted of a range of choral and instrumental works by composers including Bach, Eccard, Fauré and Telemann, including the final chorus from Bach’s glorious B minor mass,’Dona Nobis Pacem’, which gave our concert its very appropriate theme, and ended with a very moving performance of the Prayer for Ukraine as an encore.
German Remembrance Day – Sunday 14 November 2021 at St. Kevin’s Church, Glencree
A section of the choir participated once again this year in the German Remembrance Day service in St. Kevin’s Church, Glencree which included us singing in the short moving ceremony of remembrance after the service in the German military cemetery.
Bach: Christmas Oratorio – Monday 16 Dec 2019 at the National Concert Hall, Dublin
Following our successful performance of parts 1, 3 and 4 of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in December 2018, the Goethe Choir returned to the National Concert Hall in Dublin on Monday December 16th 2019 to perform the remaining parts 2, 5 and 6 of the work to another sell-out audience, together with the Christmas Motet ‘Hodie Christus Natus Est’ by Francis Poulenc and a selection of carols.
Included among the soloists were Alison Browner (an Irish mezzo-soprano now based in Germany and a former member of the choir), soprano Elizabeth Hilliard, Irish bass Brendan Collins and the German tenor Dustin Droszdiok, who returned to sing in this concert after performing with us in the December 2018 concert and who delighted the audience with another wonderful performance, as did the other soloists.
‘Celebrating female composers’ – Saturday 29 June 2019 at St. Finian’s Lutheran Church, Adelaide Road, Dublin 2
The choir performed a programme of works by female composers at St. Finian’s Lutheran Church in Adelaide Road, Dublin 2 at 8pm on Saturday 29 June 2019. The concert included works by:
Hildegard von Bingen
Vittoria Aleotti
Wilhelmine von Bayreuth
Maria Theresia von Paradis
Clara Schumann
Lili Boulanger
Ina Boyle
Mary Kelly
with
Elisabeth Goell, Soprano
Katie Richardson McCrea, Alto
Anne-Marie O’Farrell, Harp
Goethe Choir, John Dexter conductor
Goethe Ensemble, Werner Blau conductor
The programme contained a delightful and entertaining selection of works which may have been less well-known but which certainly deserved a wider audience, and which was much appreciated by a large audience. The concert was in aid of the St’ Finian’s Church roof fund.
Will Todd: Mass in Blue – Saturday 25 May 2019 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin
The Goethe Choir gave a performance of Will Todd’s Mass in Blue on Saturday 25 May 2019 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. The concert was in aid of Carmichael Ireland. The choir was accompanied by the Will Todd Ensemble, and featured the composer himself on piano and Hilary Cronin as soprano soloist.
This work was first sung by the choir in St. Ann’s Church, Dublin, on 2 June 2018. A recording of the 2018 performance can be heard below.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Friday 3 May 2019 at the National Concert Hall, Dublin
The Goethe Choir joined the RTE National Symphony Orchestra on Friday 3 May 2019 in the National Concert Hall, Dublin in a presentation with live music of Steven Spielberg’s 1977 masterpiece ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’. The film features a groundbreaking and magnificent score written by John Williams, which was performed live and in sync with the film. The choir was proud to be asked to participate in this popular presentation.
Claudio Monteverdi: L’Orfeo – Saturday 23 March 2019 at the Freemasons’ Hall in Dublin
The choir gave a concert performance of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at the Freemasons’ Hall, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 on Saturday 23 March 2019. Written in 1607 for a court performance during the annual Carnival at Mantua, L’Orfeo is the earliest surviving opera that is still regularly performed.
The performance featured the following artists:
Matthew Long — Orfeo
Sharon Carty — Euridice
John Elwes — Apollo
Sylvia O’Brien — Soprano
Brendan Collins — Bass
Siobhán Armstrong — Harp
Paul Herriott – Narrator
with the Goethe Choir & Goethe Ensemble conducted by John Dexter.
The venue was the spectacular Grand Lodge Room in the Freemasons’ Hall in Dublin
