Tomorrow night I will be back in Cork City Hall for a performance of Gustav Mahler’s mammoth 5th symphony under the baton of David Brophy (RTÉ Orchestras). A virtuosic orchestral portrayal of love, the Fifth Symphony occupies a pivotal place in Mahler’s output – it is his first purely instrumental symphony since the First. Written over 1901 and 1902, it charts the development in his love affair with his future wife, Alma Schindler (later Alma Mahler).
Also in this fantastic programme is Leopold Stokowski’s arrangement of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor, one of the composer’s most famous compositions.
We will also be joined by Cork-born violinist Ioana Petcu to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64.
A night not to be missed! If I do say so myself!
Limited tickets available from Eventbrite and possibly on the door.
Last month I had the amazing opportunity and experience of performing at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Opening Ceremony in Davos, Switzerland.
First I travelled to London for rehearsals at the Royal Academy of Music with the all-women Taki Concordia Orchestra, under the baton of Conductor Marin Alsop. Alsop was mentored by legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein and is now one of the top conductors in the world. She was the first female conductor to conduct BBC’s Last Night of the Proms and is currently music director of Sao Paolo Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, making her the first female director of a major U.S. orchestra.
mid-rehearsal Duke Hall, Royal Academy of Music, London
In Davos, Alsop received a World Economic Forum 2019 Crystal Award. The Crystal Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of leading artists and cultural figures whose leadership inspires inclusive and sustainable change. Marin is one of three recipients of the 2019 award, alongside history-making filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour and celebrated broadcaster and environmentalist Sir David Attenborough.
about to go onstage in Davos
Our opening ceremony performance included music by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, a Mozart Concerto featuring solo violinist 13 year old Clara Shen, winner of the Yehudi Menuhin Competition, and a world premiere by English composer Anna Clyne. The performance is available to view online. I was honoured and delighted to be invited to join this unique orchestra for such an important performance.
Looking out at the Limerick rain it seems hard to imagine I was performing in Italy’s Dolomite mountains not too long ago! Back in July I travelled to the Trentino region in the north of Italy for my third consecutive year performing with New York based Music Academy International at Trentino Music Festival. This prestigious academy runs comprehensive training and performance based programmes for aspiring young performing artists. In previous years I performed with the opera orchestras for full stage performances of Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart’s Magic Flute and many more operas. I also performed for musicals including Chicago and Nine. This year I returned to join the musical theatre orchestra for Evita. This was an amazing opportunity to work with former musical director of Evita on Broadway, Robert Meffe, in a stunning location.
Now we are nearly mid-way through September and I have a new term of piano and violin lessons already underway in Limerick city centre. It’s lovely to see students returning eager to learn after the summer break and also to welcome new students!
At the end of September I will be taking a short break from lessons to travel to South Korea’s capital for the Seoul International Community Orchestra Festival. I auditioned online back in May and was delighted to be accepted as a member of Seoul International Community Orchestra, the flagship ensemble for the festival. The orchestra brings together over 50 musicians from over 30 countries to perform special concerts in Seoul. The orchestra members will fly in from all over the world and after a quick tour of the city and catching up on some sleep after the long journey we will head straight to rehearsal.
Over the weekend we will perform special concerts in the very contrasting venues of Seoul Station, and the 3,000 seater grand theatre at Sejong Centre for the Performing Arts. The concert programme includes Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no.2 “Little Russian” and Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance no.1”. Also on the bill is “Arirang Fantasy”, a special orchestral arrangement by North-Korean composer Choi Seonghwan of a Korean folk song, the unofficial national anthem of Korea. My upcoming trip has already been featured online at ilovelimerick, in the Limerick Leader newspaper, and I was interviewed by the Limerick Today radio show on Limerick’s Live 95fm. Final preparations and practice is now well underway as I leave in 2 weeks!
A huge congratulations is in order for my wonderful students who received amazing results in their Royal Irish Academy of Musicpiano and violin exams this week!
The students attend weekly lessons with me in Limerick City. All the hard work and practice has paid off and everybody did brilliantly!
Rehearsals are in full swing and I’m looking forward to performing with Cork Concert Orchestra again this Saturday at Cork City Hall for “A Night at the Movies”.
The orchestra, under Principal Conductor Tom Crowley, will embark on a musical journey through the greatest of film music. The evening will be crammed full of memorable pieces from movies which were noted for their music such as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, ‘The Bridge over the River Kwai’, ‘The Magnificent 7’, and ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, right through to ‘Batman’, ‘The Hateful Eight’ and ‘Star Wars’.
Tickets starting at €15 are available from Pro Musica, Oliver Plunkett St. Cork, or online via Eventbrite
The concluding concert in the Vanbrugh “One by One” series features violinist Keith Pascoe as conductor, chamber music partner, and orchestral soloist, in works by Brahms, Rachmaninov, Parker and Wilson. The renowned American pianist David Syme and rising Cork-born conductor Tom Crowley guest.
Programme:
Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1 in G major, Op.78 [with David Syme, piano] C. S. L. Parker: Violin Concerto No.2 [with Tom Crowley, conductor]* Ian Wilson: Variations on the name Fleischmann* Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.1 in F sharp minor, Op.1 [withDavid Syme, piano]*
Cork Fleischmann Symphony Orchestra*
Keith Pascoe (violin, conductor)
I’m delighted to have been invited to join Limerick electro-pop band Mizdrea again for their new EP launch this Saturday April 28th at The Record Room, a brand new performance venue downstairs at The Commercial Bar, Limerick City. Last summer we played a sell out stripped back acoustic gig at The Stormy Teacup. More recently we recorded a special acoustic arrangement of Zombie by The Cranberries, as a tribute to Dolores O’Riordan after her untimely passing.
For Saturday night’s launch it’s the full band, electro beats, and yours truly on violin. Support on the night comes from Limerick-based Belgian artist-musician-beatboxer BenOit Vibes, fresh from his “weird and wonderful” performances on Ireland’s Got Talent. DJ Michelle Walsh rounds off the evening spinning her eclectic vinyl disco mix.
Delighted I have been selected again this year to perform with the WOW Orchestra 2018 for Women of the World Festival in London this weekend, as part of the Southbank Centre’s Women in Classical Music initiative.
Since 2011, this orchestra has been part of Southbank Centre’s WOW festival, a week of talks, debates, performance and activism celebrating women and girls from around the world. A highlight for the WOW Orchestra is a performance at Royal Festival Hall as part of Mirth Control – an electrifying night of comedy and music performed and inspired by women and hosted by Sandi Toksvig.
This annual WOW highlight is a fun-filled evening where Sandi takes inspiration from pioneering women who made iconic and empowering music for their generation and those that followed.
Featuring Josette Bushell-Mingo with extracts from her show Nina: A Story About Me and Nina Simone, performing the iconic musician and activist’s music, along with Alice Russell and Zara McFarlane.
Plus the WOW Orchestra led by guest conductor Alice Farnham, Voicelab Choir led by Jessie Maryon Davies and much more!
Recently returned from an amazing 9 city concert tour of China with UK’s Amadeus Orchestra, started teaching a new term of violin and piano lessons in Limerick City, returned to Cork for the second semester of my Masters in Music Performance at University College Cork, and rehearsals for this huge concert with Cork Concert Orchestra start tomorrow evening! A busy musical January!
At this extremely busy time of year I am currently preparing for an eight-city concert tour of CHINA with UK based Amadeus Orchestra. Lots to organise beforehand! Next weekend I am off to London for a weekend of rehearsals in the beautiful surroundings of Westminster School, right by Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben. On December 26th, with many turkey and ham sandwiches to keep me sustained, I will begin the long journey from Shannon, Ireland to Shanghai, China.
Watch this space for musical updates along the way!
