Coole performance for Swedish orchestra

COOLE Music will host its fifth annual Coole Music Orchestra Festival in the Community Centre, Gort, on Sunday, March 4.

COOLE Music will host its fifth annual Coole Music Orchestra Festival in the Community Centre, Gort, on Sunday, March 4.
The 2012 festival will be launched by Minister Ciarán Cannon and will feature two concerts. The festival is the only event of its kind in the west and has become a highlight on the calendars of young orchestras throughout the country.
This year’s festival will feature its first international act, with Stockholm’s Ungdomssinfonietta joining the line-up. Three new musical compositions will be premiered during the event and the music will range from classical to show themes, to arrangements of traditional Irish music.
The afternoon concert, commencing at 1pm with MC Katharina Baker, will feature Sligo Academy of Music Junior Orchestra, Letterkenny Children’s Orchestra, Kilkenny Junior Strings, Athenry Junior Orchestra and Coole Music Junior Orchestra. Also making a guest appearance in the afternoon concert will be a group of young violinists from the Irish Chamber Orchestra’s Sing out with Strings programme from St Mary’s School, Bishop Street, Limerick.
The evening concert, commencing at 6pm with Galway-based music consultant Carmel Dooley as MC, will feature Young European Strings Intermediate Orchestra, Music Matters Intermediate Orchestra, Athenry Youth Orchestra, Stockholm’s Ungdomssinfonietta and Coole Music Youth Orchestra.
Upwards of 350 young people are expected to participate in the event and in addition to performing from their own repertoires, each concert will culminate in a gigantic festival orchestra for the performance of the finale. This year’s finale pieces, Under Cover and Friendship commissioned by the festival committee, were written by Katharina Baker, director of Coole Music.
The performance of the finale has, over the years, become the highlight of the festival and it is a very powerful experience to witness all the young musicians making music together.
“Last year was brilliant. We have moved the venue this year to accommodate more children and bigger orchestras. We are looking forward to a fantastic event really this year. We have a great mix of orchestras between the group that is coming from Sligo and the one from Kilkenny and people are travelling quite long distances to join us on the day, as well as the group coming from Stockholm,” explained event manager Fiona Buckley.
As well as showcasing young musical talent from across the country, the festival also draws large numbers of people to South Galway.
“As well as the 350 children musicians participating, we are expecting an audience of about 400 for each concert. The Swedish group of about 30 are staying in the area for the weekend and some are staying in the Lady Gregory Hotel, while others are staying with host families from Coole Music. We would encourage people to come along to the festival because it is a good way to see what children are doing with classical music these days and for children who are playing an instrument, to encourage them to participate in an orchestra,” Fiona continued.
This year’s festival is supported in part by the Arts Council and RTÉ Lyric fm. The event is hosted by the Parents’ Committee of Coole Music and Arts, a non-profit, community organisation based in Gort.
Tickets will be available at the door or in advance at Gort Credit Union. For more details, contact 086 3467245 or email info@coole-music.com.