The Irish Association of Youth Orchestras (IAYO) will return to the National Concert Hall on Saturday, February 10, for their Annual Festival of Youth Orchestras.
One of the orchestras selected to appear this year is Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra.
This celebration of Irish Youth Orchestras, and their talented members, features a great variety of music played by young people, for young people.
There are two concerts (1pm and 7.30pm) featuring classics such as Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and Shostakovich’s Waltz No 2; a John Williams’ Trilogy; and much more.
The Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra, are very excited to perform excerpts from their new suite of music, The Impossible Dream, composed by Martin Tourish and the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra at this year’s IAYO festival.
This music celebrates the achievements of Portlaoise Aviator James Fitzmaurice, who was part of the very first successful transatlantic flight from East to West, from Baldonnel to Canada, in 1928.
“This composition project has been a labour of love for all involved,” said Rosa Flannery from Music Generation Laois.
“It was a lockdown project that inspired and sustained us musically and socially, which we premiered outdoors in Portlaoise under a heated canopy in December 2021.
”Martin Tourish is a wonderful musician and composer, who we have been so fortunate to work with in Laois on numerous projects, Martin will conduct the orchestra on the night in the NCH.
“We have a fantastic, talented, team of young traditional musicians from County Laois, and our neighbouring county Tipperary, directed by Harper Siobhan Buckley, who make up our Trad Orchestra and who will bring this story to life in our National Concert Hall on February 10.
“This will be a celebratory night for County Laois, and we are very grateful to Creative Ireland Laois, and Laois Heritage Society, who have supported this project from the outset.”
Allin Gray, CEO of the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras
“We are delighted that our Festival of Youth Orchestras will be at the National Concert Hall in February with nearly 500 young musicians from across Ireland returning to perform on their national stage.
“We will once again hold two performances with eight orchestras coming to Dublin from Cork, Waterford, Carlow, Galway, Dublin City, Limerick, Wexford and Laois, showcasing the incredible talent that Ireland’s youth orchestras have to offer.
“We are excited for all the young performers, many of whom will not have had the opportunity to perform on such a prestigious stage as the National Concert Hall and we’re looking forward to creating the best possible experience for them on the day.”
The concert lineups are as follows:
1 pm:
- Kylemore Music Centre Orchestra
- SETU Budding Bows
- Irish Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra
- Coole Music Youth Orchestra
7.30pm:
- Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra
- Carlow Youth Orchestra, Kiltra School of Music Youth Orchestra, St Agnes’ CCMA Chamber Orchestra & St Peter’s NS Orchestra
- Ceol na Mara Orchestra
- MTU Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra
Tickets available from www.nch.ie.
The Festival of Youth Orchestras is funded by The Arts Council and supported by RTE Supporting the Arts.
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