This upcoming St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s acclaimed youth orchestra, the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI), will present a concert at the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall at 7 pm.
As part of an 18-concert tour of Ireland, the 140-player symphony orchestra will be joined by Fairfield County Children’s Choir from Connecticut, and the Pipe Corps from Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, and dancers from the DeNogla Academy in New Jersey.
In their finale show at Carnegie Hall, CBOI will present their current concert, “Ancora”, the brainchild of an ambitious workshop/rehearsal project that started on November 8.
Played by young musicians aged 14 to 24 from Ireland and Northern Ireland, the orchestra is a unique blend of symphonic Celtic instruments like the Uilleann pipes, bodhrán, harp, fiddle, and Ulster Scot traditions, including the Ulster Scot bagpipes that define the rich cultural heritage of Ireland.
This year’s tour commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement as well as the orchestra’s own 28th anniversary. The orchestra, led by Sharon Treacy-Dunne, indeed grew out of the Peace Agreement process.
Led by the orchestra’s charismatic conductor Greg Beardsell, “Ancora,” features guest artists Lauren Murphy (the award-winning vocalist and songwriter) appearing as guest soloist; the all-Ireland champion Uilleann Piper Conal Duffy, and world champion Highland Piper Grahame Harris. Richie Dunne (principal violin) is the orchestra leader. Also traveling with the 140-player orchestra are the Ulster Scots Dancers from the Michelle Johnston School of Dance in Belfast. In New York, this ensemble will be joined by 100-voice Fairfield County Children’s Choir, the Pipe Corps from Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, and dancers from the DeNogla Academy in New Jersey.
Formed as part of the peace initiative process in 1995, the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) brings together young people of all religious and ethnic backgrounds from all over Ireland to nurture vital cross-border and cross-community relations. It is regarded internationally as a flagship peace initiative. Every year, with an interruption in 2020, the orchestra provides instrumental and orchestral training and performance opportunities for hundreds of young people ranging in age from 14 to 24. Upwards of 35,000 children and youth in Ireland and Northern Ireland actively participate in their peace through music programs called Peace Proms annually.
Leave a Reply