Manchester's First Irish Orchestra

Manchester's First Irish Orchestra

Ivernia, Manchester's first Irish orchestra, will debut at Manchester Cathedral on Sunday, 11 March 2012, as part of the Manchester Irish Festival.

Musicians Peggy, Ria and Lucy Nolan from Dublin.

Ivernia, Manchester’s first Irish orchestra, will debut at Manchester Cathedral on Sunday, 11 March 2012. Conducted by Sinéad Hayes, and featuring soloist Michael McGoldrick (flute), the orchestra’s inaugural programme is titled Beyond the Shamrock. The concert will includes works by Irish composers Elaine Agnew, Ailis Ní Ríain, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and John Kinsella.

Ireland’s orchestral musicians have long had strong links to Manchester, with many Irish students attending the Royal Northern College of Music. Hayes, the driving force behind the orchestra, completed a Masters in Conducting at the College. She also plays traditional fiddle and uilleann pipes and said of the music on Ivernia’s first programme: ‘As well as being a conductor of classical music, I have played and listened to traditional Irish music all my life — it is thrilling to bring the two worlds together to a wider audience.’

Beyond the Shamrock forms part of the Manchester Irish Festival. The name ‘Ivernia’ is derived from Ptolemy’s name for Ireland.

manchesteririshfestival.co.uk

Published on 8 March 2012

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