“The choir, led by Paul Hillier, was remarkably solid, rhythmic precision and intonation greatly assured, with all the firmness of good carpentry.” ★★★★★ Bachtrack
(Performance: How to fold the wind, Louth Contemporary Music Society Festival, June 2023)
“a fluent, sensitive and wholly engaging rendition…their strong performance received a warm reception.” The Journal of Music
(Performance: Amhráin na Naomh, Chamber Choir Ireland and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, March 2023)
‘An extended and stirring immersion in choral resonance’ Michael Dervan, The Irish Times
(Performance: Tchaikovsky’s Liturgy of St John Chrysostom at Kilkenny Arts Festival, August 2022)
“It is poignant and severe, ending in a rapt moment of silence that we all share, and a fine reminder of the power and beauty that voices alone can achieve” Michael Lee, Goldenplec
(Performance: Skywalk, March 2022)
“The recording is extremely vivid and the singing and orchestral playing under Paul Hillier are on fire.” ★★★★★ The Irish Times
(Record: Letters, Chamber Choir Ireland and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Naxos, 2020)
“Shaped and guided by the sensitive hands of conductor Paul Hillier, Chamber Choir Ireland continue to be sonically and musically adventurous.” The Journal of Music
(Performance: The Orthodox Spirit & Great Mystery Tours, June & July 2017)
“The ensemble themselves are in great voice, the basses and altos especially, and the choir performs with a fullness of tone not always heard in vocal ensembles….The choir perform these pieces with colour and understanding, a fitting end to an insightful and transcendent evening of music.” Golden Plec
(Performance: The Orthodox Spirit, June 2017)
“O’Regan’s setting is harmonically grounded, with the real beauty in the detail of the writing such as the delicate percussion or complex string textures. The work could scarcely receive a finer treatment than we hear tonight, and highlights the success in combining these two accomplished Irish ensembles.” Golden Plec
(Performance: A Letter of Rights, Chamber Choir Ireland and Irish Chamber Orchestra, February 2017)
“the tone of Chamber Choir Ireland is liquid in its power and purity, beautifully balanced and pitched…The choir always made full use of its strong vocal flexibility of style, subtly varying the sound to suit the texture in the unaccompanied works by Britten, Gesualdo and Bruckner.” Belfast Telegraph
(Performance: On tour with the Chatham Saxophone Quartet and Guest Director James Wood, October 2016 )
“Rarely have I heard such a rich tonal blend from a 16-voice choir, or heard the men of Chamber Choir Ireland under Paul Hillier sound as though they had the benefit of some kind of turbo booster to make them sound consistently larger than life. The effect was at once appealing and disconcerting, rather like a movie shot with filters that make for colour balances that are intriguing but not quite believable.” The Irish Times
(Performance: Great Music in Irish Houses Festival 2016)
“Superb work here from Chamber Choir Ireland supporting the verbally clear Stephen Richardson”
Double ★★★★★ BBC Music Magazine Double 5*
“The performers, all long-standing Barry interpreters, are in fine form.”
★★★★★ Gramophone Magazine Full Review
“Under Paul Hillier, Chamber Choir Ireland tackle each of the scores as if Barry’s out-there settings and markings were the most natural thing in the world, and make them sound as if they were exactly that. Tough, committed singing, done with vivid grace.”
★★★★ Choir and Organ Magazine
“Strong performances.”
★★★★★ The Irish Times Full Review
(Record: Barry Meets Beethoven, Chamber Choir Ireland feat. Crash Ensemble & Stephen Richardson, Orchid Classics, 2016)
“The remarkable 16-strong Chamber Choir Ireland could sing the telephone directory and make it sound festive. Anyone who can turn a carol as hackneyed as O Come, All Ye Faithful into something not only bearable but vigorous and uplifting deserves high praise.” ★★★★★ The Observer Full Review
“Chamber Choir Ireland is a world-class choral ensemble in every respect…the CD plus booklet contains 23 carols, many arranged by Hillier, and will be a real Christmas blessing for those who glory in the peace and beauty of plainchant and revel in its performance by a wonderful choir.” Dick O’Riordan, Sunday Business Post
“It is an unassailably joyful listen…the biggest treat on this disc is the setting of Behold a silly tender babe, the tune being that most often associated – in more recent times – with Patrick Kavanagh’s poem On Raglan Road.” Gramophone Magazine
“The sixteen-member choir sings radiantly at All Hallows College Chapel in Dublin, captured to perfection as only Harmonia mundi can do in these types of choral outings…Glorious music for a glorious time of year, guaranteed to make the hardest hearts soften.” Audiophile Audition Full Review
“Chamber Choir Ireland sounds superb on its home ground of Dublin, at All Hallows College Chapel.” James Manheim, AllMusic Full Review
(Record: Carols from the Old & New Worlds, Harmonia Mundi, 2014)
“The strength of Chamber Choir Ireland, under Hillier’s direction, is in the communication of hte composer’s intentions in a coherent and passionate manner.” Paul Meredith, Goldenplec
(Performance: The Quincunx of Heaven, October 2014)
“Imaginatively programmed recital, wonderfully sung by a choir whose exemplary standards of execution place them among a small handful of truly world-class musical ensembles currently active in Ireland.” Terry Blain, Culture Northern Ireland Full Review
“Hillier found just the right balance between sweetness and sharpness.” Michael Dervan, The Irish Times
(Performance: When We Were Children, May 2014)
“Singing of this standard is a rarity” Terry Blain, Culture Northern Ireland
(Performance: Love and Other Nonsense, May 2013)
“The performance given at St Peter’s is of world-class quality, and would grace any international platform.” Terry Blain, Culture Northern Ireland
(Performance: Arvo Pärt’s Passio, March 2013)
General:
“A choir whose exemplary standards of execution place them among a small handful of truly world-class musical ensembles currently active in Ireland” Culture Northern Ireland
“A choir at the peak of its achievement” The Irish Times