Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Priests up against nuns for a Brit award

Three singing Irish priests and an order of French nuns are the main contenders at the Classic Brit awards next month.

The Priests, made up of Father Eugene O'Hagan, his brother Martin and Father David Delargy, from Derry and Antrim, have sold more than three million albums across the world.

They are nominated for their third album, Noel, which was released last Christmas.

By the standards of most music awards ceremonies, the Classic Brits has never been an especially louche gathering though its contemporary counterpart, the Brits, has a litany of bad behaviour on its record.

But, when the great and the good from the classical music world gather at the Royal Albert Hall next month, there will be an even more saintly atmosphere than usual.

The priests will be pitted against the nuns of the Abbaye Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, from a region of France near Avignon, for the Album of the Year award.

The nuns -- whose record, Voices: Chant From Avignon, comprises Gregorian chant -- were discovered by the record label, Decca, in a sweep of more than 70 convents across the world, as part of a mission to find the pre-eminent performers of the discipline. 

Decca is also home to the Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse.