New Dublin Voices, an amateur chamber choir from Dublin under the direction of Bernie Sherlock, has swept the board at the biennial International Choir Contest of Flanders-Maasmechelen in Belgium. Competing in a field of eleven choirs, New Dublin Voices won all six prizes available, which included first prize, best performance of the commissioned set work, best folksong, best performance of a contemporary piece (O Frondens Virga by the Irish composer Ben Hanlon), the audience prize and choir of the festival. This is the first time in the competition’s twenty-two year history that a single choir has been victorious in all of its categories.

New Dublin Voices was founded by conductor Bernie Sherlock in 2005. Since that time the choir has competed internationally at a series of festivals and choral competitions, and in December 2010 was the overall winner of the RTÉ Lyric FM ‘Choirs for Christmas’ competition. New Dublin Voices released its first two CDs in 2010; its debut recording Something Beginnning with B, which was followed by Christmas with New Dublin Voices. The choir’s repertoire ranges from medieval to contemporary music, although an emphasis is placed on the latter, and New Dublin Voices has given a number of Irish and international world premieres.

Of this latest victory, founder Sherlock states: ‘I’m delighted we hit our top form this weekend and did so well. Apart from anything else, New Dublin Voices needs the money!’

www.newdublinvoices.com