National Symphony Orchestra
Peter Whelan, conductor
Máire Flavin, soprano
Deirdre Higgins, soprano
Aimee Banks, soprano
Cameron Shahbazi, countertenor
Robin Tritschler, tenor
Armand Rabot, baritone
Dearbhla Collins, piano
Hosted by Seán Rocks

Programme to include:
Handel: Overture to Xerxes
Mozart: Symphony no. 25
Handel: Where'er you walk Semele
Handel: Si spietata il tuo rigore Giuolio Cesare
Richard Strauss: Allerseelen
Liszt: Kling leise, mein Lied
Traditional arr. Benjamin Britten: O Waly, Waly & Down by the Sally Gardens
Mozart: Hai gia vinta la causa Le nozze di Figaro
Mozart: E Susanna non vien.... Dove sono Le nozze di Figaro
Mozart: Act IV Finale Le nozze di Figaro

The National Concert Hall is delighted to honour the celebrated Irish mezzo soprano Ann Murray DBE with its 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Award will be presented to Ann Murray on Tuesday 30 January 2024 at a Gala Concert with the National Symphony Orchestra featuring countertenor Cameron Shabazi, tenor Robin Tristchler, baritone Armand Rabot, and pianist Dearbhla Collins and hosted by RTE's Seán Rocks, who will talk to Ann about her life in music.

Ann Murray DBE is celebrated worldwide for her remarkable portrayals of the iconic mezzo-soprano roles in the operas of Handel, Mozart, and Strauss. Her unforgettable performances have graced the stages of renowned theatres in cities such as London, Paris, Hamburg, Dresden, Brussels, Berlin, Cologne, Zurich, Amsterdam, and New York.

She has close links with both the English National Opera, for whom she has sung the title roles in Handel Xerxes and Ariodante and Donizetti Maria Stuarda, and with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where her roles have included Cherubino, Dorabella, Donna Elvira, Rosina, Octavian, new productions of L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, Ariadne auf Naxos, Idomeneo, Mitridate, Re di Ponto, Cosi fan Tutte, Mosé in Egitto, Alcina and Giulio Cesare.

The National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Peter Whelan will pay tribute to her career with a programme of music that has special meaning to Ann and which includes guest appearances by some of the young artists whose careers Ann has helped to nurture over the years. The performance will feature musical selections from the operas of Handel and Mozart, as well as traditional folksongs

Presented by NCH