Lots happening here in Music Generation Laois over the St Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday weekend! Our inaugural Performance Music Festival in partnership with Laois School of Music takes place on Saturday 15 March in Portlaoise College.
The Mountrath S Patrick’s Day parade takes place on Sunday 16 of March, with the Mountrath Glee Club performing (parade starts at 12:30pm). On Monday 17 March, Harpists from Rath NS will perform as part of the St Patrick’s Day parade in Portarlington at 3:30pm. La Fhéile Pádraig Shona Daoibh!
Laois School of Music and Music Generation Laois are hosting an inaugural Performance Music Festival for our Portlaoise College Students, on Saturday the 15th of March. This is a great opportunity for students to perform, and get positive feedback from an external Music Advisor. Each student will receive a medal of participation.
The Festival is open to students who attend lessons in Portlaoise College – Brass, Harp, Uilleann Pipes and Stampede Drumming. Adult students can also participate. Entry Fees: child €8/ Adult €10.
The office of Music Generation Laois will be closed from Friday the 20 of December 2013. We will reopen again on Monday the 13 of January 2014. Please note that our classes will re-commence the week beginning Monday the 13 of January.
On Sunday the 8 of December, the first-ever Music Generation Laois Christmas Concert took place in the Dunamaise Arts Centre. The concert showcased the 7 different music programmes now being delivered in the County through Music Generation Laois, with 82 performers taking to the stage over the course of the afternoon on a range of instruments, from Singers to Drummers.
Singing groups included the Mountrath Glee Club and the St Colmcille’s National School Errill Choir. In what may be a world record, 13 uilleann pipers performed together on stage with their tutor Gay McKeon. Alice Carew, Portlaoise and Andrew Breslin from Mountmellick performed a duet on trumpet of Christmas favourite ‘Little Donkey’ and Jack Holmes performed both Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ and Glen Hansard’s ‘Falling Slowly’ on piano.
50 children are currently taking weekly harp lessons with Music Generation Laois, and 8 young harpists also performed at the concert. There were lots of Christmas favorites performed throughout the concert, however, the Music Generation Laois Stampede Drumming Group brought some world music to the event, using djembes and other African percussion, and their lively performance included a piece composed by the group of drummers themselves. Musicians and singers from the School of Rock and Pop performed 2 songs, ending the concert with the John Lennon song, ‘Happy Christmas: War is Over.’
In addition to our large-scale Christmas concert, we participated in over 20 concerts and performances throughout the County, in schools, centres and in the Portlaoise Youth Café. Well done to all the young musicians and singers who participated, and to all the Tutors, School Teachers, and all those we work with in centres and in the Portlaoise Youth Café for making this happen. Also to the families and friends of young musicians and singers for their support throughout. There were so many memorable and wonderful performances, and moments of huge pride and a sense of achievement as the Music Generation Laois programme grows throughout the County.
On Tuesday the 10 of December, the Board of Music Generation made a site-visit to Laois, and it was fantastic to share our experiences and achievements to-date with them.
We wish all those of our students, their families, and those we work with a very happy and musical Christmas, and heres to a great year of music-making in 2014!
Our Christmas concerts series kicks off with a Festive Christmas Concert in the Dunamaise Theatre on Sunday the 8th of December at 4pm. The concert will bring together young Musicians from each of the 7 Music programmes now established in the County by Music Generation Laois.
Gay McKeon Uilleann Piper, and his students will perform, as will young Harpists from the Music Generation Laois Harp programme. St Colmcille’s NS Errill will represent the Schools Choir Programme, and the all-singing-all-dancing Mountrath Glee Club will make a welcome return to the Dunamaise Theatre after a dazzling performance in the Theatre in June this year.
Young musicians from the School of Rock and Pop will entertain the audience with some excellent pop songs, including staunch Christmas favourites! The Music Generation Laois Stampede Drumming Group will perform with their Leader Eddie O Neill. The Christmas Concert will also feature soloists and duets from the Brass and Music Box programmes.
Music Generation Laois was established in April 2012, and we now have over 750 children and young people participating in weekly music tuition across the County, with lots more taking part in once-off workshops and Summer Camps. This Christmas concert is a wonderful chance to see what the programmes are all about, as well as a great afternoon’s entertainment. The diversity of the programmes – from uilleann pipes to Glee, means that there is something for everyone.
Tickets for the concert are available through the Dunamaise Theatre Box Office, call 057 8663355 or see WWW.DUNAMAISE.IE €4 per adult, €2 per child
