Trad orchestra tunes up for debut concert
Singers Seán Keane and Lisa Lambe will join almost 80 young musicians from across Galway City and County for a special concert this Sunday, December 15. A Christmas Celebration, taking place in the city’s St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, will mark the first year of Galway Traditional Orchestra, which has been rehearsing weekly since it was established last January.
Other guest artist will also take part in A Christmas Celebration, which is a fundraiser for the orchestra’s development during 2020. And the event will include Christmas readings set to music and read by Galway actor Ely Solan.
Galway Traditional Orchestra, which has 78 members, is the brainchild of well-known musician Eric Cunningham, who is also its artistic director. The orchestra hadn’t even been established last December, he recalls. That took place in January.
“To be in a position to stage our first full public performance within this timeframe and featuring so many members, is a testament to the enthusiasm, talent and commitment of the young musicians and to those who oversee the orchestra’s development, week-in, week-out,” he says.
The group encompasses Irish traditional musicians – some of whom prefer to perform without notation – as well as those who perform pop, jazz and classical music and are used to using sheet music.
Most traditional orchestras in Ireland are made up of traditional musicians and traditional instruments exclusively, says Eric, but his vision was different.
“Having performers from disparate musical backgrounds encourages a more varied and inspired artistic output and increases the interaction between young performers from different parts of the city and county.”
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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