2020 music will play on – but more time is needed

The classical music organisation, Music for Galway (MfG), is calling on Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture to show flexibility so that MfG can deliver the extensive programme it had devised to mark Galway’s tenure of European Capital of Culture.

“Galway 2020 gave us the opportunity to dream big and to think big and we did that,” says MfG’s Executive Director, Anna Lardi, explaining that MfG’s programme launched in January with the successful Mid-Winter Festival but that was before Covid-19 shut down the country.

Now, the organisation is now all set to run the remainder of its events – with plans to move them to next year because of the pandemic.

But there’s a problem.  While Galway 2020 had already allocated funding for these events, this money will not be available for anything that takes place after March 31 next year.

And because the MfG programme is so extensive and involves internationally recognised performers who are in high demand worldwide, shoehorning it into three months would be extremely challenging, according to Anna Lardi.

“We aren’t looking for more money. We don’t need a bail-out. What we need is time.”

Music for Galway has informed Galway 2020 that the programme, which had been due to run until December of this year and which had been in preparation for “a number of years”, could run on similar dates throughout 2021.

However, Galway 2020 has said all Capital of Culture events that had to be postponed due to Covid-19, must be completed by March 31 next year. That’s when the company tasked with running Galway’s tenure as European Cultural Capital will be wound up.

Music for Galway has asked Galway 2020 to look at ways to seek a solution and is hopeful one can be found.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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