Through the Digital Door: City of Derry International Choir Festival

Ahead of the 2020 City of Derry International Choir Festival, which takes place online this year from 21-25 October, this edition of Through the Digital Door focuses on choral works. Since 2015 CMC has sponsored an award for the best performance of a piece by a composer represented by CMC. Previous winning works are included in this feature, as well as a small selection of works from CMC's Choral Catalogues.

Voci Nuove, conducted by Lynsey Callaghan, performed this work at City of Derry International Choir Festival in 2015 and won the first CMC Special Award for best performance of a piece by a composer from Ireland. This work was first premiered at the Cork International and Folk Dance Festival by Parnassian Singers, conducted by Gráinne Gormley. The Irish text is by Seán Ó Riordáin.

This work was performed by Mornington Singers, conductor Orla Flanagan, at the 2016 City of Derry Choral Festival. This work is from Clarke's Two Marian Anthems, and is also included in CMC's 2012 choral anthology Choirland.

Laetare Vocal Ensemble, conducted by Róisín Blunnie, performed this work at City of Derry International Choir Festival in 2017, winning the CMC prize. Laetare Vocal Ensemble commissioned first premiered this work in April 2017 at the Cork International Choral Festival. This work is published by Cailino.

The work is a setting for SATB choir of a children's rhyme, which exists in many versions, some of which are over 100 years old.

This work uses a text by American/Irish poet Lola Ridge, written in 1918. Laetare Vocal Ensemble, conducted by Róisín Blunnie, performed this work at the 2018 competition. This work is published by Cailino.

Coro Giovanile Regionale Del Friuli Venezia Giulia, conducted by Petra Grassi, performed this work at the Derry Festival in 2019. This work sets a 15th-century sacred text to music and won the 2014 Choir & Organ Magazine International Composition Competition. A Nywe Werk is published by Cailino.

This work is included in the CMC Choral Catalogue for Children's and Female Voice Repertoire, curated by Anne Barry. Ave Maria is graded as 'easily accessible', and features a soprano solo which is accompanied by an SSA choir.

This is an Irish carol written for unison young voices. It is graded as 'easily accessible' in the CMC Choral Catalogue for Children's and Female voices.

This work is included in the CMC Choral Catalogue for Mixed Choir, curated by Rhona Clarke and is graded as 'difficult'. This work was commissioned by RTÉ lyric fm and was premiered by the National Chamber Choir, conducted by Celso Antunes. The text, written by Pat Boran, consists solely of types of bread.

This work, for SATB choir, is graded as 'moderately difficult' in the CMC Choral Catalogue for Mixed Choir. It sets an Emily Brontë text to music in a madrigal style.

This work is written for male choir (AATBB) and is a setting of a sacred Latin text by St. Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers (c.530-c.600/609). It was premiered by the Gentlemen of St Patrick's Cathedral Choir in Dublin. This work is included CMC's Male Voice Repertoire choral catalogue.