Aoide (Pronounced as Ay-oh-dee, meaning ‘to sing’) was formed in September 2014, as part of the Mid-West Vocal Academy and Music School & is a mixed voice community choir based in the Castletroy area of Limerick. In Greek mythology, Aoide was the muse of song and we love to sing!

In its short existence, the choir has grown to eighty members and has already performed many fundraising concerts, most recently raising money for Limerick Animal Welfare, Limerick Lions Club, CMRF Crumlin & the Children’s Grief Centre.

The choir covers popular, upbeat music & is non-auditioning.  Everyone from the beginner to the experienced is welcome to join in a relaxed and fun learning environment, led by tenor, Owen Gilhooly.

Aoide was delighted to win the ‘First Time Competitors’ Competition at the 2017 Mayo International Choral Competition.

The choir rehearses on Monday nights from 19:30 at Kilmurry Arts and Heritage Centre. Further details can be found at www.midwestvocalacademy.com

Owen Gilhooly  – Tenor

Owen Gilhooly began his studies with Jean Holmes at the Limerick School of Music and subsequently graduated from the Royal College of Music and National Opera Studio, supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, the Belfast Classical Music Bursary, the RVW Trust and the Sibyl Tutton Trust.

He made his Royal Opera House debut singing Fauré Requiem for the Royal Ballet and represented Ireland at the 2007 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. He is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where he was also a member of the vocal faculty.

He has appeared in principal roles with Opera Ireland, Opera Theatre Company, English Touring Opera, Lyric Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North, The Opera Group and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He has made frequent appearances at Wexford Festival Opera, Lismore Music Festival, Buxton Festival Opera, Les Azuriales Opera & Musikverkstatt Wien. In concert he has appeared with the RTÉ NSO, IBO, Irish Chamber and Ulster Orchestras, the Bournemouth and Tokyo Symphony Orchestras, the Royal Liverpool and London Philharmonic Orchestras as well as the BBC Symphony Orchestra including Bill Bobstay (HMS Pinafore) and Janacek’s Osud at the BBC Proms. In 2014 made his debut for the Royal Opera, singing the role of Robert in the world premiere of Luke Bedford’s ‘Through his Teeth’.

Having had a successful career as a high baritone, Owen’s voice has now moved into the tenor range with focus on lyric repertoire. Recent engagements included Monostatos, First Armed Man (The Magic Flute) for Cork Opera House, Verdi Requiem at the Cork International Choral Festival, and Maynooth University,  Gaston La Traviata for Lyric Opera. Future plans incude Songs of a Gypsy Life at the NCH, Dublin with Irish Songmakers, Beethoven Misa Solemnis in Oxford, a return to the Cork International Choral Festival and Sun in the world premiere of John O’ Brien’s The Nightingale and the Rose.