Preparations are in full swing for the 11th Annual Coole Music Orchestra Festival taking place on Saturday, 10th March in Gort, Co. Galway.
The Festival’s full day programme offers an exciting range of activities open to all which includes world music and dance workshops.
The festival will reach its peak that evening with a huge performance from five orchestras involving 180 musicians of all ages from the West of Ireland as well as a top-class line up of young orchestral musicians, world music performers and a host of colourful young dancers.
A big attraction of the festival is the music workshops ranging from ‘Sing !’ a world music singing workshop with composer Fiona Linnane and ‘Try Afro-Cuban Drumming’ (drums are provided) with percussionist Alan Preims.
These are open to everyone and are available to book in advance online at an attractive cost of €5. Spaces in each workshop are booking fast.
Now in its second decade the Coole Music Orchestra Festival has grown into a large-scale annual event and a highlight for orchestras from around the country.
This ‘World of Music’ theme is reflected in the workshops which comprise of Afro-Cuban Drumming, Didgeridoo, Bollywood Dance and World Song.
The international flavour will continue into the evening concert with music from Australian-Irish Indian Sarode player Matthew Noone, Bollywood dancers from the Galway Indian Cultural Community, Gort based Didgeridoo player Itamar Meir and Irish dancers from the Marie Gavin School- all of this alongside the music of five Youth Orchestras from the West of Ireland !
According to festival founder and Artistic Director Katharina Baker, introducing World music into this year’s Orchestra festival brings so many new elements to the event.
“First of all our audience can actively participate in the world music and dance workshops, then come along to the evening concert to experience performances from different cultures and witness the combined festival orchestra premiering the Finale! she said.
!It has been my pleasure, privilege and challenge to compose a piece for the Festival orchestra every year – and this year’s result is a collage of Bollywood and Irish traditional sounds, the ‘Bollywood Céilí’ performed by 180 young musicians with an improvised introduction on the Indian Sarode and Indian and Irish dancers – it will be quite a show,” she addded.
Coole Music parent and festival volunteer Helen Hancock said that she was blown away the very first time she saw the finale and the sight of Katharina conducting hundreds of children playing by memory together.
!It sent shivers up my spine,” she said. “Long before my child was old enough to play in the festival that experience motivated me to keep going with the music practice. Playing in the orchestra is a fantastic experience for my son.”
Some tickets will be available on the door, but to guarantee a place, book online to avoid disappointment – tickets available via www.coole-music.com. Concert tickets are €10/adult, €5/child and just €25 for a family of 5.
