The Sound of Music fills the air at the Downshire’s Great Hall

The Sound of Music fills the air at the Downshire’s Great Hall

2 April 2025

THE full house signs were up as Downpatrick came alive with The Sound of Music last week.

The St Patrick’s Choral Society presented the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical before sell-out audiences.

Over six shows from Tuesday through to Saturday night, rapturous applause rang out from the Downshire Great Hall – a tribute to the quality of the production and the support shown by the local community.

Society chairperson Marie-Therese Ross said afterwards: “Everyone is exhausted, but we’ve had a wonderful time.

“I think it’s safe to say to we put on a good show. We’ve had some fabulous praise and there are lots of people to thank.”

The St Patrick’s Choral Society has been making music and delighting audience for 65 years. This latest production more than maintained its reputation for providing quality family entertainment.

The story of the Austrian nun, Maria, who leaves a convent to become governess to six children and falls in love with their widowed father, has been a family favourite for many generations.

It was originally written for the stage, but the film version starring Julie Andrews became a worldwide hit on its release in 1965, winning five Academy Awards, and has been a staple of Christmas TV schedules ever since.

Last week’s production was certainly worthy of an Oscar or two. It was a showcase for the remarkable talent in the local community and the culmination of months of rehearsals and sheer hard work.

The roles of Maria was performed beautifully by 23 year-old Sara Kelly, who has been part of the society since she was nine. Brian McElroy, a stalwart of many of the society’s shows down the years, played Captain von Trapp, the strict naval officer whose heart is won over by the arrival of the governess.

Laoise Carney, who played the Mother Abbess, nearly lifted the roof off the Great Hall with her rendition of ‘Climb Every Mountain’, while Mel Carney played Max, the humorous impresario and friend of the Von Trapp family.

Charlotte Warnock had a busy time performing in the dual roles of Elsa and Sister Sophia. Liesl was played by Jess Sloan and Rolf, her love interest who becomes a Nazi, was played by Jake Bennett.

The other leading cast members were Donal Carney (Herr Zeller), Marie-Therese Ross (Frau Schmidt), Aaron McElroy (Franz), Amelia McKeown (Ursula), Alex Simpson (Admiral Von Schneider), Tim Currie (Baron Elberfeld), Marissa McKittrick (Sister Margaretta) and Bronagh Reid (Sister Berthe).

There were two sets of von Trapp children – the Rains and the Roses – who performed three shows each. All of them were excellent.

They were Ruby Vaughan, Caitlin Warnock (both Gretl), Isabella Daniels, Eva Denver (Marta), Caoimhe Mackle, Skye Gracey (Brigitta), Alice Edgar, Maya Kelly (Louisa), Jonah Kelly (Kurt), Cormac McConnell and Alex Johnston (Friedrich).

The members were the youth ensemble were Aoife Reid, Lewis Shields, Arianna Currie, Alice Taylor, Orlaith Brannigan, Lillie Sloan, Ursula McQuoid, Jack Bartlett, Erin Tumelty, Hollie Carville, Elijah Currie and Sophia Van Reid.

Making up the adult ensemble were Cynthia Brennan, Anne Millar, Shemaine Kerr, Jo Donnelly, Lucy Moore, Marie-Therese Ross, Emma Currie, Paula Tumelty, Allison Crichton, Briege Trainor and Adam Patterson.

The production was put together under the expert eye of the director, Gary Warnock. The musical director was Wilson Shields, the choreographer was Alex McFarlane and the stage manager was Alex Simpson. Helping them was dedicated back stage team.

Marie-Therese thanked everyone who made the show possible.

“It has been five months of hard work, but lots of fun, under the direction of our production team,” she said.

Our wonderful cast are, on the whole, from the local Downpatrick area, and how talented are they. Some have grown up through the society having been in many of our shows and some are totally new to performing with St Patrick’s Choral Society. Their dedication and commitment have been superb.

“A special mention has to go to our two groups of very talented von Trapp children, the youngest just seven years old, who performed three shows each, captivating the audiences, along with the talented Sara Kelly as Maria and Brian McElroy as Captain von Trapp.

“A big thanks must go to parents and guardians of the children who supported them by taking them to and from rehearsals three days per week, often till late at night. You have been very patient with all the changes and requests made of you.”

She also thanked Down Parish Church for the use of the church hall for rehearsals and the ALPs Community Exchange, which was also used as a rehearsal venue.

She continued: “As chairperson of St Patrick’s Choral Society, I want to extend a very big thank you to the whole community of Downpatrick for their unwavering support.

“Special thanks to our president, Baroness Margaret Ritchie, for her continued support and to all our sponsors, Friends of the Society, local businesses and media.

“Thank you to our tech and light team of Danny Doherty and Karen Strain, our sound team Enda and Barry from McCuskers Pro-Audio, the fabulous orchestra, Dominic Coyle for the set build, the staff at the Great Hall, our stage crew team of Cahal McKervey and Alex Simpson, and props provided by Annemarie Carney.

“These productions take a big team effort with all of us working together to give the performances our audiences come to see.

“We were delighted with the response from a number of local schools to our poster competition and we were able to display their pictures for the audiences to view.”

She added: “I also want to acknowledge and give thanks to the St Patrick’s Choral Society committee who have put a lot of work in behind the scenes over these few months, most of whom were actually on stage for this production. I am very grateful for all you do.”

Registration is currently open for the choral society’s Easter Camp, which runs from April 22-25 and for young people aged 8-18. A summer workshop will take place in August.