Athenry Youth Orchestra

The Athenry Youth Orchestra performed as part of the Sixmilebridge Folk Festival in Co Clare on the weekend of the 15-19 January. They played on Saturday 17 at midday in Bunratty Folk Park as part of a music day. This was be a 45 minute concert, accompanied by Brendan Walsh on guitar.

Athenry Youth Orchestra also performed on Sunday 18 as part of the same event in Saint Finachta’s Catholic Church at 1.30pm. Full details of the weekend can be found here.

Athenry Music School, founded in 2008 has the ethos of a fun, positive and inclusive approach to music education. The original orchestra had just nine young musicians. Today, there are four regularly ensembles with over 120 members. The Youth Orchestra repertoire is chosen to appeal to the members and stretch their musical horizons and includes many new commissions. Rehearsals are a lively, loud and hugely enjoyable, with many friendships formed. They have performed in Castalia Hall, Kilkenny, Galway Cathedral, the National Concert Hall in Dublin and have performed with Zoe Conway, Ailbhe Mc Donagh, Brendan Walshe, Yuki Nishioka and Austrian rock band The Talisman collection and give many local concerts.

They are conducted by Katherine Mac Mághnuis who has twenty years’ experience in classical and traditional teaching, orchestra direction and as an academic music teacher. Katharine has taught on national and international Suzuki camps since 2000, the Irish National Chamber Course since 2010 and has lectured and toured extensively in Europe and America. Katharine is also a composer and has had her compositions played by many youth ensembles as well as in the National Concert Hall.