Donegal musician and singer Moya Brennan has been revealed as one of the esteemed judges of a new TV contest ‘Curfá’.
The TG4 series by Tyrone Productions will search for the best choir in Ireland.
Coming from The Helix in Dublin, in each episode, the choirs will sing 2 songs each before two of the choirs battle it out in a ‘chorus-off’ to get one step closer to the ultimate accolade of being the nation’s favourite. It’s all in a bid to win the amazing prize of €5000 and the chance to sing on stage with one of the country’s biggest stars, Nathan Carter!
Over 10 weeks, 18 amazing choirs are narrowed down to just 3 who will perform in the grand finale with some very special guest performers! The choirs hail from all over the country and include HSE workers, Ukrainian refugees, a men’s shed choir, cancer survivors and more.
They are all united by one aim to impress the judges, Moya Brennan, Colm Ó Foghlú and Nell Ní Chróinín.
Moya Brennan is one of Ireland’s most renowned singers and musicians and has achieved global success both with her own musical endeavours as well as with her family band, Clannad, a band that came out of performances with their mother’s choir in Gaoth Dobhair in the 1980s.
In total Moya has recorded 25 albums, and has sold over 20 million records. Moya, along with Clannad, are considered as the inventors of contemporary celtic music and are held in high esteem for their vast contribution to modernising old Irish songs.
It is Moya’s haunting voice that has left the most lasting legacy, it has become synonymous with Clannad’s work and with Irish music in general. She has recorded 17 albums with Clannad and has won a Grammy, a BAFTA and an Ivor Novello award with the quintet.
Composer, director, writer and producer, Colm Ó Foghlú has toured extensively throughout Australia, Europe, Asia and North America. A former Musical Director for Riverdance, he has composed, arranged and produced numerous award-winning shows and albums.
Nell Ní Chróinín hails from Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh in the Múscraí Gaeltacht, Co. Cork. She was the youngest ever recipient to receive TG4’s Gradam Ceoil Traditional Singer of the Year Award in 2012 and the prestigious Corn Uí Riada award in 2014. She is currently the lead singer in the well-renowned traditional band, Danú.
Curfá will be broadcast on Sunday nights at 8.30pm for 10 weeks, beginning on Sunday the 15th October 2023.
