Early Music Festival to commemorate women

Arts Week with Judy Murphy

The Galway Early Music Festival marks its 21st birthday this year and features an international programme – Play, Lady, Play – celebrating women as composers, musicians, patrons, and inspiration, in medieval, renaissance and baroque European Music.

Highlights of this year’s festival, which runs from Thursday May 12 to Sunday May 15, include trobar and trobairitz songs of love; the musical life of musician, patron and powerful political woman, Margaret of Austria; the ‘witches, bitches and britches’ of the Baroque mezzo-soprano world; a come-back concert by the Good Ladies of Galway, who were the founders of the festival; and an opening concert featuring young Galway musicians from Athenry Music School, the choristers of St Nicholas Schola Cantorum and The Gregory Walkers.

Festival-goers can get close to the music, instruments and performers in talks, workshops, exhibitions, instrument makers’ showcases, and family events throughout the weekend.

Festival concerts include medieval music and songs of love and devotion by troubadours and women trobairitz with Brigitte Lesne and Alla Francesca (supported by Bureau Export); baroque opera arias and orchestral music with Sharon Carty, mezzo soprano, and the Irish Baroque Players directed by David Adams, harpsichord (a co-promotion with Music for Galway); the life and music of the ‘Lady of Sorrows’, Margaret of Austria (1480-1530) with Helen Hasset (soprano), Sarah Groser (viol), Malachy Robinson (bass viol), Jacob Herringman (lute & theorbo), Laoise O’Brien (recorders).

The opening concert features young musicians from Athenry Music School and the choristers of St Nicholas Schola Cantorum, who have participated in Galway Early Music’s first ‘Early Music for Young Musicians’ project.

The Gregory Walkers – Laoise O’Brien, Malachy Robinson and Eamon Sweeney – are giving workshops introducing early music to the young musicians and preparing them for the opening concert.

The Good Ladies of Galway – Ann Priestley Smith, Penny MacBeth, Katharine Mac Maghnuis and Maura Ó Cróinín – return with a concert spanning 800 years of music, including Irish tunes in Playford’s Dancing Master and tunes composed by Carolan; while artist Penny MacBeth is bringing a special exhibition of visual art, Green Ladies, which ties in with the concert.

Free events over the weekend include an illustrated talk on the early Irish harp and a harp taster workshop with Siobhán Armstrong, a family concert by The Gregory Walkers, ‘Green Ladies’ (visual arts exhibition) by Penny MacBeth, 21 Years of The Galway Early Music Festival exhibition, instrument makers exhibition and Renaissance dance workshop.

For more information, and ticket details, log on to www.galwayearlymusic.com.