On Culture Night 2025, the Curtis Auditorium at the Cork School of Music became the setting for an evening of profound remembrance and musical brilliance as the Fleischmann Choir presented Songs for Shelley. This recital, offered freely to the public, honoured the late Michèle de Foubert, a founding member of the choir and a stalwart presence within its ranks for over three decades. For those who attended, it was not simply a concert, but a deeply felt celebration of memory, legacy, and the beauty of collective voice.
Accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra and led with steady confidence and sensitivity by current director Tom Doyle, the programme illuminated why the Fleischmann Choir has long held such a revered place within Irish choral life. Works by Vivaldi, Verdi, Mozart, and others unfolded with a sense of both reverence and vitality, reminding the audience of the universal power of music to comfort, uplift, and unite. Particular highlights included moments of audience participation, where the shared act of singing dissolved the barrier between performer and listener, an embodiment of the inclusivity and joy at the heart of Culture Night itself.
The Fleischmann Choir's Legacy
Founded in November 1992 as the Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra Chorus and renamed shortly afterward in honour of Aloys Fleischmann, the choir carries the name of one of Ireland's most passionate advocates for musical culture. From the outset, it has been an ensemble dedicated to excellence. Its inaugural performance, with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra during the 40th Cork International Choral Festival, set an immediate standard that the choir has not only upheld but expanded upon across three decades.
Led first by founder-conductor Dr Geoffrey Spratt, then by Conor Palliser, and now under the stewardship of Tom Doyle since 2022, the choir has consistently pursued a mission to perform major choral works of scope and ambition. Their repertoire charts an impressive breadth, including Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, Fauré's and Dvořák's Requiems, Poulenc's Gloria, Vaughan Williams' Towards the Unknown Region, and Puccini's radiant Messa di Gloria. They have also taken on more unusual and challenging works, affirming their commitment to both tradition and discovery. Beyond their concert hall appearances, the ensemble has reached wide audiences by collaborating with well-known Irish artists, from Johnny Logan at Eurovision to Niamh Kavanagh at Cork Opera House, and has toured internationally to Germany and Italy, representing Cork on a global stage.
It is this reputation that made Songs for Shelley so compelling. The Fleischmann Choir is not merely a group of singers, but a cultural institution built upon friendship, artistry, and generational continuity. That such an ensemble would dedicate one of its most meaningful evenings of the year to a cherished member of its own family of singers made the recital especially poignant.
An Evening of Community and Privilege
For Oran and Rob of Opera Unhinged, attending Songs for Shelley was both a privilege and a moment of inspiration. To experience a concert of such artistry, freely accessible to the public on Culture Night, is a reminder of what makes Cork, and Ireland more broadly, so rich in cultural life. The hall was filled with an atmosphere of respect and remembrance, balanced by the joy of musical creation and the magic of voices joined together.
The Fleischmann Choir, through their artistry and their commitment to community, honoured Michèle de Foubert's dedication not just with music, but with a living embodiment of the tradition she helped to sustain. The performance carried an emotional resonance felt by all present: a statement that while individuals may pass, their song carries forward in the voices of others.
In Songs for Shelley, the Choir affirmed its reputation as one of Ireland's finest choral ensembles, inspiring, inclusive, and profoundly human.