‘Transcendence’ during Covid-19 with talented cellist Ilse de Ziah


Transcendence recording by Ilse de Ziah

The new recording ‘Transcendence’ by Ilse de Ziah features rich and dark cello performances of music inspired by religious and spiritual traditions of old Ireland. From the stark, intensely sad ‘Caoine for a Dead Child’ and the entrancing, meditative ‘Fair Churchyard of Creggan’, to the joy of ‘Queen of the May’, the music ranges from deeply introspective to sublimely uplifting.

Ilse de Ziah cellist

I first met Irish-Australian cellist and composer Ilse de Ziah when we used to perform together at wedding ceremonies. Ilse’s recordings are hauntingly beautiful, the emotion in her music is tangible which shows that she plays from her heart. She is a true technician on the cello, a natural performer, but it is evident that, for Ilse, it is the music, its meaning and what it conveys to the audience that matter. I loved listening to ‘Transcendence’, a heavenly, ethereal, other-worldly soundtrack, to sooth the soul, especially in these uncertain times.

Ilse has a deep passion for composing, arranging and performing music for the cello. She uses traditional Irish melodies as source material, and creates contemporary arrangements perfectly suited for the cello, by marrying classical detail and folkloric tradition, which makes for a transcendent musical experience.

“When I first heard the recording from 1951 of singer Kitty Gallagher, I felt the deep connection of music with mourning. She sang ‘Caoineadh do Leanbh Marbh’ (Keen for a Dead Child) in a hotel room in Letterkenny on a bitter hard afternoon during a blizzard. I knew I had to find a way to express the ‘caoine’ or keen on the cello.

“I researched into this style of music and discovered a story of the banning and subsequent loss of the tradition, and the heartbreak of letting loved ones go without this powerful expression of grief.

“The keens are improvisations based on musical themes, and to bring this to the cello, I needed to take my time to live with the music, grieve with it, play it at funerals, play on a bleak hill, visit the old overgrown cemeteries, visit abandoned houses, listen to the stories of an older generation and form a rich sacred cello vernacular.

“Through research and performances for funerals and weddings over the past 20 years I also collected hymns and devotional songs, and the vision poem or Aisling. I compiled a collection of deeply emotional music that has never been arranged for the cello, and with the help of a Cork County Council grant, I have spent the past 6 months of lockdown and loss, composing and recording these intense pieces,” said Ilse.

Ilse de Ziah Cellist

Well respected for her interpretation of slow Irish Airs, Ilse already has a CD and published book, ‘Irish Airs for Solo Cello’. Her award winning film ‘Living the Tradition’, a journey into old Irish airs reflects the passion she has for the music and it won best documentary in the Eirie International Film Festival.

Ilse regularly tours her solo cello performance around Europe and has a large following on her solo cello YouTube channel. In Summer 2018 she featured as soloist in the largest Gamelan Festival in the world, in Java with the Irish Gamelan Orchestra.

She is also member of the Quiet Music Ensemble and performs and records with many trad, rock, pop, jazz and world musicians.

Her next music documentary is in pre-production, and she has recently published her fourth book of solo cello music, Sacred Irish Music for Solo Cello. An accomplished cellist with inspiring depth and vivacity. All sheet music is available at PlayCelloMusic.com in the publication Sacred Irish Music for Solo Cello – Music from Ancient to Modern Irish Traditions by Ilse de Ziah

The 11 pieces that comprise Transcendence, Irish Sacred Music for Solo Cello, will be released on digital platforms on September 18 2020.

“The recordings are inspired by the need for a time of grieving after so much has been lost, and for a need of authentic, sensitive and powerful music to uplift our spirits and help carry us with vigour and hope into the future. The cello is the perfect conduit for such music,” added Ilse.

For more information on Ilse and her recordings see:

Bandcamp: https://ilsedeziah.bandcamp.com Youtube channel: http://youtube.com/ilsedeziah Previous Recording: Irish Airs for Solo Cello CD http://ilsedeziah.com/bio/press-pack-and-links/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/ilsedeziah Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ideziah Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilsedeziah/ CONTACT: ilse@ilsedeziah.com

Transcendence recording by Ilse de Ziah

Valentine’s with your Limerick City Big Band


Why not spend Valentine’s night on a date you’ll enjoy, have fun and move to the beat of The Limerick City Big Band (LCBB) at Dolans Warehouse this Friday.

Dolans Warehouse provides the perfect venue and backdrop for an evening of live big band music, where the audience will be treated to the full power and energy that comes with such a large group of musicians performing live.

Limerick City Big Band (LCBB)

Formed in 2014 by local musicians Andrew Jordan and Michael Dooley, the band started from a desire to perform classic big band numbers with a fully live band.

Big Bands derive their name from the large number of musicians that typically make up the band. The LCBB has 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 5 saxophones, piano, bass, drums and guitar.

The bands line-up for this show features many local well-known Limerick musicians:                      Trumpet: Michael Dooley, Stan O’Grady, Andrew Jordan and Martin Doyle.                                        Trombone: Jo Fegan, Gareth Cox, Ger Power and George Brown.                                                                        Saxes: Steve Hanks, Shannon Burns, Matt O’Gara, Helen Hassenfuss and Ray Heraty.                            Piano: Bryan Meehan Bass: Rory Murphy Drums: Dermot Hinchy Guitar: Eddie O’Donovan.

Alto Sax Player: Steve Hanks

LCBB perform a diverse range of styles such as standard swing numbers from the 1920’s and 30’s including ‘American Patrol’, ‘In The Mood’, ‘Mack the Knife’ and ‘Bad Bad Leroy Brown’. Their Valentine’s show will also feature a number of well known tunes in a swing style including ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, ‘Cry Me A River’, ‘Fever’ and ‘Big Spender’. 

Joined on the night by two regular vocalists with the band, brother and sister duo Madeline and Padraig Connaughton, audiences of all ages will be sure to enjoy this night and there will be plenty of romantic classics in the set to get you into that Valentines feeling.

The Limerick City Big Band perform live at Dolans Warehouse on Friday February 14.  Doors: 8pm  Tickets: €20 available from Dolans Warehouse

A journey through time with classical guitarist Aleksandra Lucic


Teacher at the Redemptorist Centre of Music (RCM) and performer Aleksandra Lucic will be giving a solo performance at a lunch time concert in St Mary’s Cathedral on September 18.

From Croatia, Aleksandra is a classical guitarist, “I started to play guitar when I was ten years old in the music school, and since my first touch with the guitar, I knew that music and especially guitar would always be my main subject, my passion and love”.

Performer and Teacher at the RCM Aleksandra Lucic

Aleksandra who has a Diploma in Musical Arts said, “I was lucky to be supported by my parents, but I also had a very good guitar teachers.  I’m very proud that I can say that I was a student of Professor Mila Rakanovic, one of the leading guitar professors at that time in that part of Europe.

“I have performed numerous times in Croatia and all the rest of the states of Eastern Europe and won several prizes in International Guitar competitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

In 2016 Aleksandra moved to Limerick with her family, and since then has been working in the RCM as a guitar and ukulele teacher, where she teaches everything from classical to contemporary music, and shares her knowledge and more than 16 years of teaching experience with her students.

Following a recent well attended lunch time concert in The Granary Library, this will be Aleksandra’s first time performing in Saint Mary’s Cathedral.

The audience will be treated to a solo concert of classical music, and experience a sense of travelling through time and around the world as Aleksandra performs pieces spanning from the Baroque period to the 21st century.

The programme will include pieces by J.S.Bach, A.B.Mangorè from South America-Paraguay, and  F. Tarrega from Spain.

“After Spain we will travel to the United States in Tennessee with the composer Lawrence Long and then continue to South America through pieces by Antonio Lauro from Venezuela and Jorge Cardoso from Paraguay. For the end of the concert I will bring the audience back into Europe with the composer Roland Dyens from France.

“I’m very happy to work in the RCM where the environment is so friendly and all of the teachers are very talented. With this concert and the rest of them, that I intend to perform, I would like to show gratitude, and give a piece of me through the music to the RCM and the community of Limerick,” added Aleksandra.

The concert will take place at 1.15pm on Wednesday, September 18, at St Mary’s Cathedral.

https://www.redscentreofmusic.ie/

‘From Buenos Arias to Broadway’ with Owen Gilhooly and Helen Houlihan


This Culture night you will have an opportunity to see Tenor Owen Gilhooly and Soprano Helen Houlihan join forces in concert for ‘From Buenos Arias to Broadway’.

Soprano Helen Houlihan and Tenor Owen Gilhooly

 

Director of the Mid-West Vocal Academy (MWVA) Owen and Teacher at the MWVA Helen will be joined by pianist Michael Hennessy, violinist Hugh Connelly and Tom Murphy on viola.

The audience friendly free concert will have something for everyone, with popular operatic arias and songs from stage and screen, including a selection of Irish songs, Broadway hits, and popular arias. Instrumentals will include tango music from Latin America.

Hosted by Clare Culture night, this must see concert will take place at 7 pm on Friday September 20, at St. Columba’s Church, Bindon Street, Ennis.

http://www.midwestvocalacademy.com/

RCM Band give students a chance to perform, travel and be part of a community


The Redemptorist Centre of Music (RCM) band gives students an opportunity to perform, travel and take part in many social events, and with the new term starting the band will be gearing up for many performances over the next school year. 

However the band had one particularly memorable St Patrick’s weekend a couple of years ago when they braved wind and snow and gave their best to perform on the Ray Darcy show and then return to Limerick to take part in the international band competition the following morning.

RCM Band at St Patrick’s Parade in Limerick

Spirits were high as the band received a warm welcome from Limerick crowds as they paraded through Limerick to the school on Island road, where members then boarded the bus for Dublin to take part in the latest parade in the country on the Ray Darcy show.

The band received a warm welcome from RTE staff, and following a few rehearsals along with the other groups who were taking part, the parade went from blizzard snow conditions outside into the heat and bright lights of the studio.

Lining up for the Ray Darcy show

In the midst of the excitement and hustle and bustle, one member of the RCM band Oisín Dowling who according to his mum Barbara also a member of the band,  is a high functioning autistic 12 year old, had his dream come true when he met Ray Darcy.

Oisín with his Dad and Ray Darcy

“Ray Darcy will never know what he has done for my sons confidence, and well being. He hugged him, never recoiled when he wrapped his arms around Ray, he chatted with him and never made him feel like the child that is different. 

“Then Ray came down to every group before he went on air, and when he reached the RCM, he waved and said hello to everyone, wished them all luck, and then he spotted Oisin, and said ‘Hi Oisín’. From the child’s point, Ray is now his friend, from ours as parents, Ray didn’t just meet him, he remembered him and to the others in the RCM, you made Oisín special for all the right reasons,” said Barbara.

Teacher at the school and past Director Dr Shannon Burns said, “St. Patrick’s weekend and the International Band Parade are always a very special time for the band to get out into the public space and show people who we are and what we do. “This year, being invited to perform on the Ray D’Arcy Show just raised the level of excitement and pushed the band to perform at their very best. Bringing a band away is no easy task especially when something like this comes up at very short notice.

“The logistics of getting a band anywhere is difficult, but doing events like this brings the band closer together. I truly believe that banding and bonding make a huge difference in any group’s performance capabilities”.

RCM Band At RTE Studio

Formed in 2010 the band has approximately 50 members ranging in age from 7 to 60 years old, and according to conductor and musical director of the band Andrew Jordan, the ensembles were one of the main reasons the Centre of Music was established for music education but also for learning social skills and personal development of members.

Members and Teacher of the RCM Band and School

“It was great PR for the band but what’s more important is the whole experience of doing it for the social point of view. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see how television works, to see the studios, but  people would have chatted and mixed on that day that would never have spoken, and there was a lot of bonding.

“Because of the age group it’s a real little community, everybody just looks after each other, people know who to look out for. Students I taught are now teaching some of the younger kids so that’s how it works,” said Andrew.

http://www.redscentreofmusic.ie

Music builds bridges according to Michelle O’Connor


Performer and teacher Michelle O’Connor remembers adoring her first music teacher.

“I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. She taught me how to play songs for the holidays on the violin. That helped shape my sense of self-esteem as a child, because I was very shy and had trouble doing things the other kids seemed to do easily, like tying my shoes, jumping rope, or catching a ball, but I could play the violin, and I knew that was something special”. 

Michelle said her earliest memory of music shaped the way she approaches music education, as she remembers being a baby in the crib and her mother winding up a toy panda with a music box inside that played a lullaby.

“I remember watching the sun shine through the summer leaves, low in the sky, making a beautiful golden-green light as I lay utterly enchanted by the music. I can still picture the room in great detail. Because of this memory, I know for sure that even babies and little kids remember and retain music and may be having a vivid and memorable experience of it, even if they don’t sing along or seem to participate.

“Babies and children hear absolutely everything with a clarity and a sense of wonder that we lose as adults, and so it’s never too early for a music education. I try to nurture this sense of wonder in music lessons for kids for as long as I can, and try to bring it back for adults, including myself. That’s been the hardest part of my job, and also the most rewarding,” added Michelle.

A teacher for 21 years, this will be Michelle’s first year at the Mid-West Vocal Academy (MWVA). Michelle is certified in both the Mark O’Connor String Method and the Orff-Shulwerk approach to teaching music. Specialising in Early Music, folk fiddle styles, and improvisation, she nurtures creative string players with solid technique. 

Michelle has studied music at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (IWAMD) at the University of Limerick, University of British Columbia, UC Berkeley, Brown University, and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Performing on and exploring the possibilities of bowed string instruments for over 27 years, Michelle has an MA in Ritual Chant and Song from the IWAMD and studied music at Brown University, and has performed internationally with an eclectic variety of ensembles.

Performer and Teacher at the MWVA Michelle O’Connor

Michelle plays the violin, rebecs to vielles, baroque fiddle, Classical violin and Traditional fiddle, continues to work on her vocal technique, composes music, and has recently taken up the harp. She also plays some American ‘Claw hammer’ banjo, ukulele, recorder, and basic piano. 

“I would like to start playing some Irish banjo. I think it’s very easy to learn another instrument once we are confident in our own musical skills, because music comes from ourselves, and the instrument is just a tool to express it,” said Michelle.

Michelle loves teaching because she can help people play music that inspires them, that they would be able to perform for their friends, families, and communities in ways that are deeply meaningful to them, whether it is for a wedding, a birthday, a funeral, for a religious service, or part of a school concert. 

“It seems to me that kids who learn music early on are more comfortable in public speaking, and this is a skill that they will carry with them into adulthood, helping them with everything from socialising to job interviews. There have also been numerous scientific studies done which reveal that music develops empathy in children”.

For Michelle, music and food bring people together and build bridges instead of walls, “Because of music, I have been able to connect with people from all over the world even when we couldn’t speak each other’s languages. Learning about other cultures has enriched my life and inspired me, and allowed me to travel all over the world.

“It’s also inspired me to use music as a tool to empower ourselves and our communities to enact positive change in the world when we see injustice; music is an expression and a reminder of our humanity”.

http://www.midwestvocalacademy.com/

music brings harmony and beauty into the world according to Irina Dernova


“Music feeds my soul and mind, where words fail – music speaks. It is a presence of harmony and beauty in our world, an incredible energy that connects and unites people,” said teacher at the Mid-West Vocal Academy (MWVA) and well known pianist, organist and accompanist Irina Dernova.

Irina’s earliest memory of music was at around three years of age, “There was a lot of music on the radio, TV and tape-recorder, that I liked to listen to. My parents sang songs, and there was a piano in my crèche where a teacher played it almost every day for us.” 

From her first music lesson Irina remembers seeing a grand piano for the first time as a very exciting and a magical experience, then listening as her teacher played a variety of sounds, and showed her chords and tunes, and she can still recall her first attempt to create a simple tune.

Now in her seventh year of teaching at the MWVA, originally from Russia where she studied music, Irina has worked as a piano teacher, piano performer, accompanist, repetiteur, composer, arranger, organist and choir director both in Russia and Ireland.

Teacher at the MWVA, accompanist, pianist, organist, Irina Dernova

“As a musician who plays music on daily basis, and performs at concerts and other occasion, I love sharing all I know with young and not so young musicians, beginners and those who play for a while.  It’s part of my life. 

“For me, teaching is the process of discovering and unveiling of that special musical language and the instrument’s possibilities to my students. Finding out what music touches their hearts and enjoying it as much as they do, and helping them to learn how to read music and play by ear, and supporting their interest and ambitions.

“I love to help them to become able to express themselves, to become confident  performers, it does not matter if it’s for sitting in a room in their house or for a talent show in their school, competitions or exams.

“It’s a great pleasure to help them to make steps towards learning the art of playing the piano, to broaden their knowledge of different aspects of playing the instrument and listening to and appreciating the music,” said Irina.

For Irina music has brought many friendships and lots of memorable moments and events into her life, by collaborating with other musicians and sharing precious moments of music playing and listening. She has also enjoyed crossing paths with very interesting and talented people. 

“It’s very hard to imagine life without music, especially here in Ireland. Of course, one can just stay a listener, but it’s so much more exciting and gratifying to try the instrument, figure out how to make music on such a beautiful instrument as the piano, to learn a tune or a piece you love, or make your own music, or achieve the exam grades and have a life-long skill,” added Irina.

http://www.midwestvocalacademy.com/