Madam, - Your Editorial of February 5th on the crisis facing the National Chamber Choir admirably cuts to the core of the issue, but it is regrettable that in doing so it takes a gratuitous swipe at the achievements of the splendid Mr Antunes's predecessor and the founding director of the choir.
It should be recalled that the NCC had a traumatic birth in 1991 in the aftermath of RTÉ disbanding its chamber choir in the wake of the Ray Bourke-enforced spending cuts. It was then an ensemble of considerable accomplishment, making its continuance a national cultural imperative. The indefatigable and visionary Karina Lundström's part in the reincarnation of the ensemble as the NCC was crucial, as was that of the choir's gifted director, Colin Mawby.
History would appear to be repeating itself with RTÉ cutting back further on its already reduced historical subvention of the choir, while Arts Council thinking on the matter would appear to be lamentably in thrall to a commercial agenda.
When will we learn that there are some art forms which simply do not fit the requirements of commerce, yet demand expression, and it is the mark of a civilised society that such activities are supported to the necessary degree by the public purse?
Such public support must never be given without stringent criteria of accountability, but the oft-acclaimed (nationally and internationally) achievements of the NCC in annual programming and performance dispel any possible misgivings on that score.
To paraphrase Yeats, have we, once again, disgraced ourselves? - Yours, etc,
GERARD GILLEN, Department of Music, NUI, Maynooth.