Galway Early Music Festival marks a quarter of a century in 2020 with Drive the Cold Winter Away, a mini-online winter festival to be streamed online on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 December 2020. 

This festival of medieval and baroque music features lunchtime and evening concerts from St. Nicholas Church and Claregalway Castle, a multi-media talk on secular music, and free fun outdoor events, streamed live over the two day festival. There are four online concerts to be enjoyed over the two day festival. 

Lunchtime concerts
The two lunchtime concerts for voice and one instrument, at 1pm, are streamed online from the St Nicholas Church which celebrates its 700th anniversary this year. Soprano Helen Hancock is joined by organist Mark Duley on Wednesday 16 December, while soprano Aisling Kenny joins historical harpist Siobhán Armstrong on Thursday 17 December.

Evening concerts
Two evening concerts at 8pm, are streamed from Claregalway Castle. The Gregory Walkers (Laoise O’Brien, Malachy Robinson, Eamon Sweeney) with guest soprano Róisín O’Grady perform on Wednesday 16 December. The H.I.P.S.T.E.R. ensemble of Wolodymyr Smishkewych, Rhiannon Giddens, Micheál “Moley” Ó Súilleabháin, EamonSweeney and Yonit Kosovske perform on Thursday 17 December. This feast of medieval and Renaissance music is spiced with traditional and world music.

Workshops
The festival also offers people an opportunity to participate in Free Beginner Recorder Workshops the week before, from Monday 7 December. Helen Hancock will present four online workshops introducing participants to the soprano recorder. They can learn the chorus of Gaudete, Gaudete, Christus est Natus, the famous medieval Christmas song, and get a chance to play along with a recorder ensemble.

Outdoor experiences
There are two mobile experiences to be enjoyed either in the city or at home: a Ghost Hunt through Galway City to search for Irish harper, Carolan’s Lost Tune, or time travel back to 16th century Galway in ‘A Musical Tour of Medieval Galway’ with Spanish Captain Moreno who has just docked in the city port. Both include early music by well-known performers and ensembles.

Multi-media talk
Dr Jacopo Bisagni from the Department of Ancient Classics, NUIG will also give a multi-media talk about a small collection of secular tunes which were added to the 14th century manuscript Paris BN Fr844 – The King’s Manuscript or The King’s Songbook, by an unknown scribe. Viewers can participate in a Q&A after the talk.

Concerts: €10 each. Festival ticket: €30

Booking: info [at] galwayearlymusic.com or +353 (0)83 461 9039

For further details, visit http://galwayearlymusic.com/festival-events/