Clare trip on itinerary as ICO announces autumn/winter season

The Irish Chamber Orchestra has announced its autumn/winter season and it includes a trip to Ennis in December for a concert in glór.

The performance entitled Breith, will celebrate the multifarious contributions of Clare men and women during this revolutionary period of Irish History.

The orchestra along with Tim Collins and guests will present this ambitious programme of original music, song, dance, poetry, and drama on Saturday December 10 at glór.

Elsewhere, the ICO present a rich body of diverse works with a variety of top-class soloists with performances around the country as well as its main base at University Concert Hall, Limerick.

On Sunday September 4, the orchestra performs under the direction of Desmond Earley with organist Tristan Russcher and the Choral Scholars of University College Dublin for a Handel celebration.

This performance is part of the Dun Laoghaire Organ Concert Series as ICO showcase Handel’s choral anthem The Ways of Zion do Mourn alongside two Organ Concertos at Dun Laoghaire Organ Concert Series.

The following week, Katherine Hunka directs ICO in Shostakovich, Frost and Glass featuring Fiachra Garvey performing Shostakovich’s infectious Piano Concerto No.1, with solo trumpet performed by Colm Byrne.

Symphony No.3 by Philip Glass promises to be a truly exhilarating experience.

In between, a world premiere of Trip a by Paul Frost was inspired by his own daily thought processes and the wandering mind.

These concerts take place at NCH, Dublin on Wednesday September 7, at St. Patrick’s Church Newport, Mayo on Thursday September 8 and at UCH, Limerick on Friday September 9.
October sees the welcome return of German Violinist Florian Donderer  performing Haydn’s emotive Violin Concerto No. 1.

The ICO revisit revisits David Fennessy’s remarkable and ethereal Hirta Rounds evoking memories of Scottish islanders leaving their homes.

The concerts conclude with Dvorák’s sunny and genial Serenade for Strings, one of his best loved works.  The orchestra tour to Ballina (Ballina Fringe Festival), Youghal, Bantry (West Cork Music) with Fennessy Haydn and Dvorak before returning to Limerick from October 12-15.

On November 24  at UCH, Limerick, UL’s orchestra-in-residence, Irish Chamber Orchestra, and the Irish World Academy of Music will celebrate 50 years of the University of Limerick in a concert featuring students past and present including Muireann NicAmhlaoibh who will perform songs from her Roisin Re-Imagined collaboration with ICO.

The following week the orchestra welcomes back recently appointed Principal Conductor & Artistic Partner Thomas Zehetmair who has selected two of Mozart’s great symphonies – the bright and boisterous Symphony No. 38 (Prague) alongside his emotive Symphony No. 40, adored by audiences.

In between Zehetmair ignites Hartmann’s Concerto Funebre, a powerful and extraordinary work. There are two dates for this performance at NCH, Dublin on Wednesday November 30 and on Thursday December 1 at UCH, Limerick.

As always, the orchestra will perform a Christmas concert in Limerick, details to be announced in due course.  Full details on www.irishchamberorchestra.com