Honoured for seizing the day during pandemic

Galway’s Coole Music and Arts School and Athenry Music School have been honoured by the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras (IAYO) for their ‘unwavering orchestral work throughout the pandemic’.

Renowned East Galway composer and conductor, Eimear Noone presented the groups with their awards – each valued at €2,000 – at a ceremony in Dublin. She also gave an inspirational speech to the young orchestra members who travelled to Dublin for the event.

Ms Noone, who’s famed for her work on video games and films, became the first female conductor to conduct the Oscars, at this year’s ceremony.

Winning this award was a great achievement after a tough 18 months, according to Coole Music’s Ellie Farrell.

First off, a planned trip by Coole’s Intermediate orchestra to Norway in March 2020, which had been a year in the planning, had to be cancelled

Then a concert entitled Waking the West – a collaboration between Coole Music’s Youth Orchestra, Youth Ballet West and the ConTempo Quartet – was called off. So too was the annual graduation concert and a collaborative project with an American wind band.

There were other casualties too, says Ellie.

“But Coole Music’s teachers and Artistic Director, Katharina Baker, came together in a determined spirit and quickly moved classes online,” she adds.

As a result, practice session for the school’s four orchestras continued, with scores and practice videos being sent out to students. Seven virtual orchestral productions took place during the first half of lockdown, as well as other online fun classes.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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