The M & S Bank Arena was packed to capacity and literally bouncing on Saturday for Liverpool Peace Proms 2020. The concert was a celebration of youth, music, energy and sheer talent on a massive scale as the 3,000 member Liverpool Children’s Peace Choir joined forces with the internationally acclaimed Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland for this sell out performance.
Luminous and brilliant conductor Greg Beardsell literally danced his way through a programme packed with powerful anthems, emotional ballads, current chart-toppers and Disney classics. The Orchestra, made up of over 100 amazing young musicians from all over Ireland, was technically and musically brilliant. Energy and sheer talent radiated from the stage when they played, and they were simply lovin’ life! Dressed in plain white T-shirts, the children in the choirs symbolized peace and harmony. They were bussing with excitement from the moment they arrived at the arena, and lifted the roof with every note they sang. You could tell that they loved singing the songs from Disney and current pop songs especially George Ezra’s ‘Pretty Shining People’, Kodaline’s ‘Head Held High’ and Panic at the Disco’s ‘High Hopes’. There were many high points in the concert, but perhaps the most spine-tinglingly beautiful moment was when the Orchestra joined forces with 3,000 strong Liverpool Children’s Peace Choir to perform the inspirational and uplifting peace anthem ‘The Power of One’ where the core message of universal Peace was most powerfully and beautifully conveyed.
Along with the Orchestra and Choirs, several soloists gave one sparkling performance after another. Stunning soprano Cobhla Surlis enthralled the audience with performances of ‘Brothers in Arms and ‘Into the Unknown’ while power-house vocalist Lauren Murphy blew us away with ‘Stairway to Heaven and the international peace anthem ‘You’re the Voice’. All Ireland Champion Uilleann Piper Conal Duffy performed a stunning version of ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ while virtuoso violinist Patricia Treacy dazzled the audience with her performances of Bergersen’s ‘Flight of the Silver Bird’ and Hardy’s ‘Riverdance’. Brilliant Belfast Bagpiper Grahame Harris and the World Champion Colmcille Pipe and Drum Corps from Derry treated the audience to some majestic bagpipe anthems including a very powerful special arrangement of U2’s ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’. World champion dancers from the King Academy of Irish Dance, Liverpool and Ulster champion dancers from the Michelle Johnston school of Highland Dance in Belfast, topped off this spectacular array of talent.
The CBOI is indebted to their many individual, Government and corporate sponsors especially the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Education and Skills, the Goodman Foundation, Louth Leader, MediLink and IMRO.
For further information please concert Sharon Treacy-Dunne +353 986 8283268
A DVD of this concert is available to preorder HERE . Programme / DVD Bundles are available HERE