Gospel Rising Music Festival in Bray
Gospel singers and Glee fans will be heading to Bray Co. Wicklow and making waves on the seafront for the 3rdannual Gospel Rising Music Festival, from Friday May 11 to Sunday May 13. Already home to some of Ireland’s music greats such as Sinead O’Connor and Mary Coughlan, Bray will be awash with all things gospel for this great celebration of music.
Following on from the great success of Gospel Rising in Ennis in 2010 and Portlaoise in 2011, Gospel Rising 2012, supported by The Arts Council and proudly partnered with RTE LyricFM and UCB Ireland Radio, promises to be bigger and better than ever before. The festival is built around a series of workshops open to all, encompassing all gospel music styles, repertoire, choreography, soloist technique, and much more.
A highlight of the festival is the FREE open air gig on Saturday 12th May from 7pm on the bandstand on Bray seafront, which will showcase Ireland’s many gospel music styles. Anyone and everyone is welcome and the Gospel Rising Music Festival team look forward to welcoming gospel fans and those new to the scene to a night of unrivaledgospel fun.
From Cork to Cavan, Sligo to Wicklow, the whole weekend showcases Ireland's current diversity and rising of gospel choir music. On Saturday night, 12th May, Gospel from allover the country will have the audience on their feet at the Gospel Rising bandstand gig (Bray Seafront 7pm) where gospel classics such as ‘Higher and higher’, ‘Oh Happy Day’, ‘Lean on Me’, ‘Stand By Me’, ‘Jessie J-Price Tag’, ‘Say a little Prayer’, and many more, will be gleefully gospelled for one and all to hear. There will be plenty of family fun to be had on Sunday afternoon when the Dublin Gospel Choir will be joined by local schools to get the funtimes going with a lunchtime gig on the bandstand, face painting, balloon art and plenty more activities to entertain the whole family.
GIGS:
Friday 11 May
Gospel Jam 10.30pm The Martello Hotel – Bray Seafront
Saturday 12 May
Lunchtime gigs 1.30pm-2.30pm Jim Doyles, – Bray Seafront
Lunchtime gigs 1.30pm-2.30pm The Porterhouse – Bray Seafront
Lunchtime gigs 1.30pm-2.30pm The Martello Hotel – Bray Seafront
Bandstand gig 7.00pm–11.00pm Bandstand – Bray Seafront
Sunday 13 May
Family fun day & gig 3.00pm-5.00pm Bandstand – Bray Seafront
Across this weekend of gleeful gospeling, gospel choirs, groups and individuals all over Ireland will be coming together and participating in a series of different workshops lead by gospel instructors from across Ireland, the UK and the USA, such as; Kim Chandler, David Jackson, Eimear Crehan, Cherry Hartshorn, SeanGilligan, Anton Cullen, Ross Scanlon and the Gospel Project.
“The Gospel Rising Music Festival, is a fun, energetic and inclusive event and we’re calling on all gospel music enthusiasts to join us this year in Bray, to celebrate the continued rising of gospel music in Ireland. Whether you enjoy playing or singing gospel music in a choir or in the shower, this is the chance for people to experience it for themselves through workshops and free concerts” said Lindsay Rountree – Gospel Rising Team Member.
Run by a team of volunteers from several different choirs throughout Ireland, the festival aims to create a social, educational and fun event which brings together lovers of gospel music from all over the country to learn from each other and form networks and friendships.
