IAYO Youth Collaboration Grant Updates
Read about the progress of the IAYO Collaboration Grant recipients: Donegal Youth Orchestra, Fingal Youth Orchestra, and County Tipperary Ryan Youth Orchestra.
Donegal Youth Orchestra is collaborating with Mayo Youth Orchestra and Coole Music Youth Orchestra to create opportunities for the orchestras to perform with and for each other. Coole Music Youth Orchestra and Mayo Youth Orchestra rehearsed together in Galway in February in preparation for their concert in April. Both orchestras will travel to Donegal where the orchestras combine for a concert in April at Errigal College, Letterkenny.
Fingal Youth Orchestra (FYO) is collaborating with Galway Youth Orchestra and Musica Fusion Youth Orchestra on a project that included travelling to Charleville in Cork to meet with the other orchestras and rehearse and perform pieces of music arranged by orchestration students from MTU Cork School of Music under the instruction of Richard Rudkins. The students were Deirdre Cadogan, Roisin Barrins, Tara Malone, Milo McCarthy. The chosen music was Odeon by Ernesto Nazareth, Bella’s Lullaby from Twilight, Spiderman (the comic book popular tune) and Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn by Ravel.
Richard describes the process “I allowed the students time to work at their own pace and once completed, I guided them through the process of rearranging /adapting the pieces for the abilities of the players. With the wide range of player ability, my aim was to create levels of difficulty with Bella’s Lullaby being the most approachable and the minuet being the most difficult. Students had the option to conduct their work on the day. Two of the orchestrators conducted, and we brought in conducting students to complete proceedings. We treated it as a masterclass, with me advising the students on what works, what doesn’t work quite so well etc.”
Susie Butler, Principal of Musica Fusion School of Music and Dance says: “This was a wonderful day for our students, no pressure of a big concert, with a relaxed atmosphere. It was an excellent day for building connections between the orchestras and MTU CSM, already new collaborations are being planned.”
The County Tipperary Ryan Youth Orchestra will hold a collaborative concert with Carlow Youth Orchestra and the Cork ETB Youth Orchestra in the Great National Ballykisteen Golf Hotel in Tipperary in autumn/winter 2025.
We will keep you updated on the progress of the collaboration projects.
