The Forever Young Chorus Finglas

What is the Forever Young Chorus Finglas ?

The Forever Young Chorus Finglas is group of senior citizens from Finglas who perform hits made famous by bands such as Blondie, Coldplay, The Kinks, Abba, Bob Dylan, The Talking Heads, etc

The Forever Young Chorus is conducted by their Music Director Paddy Joyce and backed by the Forever Young Band.

There are thirty senior citizens in this group, all of them from the Finglas area, with an age range of 66 to 86. From the beginning this initiative was designed to challenge the participants by getting them to learn and perform music they were not familiar with. While there was initial resistance the results, particularly following their first public performance, proved so encouraging that this group are now totally undaunted by the challenge of mastering and performing classics such as Blonde’s hit ‘Call Me’ and Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’. Their signature tune Bob Dylan’s ‘Forever Young’ takes on an entirely new meaning when interpreted by individuals who have seen the best part of a century.

The Forever Young Chorus is an initiative of The CDVEC Adult Education Service.

The Forever Young Chorus was established in 2007 and is managed and funded by the City of Dublin ETB Adult Education Service. It is a singing group created by and for older people. Inspired by America’s Young @ Heart group Forever Young adapts a similar unconventional approach to music in that it opts for developing and performing covers of rock, punk and other modern pop songs.

Participating in this group provides many benefits. Rehearsals take place every Thursday which has become a social outlet and many new friendships have occurred. Learning totally new songs challenges the brain and improves the memory. Many of the participants can now partake in performances involving up to ten songs without recourse to notes. The public performances themselves, of which there have been many, provide an uplifting feel good factor which is borne out by the response of the audience which is always hugely positive with standing ovations every time. Each performance presents a new challenge which the group tackles with determination and ease. This also requires a large amount of teamwork which has caused the group to become very supportive of each other. These public performances present a moving testament to a remarkable group of people who may be old in body, but never in spirit.

On their first CD Forever Young have recorded five songs which includes an original song specifically written for the group by their former Music Director Chiara Browne. The ultimate aim of this CD is to raise money for charity. However, the CD will serve as an excellent means to promote the concept of Forever Young. It has also provided the participants with a whole new experience and a sense of achievement which will encourage them to continue to grow as a group. The group are now under the tutelage of Paddy Joyce who, as their new Music Director, has become an inspiration to the members of the Forever Young Chorus.