Cór an Chroí Choir and Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra to perform in concert together
The Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra (IMYO) for annual Christmas concert at the weekend and this year they will be joined by soprano, Johanna Fagan, and the Loreto College competition choir, Cór an Chroí.
The concert is in St Paul’s Church, Mullingar (N91 KP29) on Saturday, December 6 at 7pm. There is no admission fee, just charitable contributions.
Founded in 2006, IMYO provide a high-quality orchestra experience to young musicians in the midlands and to promote orchestral music to a wide and diverse audience.
The IMYO remain the only full youth orchestra in the region. Most members are from Westmeath Offaly and others travel from Galway, Roscommon, Laois and Longford. By participating in the orchestra, an individual’s musical skills, self-esteem, social skills, confidence and ability to work as part of a team are all developed, as are their leadership skills.
The IMYO perform several times a year, including their own concerts, joint concerts, and appearances at festivals and events.
In 2021 and 2025, IMYO commissioned new pieces by composers Michael Rooney and Tim Doyle, both of which culminated in debut performances at the National Concert Hall (2022 and 2025) as part of the IAYO Festival of Youth Orchestras. The orchestra have occasionally toured internationally, most recently, in July 2025, when they represented Ireland at the World Festival of Youth Orchestras in Vienna, Austria.
The Christmas performance at St Paul’s Church will showcase new repertoire being worked on this season such as Barber of Seville, Pavane, Harry Potter Suite, as well as Christmas favourites.
Cór an Chroí Choir
Cór an Chroí, the school competition choir for Loreto College Mullingar, began in January 2024, led by teachers Claire Gilmartin and Laura Cahill. There are 40-plus members from all year groups. The name ‘Cór an Chroí’ (Choir of the heart) was chosen for the choir as the heart is one of four symbols in the Loreto School crest. The choir have performed at school based events including Arts Week and Seachtain na Gaeilge and at Mullingar Arts Centre.
They were awarded first place in the Sligo Youth Choral Festival (on November 13) in the secondary schools competition, and won the 2024 Choirs for Christmas Competition on RTÉ Lyric FM in the Secondary School Category with their performance of ‘Carol of the Bells’.
On behalf of Cór an Chroí, Ms Gilmartin and Ms Cahill said: “This is an amazing opportunity for our students, and we were delighted when we were asked to join the Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra for this special performance. It will be a memorable experience for our students and school community.”