The government’s Arts & Culture Capital Scheme is to provide a total of €9m to 56 cultural organisations across the country. Galway’s Town Hall Theatre, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, has been allocated €118,000. This will enable it to commence a €250,000 upgrade (including lighting, projecting, security and access projects) as it prepares for Galway 2020. Galway City Museum has been allocated €180,000 and grants have also been awarded to Thoor Ballylee and Glenamaddy Arts & Historical Co-op Society.
Choral Fusion for Galway Cathedral
Galway Baroque Singers (GBS), under the direction of Audrey Corbett, will nest month join with Dun Laoghaire Choral Society (DLCS) and the renowned conductor, David Brophy, for the second concert in their exciting Choral Fusion concert series. On March 11th at 8pm at the Galway Cathedral, the choirs will perform works by two wonderful composers, Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) and Henry Purcell (1659-1695). Lully is one of the great masters of the French Baroque style as Henry Purcell is one of the greatest English composers of Baroque music. The concert will include Lully’s famous Te Deum and Purcell’s beautiful My Heart is Inditing. Tickets are available from Charlie Byrne’s Bookstore, Galway.
Athenry Youth Orchestra performs at National Concert Hall
The Athenry Youth Orchestra was chosen as one of only eight such orchestras from across Ireland to perform today at the 22nd Festival of Youth Orchestras at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. The young Athenry musicians performed ‘Suite for Strings’ by Joan Trimble and ‘AthenRag’ by Katharine Mac Mághnuis, Director of Athenry Music School.
Galway Youth Orchestra celebrates its 35th anniversary
At its 35th anniversary concert in the Bailey Allen Hall last night, the Galway Youth Orchestra’s Junior, Intermediate, Senior and Jazz orchestras performed 19 works including Sibelius, Bob Dylan, Mancini, Wagner, Ivanov and traditional pieces under the batons of conductors Peter Berrill, Joanne Cater, Michael Dooley and Jake Morgan and John Fleming. Over 100 young musicians performed on the night including orchestra leaders Chloe Alexa Gueta, R.iona Leech and Jason Cosgrove and Sinead St John.
Music Extravaganza launches Aarhus, Denmark as European Capital of Culture 2017
The magical opening ceremonies of ECOC 2017 in Aarhus this weekend included a choir of almost a thousand singers & musicians as well as Aarhus Jazz Orchestra and Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and took place around the Musikhuset Aarhus and Aarhus School of Music. Further details are available on the Aarhus 2017 website. Hope of things to come for Galway 2020!
A Musical Launch for Galway Music Centre
Musicians and music-lovers convened in the Mick Lally Theatre in Galway city centre to mark the official launch of the Galway Music Centre. Guests were treated to musical performances from young students of Maoin Cheoil na Gaillimhe, performers and tutors from the Salthill/Knocknacarra branch of Comhaltas, as well as renowned tenor and GMC co-founder, Frank Naughton.
The evening event was hosted by Bernard Kirk (Director, GMC), and included speeches by Mary Dooley (Chair of the GMC Board) and Galway TD, Hildegarde Naughton, who both made passioned calls for more collaboration, support and investment for music in the city and county.
Guests at the launch included members of the many GMC member organisations and partner institutions, as well as Galway politicians: Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources, Seán Kyne, and Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
An uplifting and inclusive event - the Galway Music Centre launch certainly showed the passion that Galwegians have for music of all genres.
Read more in the Galway Independent
Hildegarde Naughton, TD (left) is pictured at the launch with: Anna Lardi-Fogarty (GMC Director), Mary Dooley (Chair of the GMC Board) and Marilyn Gaughan (Galway 2020 Programme Manager, Galway County Council)
President of Galway Chamber of Commerce, Colin O'Dowd; Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources, Seán Kyne TD; Mary Dooley (Chair of GMC Board); and Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Guests were treated to performances by some of Galway's talented young musicians.
Galwayman to Head Up Creative Ireland
The appointment by Taoiseach Enda Kenny of Galwayman John Concannon to head up the county’s new five year culture strategy Creative Ireland has been widely welcomed. John and his family live in Galway and he is well known for such significant past successes as Discover Ireland, the first Volvo Stopover, the Wild Atlantic Way, The Gathering 2013 and Ireland’s 1916 Commemorations. John’s career included marketing roles with Unilever and Dubarry before being appointed CEO of Ireland West Tourism and then Director of Marketing & Development at Fáilte Ireland. He is described as able, ambitious, talented and positive, with a passion for music. He will bring his energy and creativity to this new project, which holds such promise for much needed investment in cultural services, supports and infrastructure, including Music.
Auditions for SymPhonic Waves
Auditions for SymPhonic Waves, the new Western Symphonic Youth Orchestra, will take place on Sunday 5th February 2017 and are open to young string players who have reached a high standard of playing. This important and exciting project is an example of a truly collaborative process, including six music schools, local authorities, GYO and Ealain na Gealtachta, and has been awarded Erasmus+ funding. Over the next four years, a sustainable music educational legacy will be created for young people in the west of Ireland. The full orchestra will perform, together with partner European youth orchestras, in 2020 as part of the Galway European Capital of Culture Programme. The focus in 2017 will be on building a string orchestra of around 30 players.
Creative Ireland
The Government’s new culture plan aims to place “culture at the centre of our lives, for the betterment of our people and for the strengthening of our society”. The first item on the agenda is the drafting of a plan to enable every child to access tuition in music, drama, art and coding. Other commitments include supports for self-employed artists and an investment programme for cultural and heritage infrastructure. This welcome development has the potential to address Galway’s need for enhanced services and facilities for music education and performance.
GMC Website Launch!
The Galway Music Centre will launch its website at the Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Lane, Galway on Monday 9th January 2017 with a reception commencing at 6pm. This event is an important milestone in the development of the Centre. The website will act as a communication tool and will highlight the collaborative nature of this initiative, the profiles of its member and partner organisations and the current projects on which it is working.