Sing Out With Strings

Full House

Teachers group

CEO John Kelly with group

I went along to St Mary's Church, Athlunkard St Limerick to hear the summer concert of the Irish Chamber Orchestra's  local school's  initiative 'Sing Out With Strings' .  Following a burst of McAnanty's Reel from the ICO ,  the concert opened with a set of charming songs from junior classes in SouthHill Junior School  complete with actions.   Kathleen Turner  has a lively energetic presence with her young groups and has a relaxed easy manner in speaking to the audience in  a situation that must not be easy given it involves moving large groups of kids around.  The Galvone string group then played the Four and Twenty Blackbirds rhythm to accompaniment from the ICO.
An older group from Southill  Junior sang a set of new self composed songs and were followed by a group of 4th class boys from St Mary's Boys School.  The teachers ensemble  backed by ICO violinists played the chorale bit of Jesu Joy and this was very effective .  The highlight was the massed group of choir, teachers and what looked like 60 or so violinists in a rousing version of  the World Cup Football Anthem Wave Your Flag .  This was a terrific number . I liked the way the violins had a sequence of actions with their fiddles and bows when they weren't playing . CEO John Kelly adressed the assembly and there was time for a final encore of Wave Your Flag . Bravo tutti !

Michael Nyman at Waterford New Music Week




Nyman Band

    

Michael Nyman at Waterford New Music Week 2011

There was a bit of a buzz around the appearance of film composer, Michael Nyman at Waterford New Music Week, with the composer himself interviewed on RTE’s flagship arts magazine programme, Arena in the week of the festival.  So with my diary clear, daylight hours getting longer and the prospect of a sunny weekend ahead, I headed South East from the Banner County.

Nyman is lauded as one of  Britain’s most innovative and celebrated composers, with numerous film soundtracks and opera scores to his credit.  His work can elicit strong reactions and  as I write, twitter updates  report 'loud booing  for Nyman's bouncy gleeful score'  at Maerzmusik, Berlin. The long queue at the Good Shepherd Chapel on the WIT campus boded well and I made my way to the top to the ticket desk just as the doors opened and carried on to sit in the front row to get a good view of this ‘fascinating and influential cultural icon’.

School Music Projects 1 Sing Out With Strings Limerick

Although very cold and icy, I braved the elements to hear the Christmas concert offered by the Sing Out With Strings Programme running in primary schools in the Southill Area of the Limerick city.  I took every turn off the Roxboro Roundabout except the one I needed and the concert was in full swing by the time I arrived at the large modern Holy Family Church. The ladies and gentlemen of the  Irish Chamber Orchestra were in place and accompanying a childrens choir  in a set of engaging jaunty songs on a Christmas theme, directed  by Tony Hunter.