Irish Association of Youth Orchestras

Music Network announced the results of the latest round of the Music Capital Scheme in December. A total of ?135,000 in funding has been awarded to ten highly skilled individual musicians and thirteen non-professional performing groups. In 2011, there were two categories of support under the Music Capital Scheme aimed at professional performing artists and non-professional performing groups / ensembles. For non-professional ensembles, there were a total of thirteen awards made including both first-time and repeat grants. Youth orchestras and music schools including Roscommon County Youth Orchestra, County Wexford Youth Orchestra, Julianstown Youth Orchestra, Liffey Valley Orchestra and Coole Music & Arts received grants towards the purchase of instruments and percussion equipment. St Canice’s NS Instrumental Music Programme received a grant towards the maintenance of instruments and the purchase of replacement equipment including bows and instrument cases. In the individual instrumentalist stream of the funding, grants were made towards the purchase of individual instruments including violin, fiddle, cello, cello bow, guitars including a classical, bass and a seventeenth century guitar and a sarode – an instrument used in Indian classical music.

The Music Capital Scheme is managed by Music Network and funded by The Arts Council and The Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht. Watch out for details of future applications on the IAYO web site or at www.musicnetwork.ie.

A New Year, new challenges and lots happening on the music front in St Canice’s NS Kilkenny. Just before Christmas the Senior Orchestra was out and about busking for the O’Neill Centre Kilkenny which provides free services to children and adults with disabilities. The Orchestra also performed at the ceremony to turn on the Christmas lights in the city centre. The Senior Jazz Band and the school’s Recorder Ensemble took part in the Lionhearts Concert in St Canice’s Cathedral in aid of the St Vincent De Paul. This has become an annual event which raises much needed funds for local charities. The week before Christmas, both our Senior and Junior Jazz bands performed in the jazz spectacular “Cream of Kilkenny Cats Concert” in the Watergate Theatre. Read more »

[ from The Wheel’s website ]

Alan Shatter TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence (in whose Department the Charity Unit now sits) said yesterday at a conference in Dublin: “Realistically, I simply cannot see that we are in a position to fully implement the Charities Act on a statutory basis at the moment”.

The Minister acknowledged the importance of the work being done by charities to protect vulnerable people and paid tribute to the thousands of volunteers who participate in this work. Minister Shatter went on to say: “I am currently taking legal advice in terms of what might practicably be done within available resources, but, subject to this legal advice, and particularly given the long-stated desire across the sector for regulation, I would hope that we will be in a position to take steps to enhance the regulation of the sector” “

The Wheel will be working closely with both our colleagues in the sector and with The Minister to see how we can achieve the objectives of the Act – to enhance public confidence in the Irish charities sector by increasing the transparency of Irish charities through a proportionate regulatory framework.

“Young people are enthusiastic to get involved and become engaged citizens, and this is more important than ever now, when we need to stick together to get through the tough times ahead. So it is vital that we work to remove the barriers young people have identified, and ensure that opportunities are not diminished in the wake of the cuts we are facing” (James Doorley, Assistant Director at the National Youth Council of Ireland)  Read more »

The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland perform at the National Concert Hall. Find their course news and interviews at nationalyouthorchestraofireland.blogspot.com

[John O’Brien has recently retired as chair of Dublin Youth Orchestras. His time as a volunteer with DYO is remembered by Cherry O’Keeffe]

Twenty nine years ago, John O’Brien was asked by his wife Kay, then Orchestra Manager of the then Senior orchestra, now the Symphony, if he would give a hand putting away the chairs after the rehearsal, and the rest is history. John has recently retired from the Dublin Youth Orchestras. He was an orchestra manager in the Transitional (now the Concert) Orchestra during the 1980’s, then in 1993 he became the Rehearsals Manager, which covered a multitude of tasks, so much more than the title implied. Whenever an orchestra went on tour, whether it was Ireland, UK, Germany, France, Italy, the USA or Canada, John was always an indispensable member of the team. As stage manager during our annual concerts in the National Concert Hall, John was always calm and unflappable. In recent years he was Webmaster, Chairman of the DYO Council, the DYO Board and Honorary Treasurer. Whenever a DYO orchestra performed, and required percussion instruments, John hired the van, collected the instruments from Sancta Maria, loaded them in, and drove to the venue. When the concert was over, he reloaded them in the van and took them back again, some of these instruments, such as the three Timps and the Bass Drum are very large and awkward, and also not forgetting those heavy boxes of music stands. He also maintained all those percussion instruments, making sure they were all in good working order. These were often borrowed by IAYO for the Festival, and by several other orchestras, and he also delivered them to those venues. John also chaired the IAYO Executive Committee for several years. It is impossible to quantify the huge contribution that John has made to Dublin Youth Orchestras over the years. He was there on rehearsal days to open up the school, to organise rooms with the required number of chairs, to check the heating and fix it if it didn’t work, etc. Always unstinting with his time and energy, he displayed unfailing good humour and helpfulness. Nothing was ever too much trouble, one had only to ask him. May we all, especially the players, both past and present, say a heartfelt ’thank you’.

Music Generation, the U2 and Ireland Funds’ supported National Music Education Programme, has announced that Cork City, Laois and Wicklow have been selected for participation in the second round of the programme. Over the next three years, Music Generation will award a total of up to ?1.7 million to these counties to help children and young people access vocal and instrumental tuition in their local area. The Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn TD joined with Music Generation in making the announcement. Commenting at the launch, Minister Quinn said “I am delighted to see the progress of Music Generation throughout the country which will undoubtedly create better access to high quality music education for thousands of children and young people. The Department of Education and Skills welcomes the opportunity to work in partnership with the programme’s donors, U2 and The Ireland Funds, Music Network and the range of local agencies and organisations. We all recognise that music can enrich the lives of children and communities and the Government remains committed to developing and sustaining the Music Education Partnerships with Exchequer funding in future years when the donations cease.” Read more »

Carlow Youth Orchestra took part in a pre-concert performance with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in October. Flautist, Ailbhe Kehoe, writes about the experience.

As part of our preparation for our concert in the George Bernard Shaw Theatre, Carlow on the 29th October 2011 the various sections of Carlow Youth Orchestra had workshops with members of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Kieran Moynihan worked with the woodwind section. I thought it was a brilliant experience, and I’m sure the other woodwind players would agree. He advised us on appropriate dynamics, tuning, and breathing techniques when performing as part of an orchestra. I found it to be a very beneficial experience. The whole orchestra also had workshops with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra’s conductor, Fergus Sheil. I thoroughly enjoyed these workshops and it gave me an insight as to what life as a professional musician might be like. The highlight of the whole experience for me was performing with members of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. It was wonderful to work with musicians of such a high calibre – we’ve never sounded better! I’d like to thank Fergus Sheil, Kieran Moynihan and the members of RTÉ Concert Orchestra for providing us with such an invaluable experience.

Bríd Cannon has recently taken over as Chairperson of IAYO. A Board Member of IAYO since 2006, Bríd started her musical life in the Cork School of Music. Thereafter she continued her musical education in Dublin, studying piano with Marie Jones, and violin with Loretto Nelson and Maeve Broderick. As a student she was a prize-winner both at Feis Maitiú and Feis Ceoil, a bursary recipient of the ABRSM and the RIAM, a student of ConCorda, leader of Dublin Youth Symphony Orchestra and a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. Bríd also studied at 3rd level at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Bríd has taught in schools throughout Dublin, including tutoring the orchestra at Newpark Music Centre and conducting them at the Festival of Youth Orchestras in 2006. Most recently, Bríd has studied with the Vanbrugh Quartet, played in a trad band in the US and is currently venturing into the world of jazz improvisation in an effort to try and overcome her morbid fear of flats . . . Bríd also has a law degree and is now pursuing further studies in business. She combines her love of music with a full time career in the commercial world, having worked first for a private equity fund and now with a large professional services firm. As well as her “day job” in risk management, she is also responsible for championing the education end of the firm’s corporate responsibility initiatives, designing management and classroom programmes for both teachers and students. Her skeleton in the closet is being a child performer on the Late Late Toy Show and she now lives in fear of “the video” being brought out at family occasions . . .

Friday 20 April 2012 love:live music, National Music Day, is an annual celebration of all forms of music in Ireland through free nationwide music events and aims to promote access to live music for all regardless of location or circumstance and to encourage active participation in music events.

Music Network is inviting venues, promoters, musicians, ensembles and community groups all over Ireland to participate in love:live music 2012. For more information visit www.lovelivemusic.ie. To register an event visit www.lovelivemusic.ie/register/