Rising stars shine at the RDS

THE sounds of young musicians performing the music of Mozart, Brahms, Dvorak, and other timeless composers delighted a near capacity audience at the Royal Dublin Society Concert Hall in Ballsbridge recently.

The Spring 2014 Rising Stars Gala Concert, held on May 8, was the latest in a series of twice-yearly free concerts sponsored by the RDS Foundation Arts Programme. The Rising Stars Programme supports the development of promising third-level student musicians by providing an audience and a venue to help them gain valuable performance experience.

World-renowned Irish pianist, Finghin Collins, hosted the programme and introduced the audience to each performer, beginning with pianist Adam McDonagh, a student of DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama.

“It’s always an honour to be asked to represent your college of music,

? said McDonagh of being selected.

“You have to love being up there, and I do. You get feedback from the audience, it’s not just the clapping. You can actually feel it as you play.

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He performed Chopin’s Ballade No 4,

“because it reminds me of some of my family members who have passed away.

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Royal Irish Academy of Music flautist Miriam Kaczor said of playing for such a large audience:

“It was very exciting, it wasn’t like any other performance I’ve given. I felt really honoured to be a part of this.

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Seán Boylan, baritone and RIAM student led off his performance with an aria from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. On his selection, he said:

“It shows the core of the opera, the typical man thinking the lady he’s due to marry has betrayed him. That’s not what’s happened at all but he jumps to conclusions straight away. It’s great fun.

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Pianist Carol Arnopp and the Chiral Quartet of violinists Hugh Murray and Christine Kenny, violist Ed Creedon, and cellist Maria O’Connor performed from Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A Major.

Murray said:

“Dvorak’s melodies are intensely beautiful; he had a gift for melody writing. You could say every composer can write good melodies, but his tunes especially are very memorable. They stay with you after the performance.

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In addition to the concert series, the RDS awards an annual

?¬10,000 Music Bursary to one promising young Irish musician. Given each year since 2003, the award aims to assist a young professional musician to develop their career through further study at home or abroad or for the purchase of a suitable musical instrument.

Cork trombonist Clara Daly Donnellan was recently announced as the 2014 winner.

Patrick Hughes, winner of the 2009 Bursary, closed the concert. On becoming a successful professional musician, he said:

“It’s a really difficult life, it takes a lot of practice and perseverance. I used the Bursary to study in Paris with famous French saxophone virtuoso Jean-Yves Fourmeau. It was an amazing time in my life.

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The musicians represented themselves and their schools well with their performances, but the audience experienced more than just an evening of classical music. All in attendance were able to see and hear the high grade of talent being nurtured and supported right here in Ireland.

The next RDS Rising Stars Gala Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18 at 7.30pm at the RDS Concert Hall.

For more about the RDS Foundation Arts Programme, Rising Stars, Music Bursary, and upcoming events, visit their website at www.rds.ie/arts.