Westport Festival of Chamber Music launched
The first Westport Festival of Chamber Music will be held from Friday, September 6 to Sunday, September 8 in Westport House and Holy Trinity Church. The brochure for the festival will be launched at Westport House at 1.30pm on Tuesday next, June 11 with a short performance by over 80 very young violinists from the adjacent Gaelscoil. The festival will include concerts by some of Ireland’s top internationally performing musicians, Catherine Leonard (violin ) and Hugh Tinney (piano ), The RTE Vanbrugh Quartet and guitarist Redmond O’Toole.
Castlebar Concert Choir live at the Linenhall
Perennial favourites Castlebar Gospel Choir makes a spirited return to the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Thursday, June 13 at 8pm with their new show Gather. As part of The Gathering 2013, the choir will be inviting past members to join them for this special performance. Under the energetic direction of Kathy Fahey, the choir has been busy preparing a repertoire of old and new pieces which are sure to have toes tapping and hands clapping throughout the concert! Unique and unmistakable, Castlebar Gospel Choir’s performances are always brimming with passion and spirit and this evening’s entertainment will be no different. Not to be missed!
New exhibition opens in Ballina
How The Light Gets In is a new exhibition that opened yesterday, Thursday June 6 in the Ballina Arts Centre. The exhibition is a combination of works by four artists Breda Burns, Marie Varley, Samantha Clarke and Tracy Sweeney. The works are in print and paint, and these creative images are strong and emotively powerful, yet contain a fragile beauty as well.
Art portfolio workshop at the Linenhall
This is an intensive five-day course for prospective third level fine art or design students aged 16 years-old to 18 years-old. This course is facilitated by visual artist Amanda Rice, this workshop series takes place over three Fridays and Saturdays, commencing Saturday June 22, from 10.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.30pm each day. Each participant will focus on the formation of a 15-sheet portfolio outlining their artistic abilities. The portfolio will demonstrate observation, creative process and problem solving. The course will run on Saturday June 22, Friday June 28, Saturday June 29, Friday July 5 and Saturday July 6. Booking is essential and for more information contact the Linenhall on 094 9023733.
Double bill of Wenders’ classics on the screen
Over the next two Tuesdays, Ballina Arts Centre will screen two Wim Wenders classic movies. Things kick off next Tuesday, June 11 at 8pm with King of the Road. The movie was the unanimous winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.
The film is about a projection-equipment repair mechanic named Bruno Winter (Rüdiger Vogler ) and a depressed hitchhiker Robert Lander (Hanns Zischler ) who has just been through a break-up with his wife and a half-hearted suicide attempt. They travel along the Western side of the East-German border in a repair truck, visiting worn-out movie theatres. The following Tuesday, June 18 it’s the turn of The Scarlet Letter to take to the screen. Wenders’ stylised adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel was his second full length feature.
Sharon Shannon live in Ballina
Sharon Shannon has music at her fingertips ... literally! And on Friday next, June 14 at 8pm she’ll take to the stage at the Ballina Arts Centre. The accordionist has achieved legendary status throughout the world and has made the much-maligned accordion 'cool' in her home country. Tickets cost €20 and booking is essential.
Donal O’Kelly live in Castlebar
The theatrical force that is Donal O’Kelly returns to the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar with his latest piece, the typically surreal and heartfelt Ailliliú Fionnuala on Wednesday, July 3 at 8pm.
The story tells the tale of Ambrose Keogh who works for Shell. When the Tunnel Boring Machine he named Fionnuala sinks into the bog in Erris, he is magically confronted by Fionnuala of The Children of Lir. Fionnuala puts a “geas” on him – he’s bound to tell the truth about Shell’s operations, such as mysterious attacks on local opponents of the gas project. During his ordeal, Ambrose meets his school classmate, Malachy Downes, a Shell-to-Sea activist, and echoes from the past resound. Donal O’Kelly’s award-winning solo plays include Catalpa, Joyced!, The Cambria, The Adventures Of The Wet Señor and Vive La, and has performed his shows all over the world.
