One of the country’s most exciting and established peer-led orchestras is set to return to Galway next week.
The Esker Festival Orchestra will return to the city for its 6th annual residential and summer tour to the Emily Anderson Concert Hall in NUI Galway on Thursday, 8 August at 8pm
The orchestra, which brings together young emerging musicians from Ireland and abroad, will be conducted by Paul McCusker, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
The 2019 programme will include Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 “Classical”, Kodaly’s Dances of Galanta, Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 2 featuring Hannah Miller as soloist (Julliard School of Music, Kuopio Symphony Orchestra) and the World Premiere of Water Music by young Irish composer Donagh Marnane.
Along with the three national concerts, with the full orchestra, there will also be two chamber music concerts featuring tutors and soloists on Wednesday, 7 August in Galway featuring Hanahazukashi in the Black Gate at 9pm.
The Esker Festival Orchestra was set up in 2014 to provide a high quality, beneficial and meaningful musical opportunity for young emerging musicians from all across Ireland and for the first time to have an orchestra of this quality and scope based in Galway.
The orchestra was set up to fill the musical and social void that currently exists in Ireland by allowing young musicians from across the country to perform together, socialise together and to build relationships that will be essential during their personal and professional lives.
It promotes and develops orchestral music in Ireland by nurturing the talents of its emerging musicians with as little financial burden as possible on the musicians themselves. Finally, it is unique in that it is entirely led and run by its members for its members, allowing those taking part to gather invaluable first-hand experience in the world of orchestral music.
The Esker Festival Orchestra is supported by the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras, The Arts Council, RTÉ Supporting the Arts, NUI Galway and CIT Cork School of Music.
