Over three hundred people from around the world zoomed in to listen and see the St. Agnes’ Community Late Starter Orchestra (LSO) première on Zoom on Saturday.
The concert program was in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven and featured works by renowned composer.
Composers Richard Wagner, Antonín Dvo?ák and Jacques Offenbach were also featured.
Seamus Doyle, double bass player with the RTÉ Concert orchestra and chairperson of the St. Agnes’ Community Centre for Music and the Arts (CCMA) conducted the concert.
Over three hundred attended and some were as far away as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Brussels, California, Dorset, Dubai, Edinburgh, Florida, Greece, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Nagaland (India), New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Sydney, Tennessee, Toronto and Wales.
The Irish did not let the orchestra down either sixteen counties were represented; Antrim, Cork, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Sligo, Tipperary, Wexford, Westmeath, Wicklow.
The players and audience members then chatted excitedly in the 27 breakout rooms.
Roll on the next concert which is the International Late Starter Orchestra Network (LSO) concert, Strings Across the Oceans, which will include orchestra members from Singapore, Texas, New York, Spain, Germany and many more places. It takes place on the 21st November 2020.
The St. Agnes’ Community LSO was instrumental in igniting this network when amateur musicians from a score of countries and cities gathered at St Agnes’ CCMA on Saturday February 22nd and Sunday February 23rd including musicians from Singapore, Scotland, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, England, the United States of America and of course, Ireland.
The events on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd are hosted by St Agnes’ CCMA, IAYO Irish Association of Youth Orchestras.
President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina attended the inaugural International LSO concert on the 23rd.
St. Agnes’ CCMA is a registered charity and its vision is to promote individual and community wellness and enhance people’s lives theory music and the arts.
The LSO orchestra is open to all who want to play. You do not have to have a background in music but just want to enjoy music and have fun.
Other activities included in the St. Agnes’ COVID-19 Action Plan include, weekly Community Music Classes (various times), St. Agnes’ Virtual Community choir (Tuesday’s 7 pm).
St. Agnes’ Memory Lane Choir for those diagnosed with Dementia/Alzheimer’s, their carers and families, a ‘Play, Prose and Poetry’ Zoom session every Thursday at 7 pm.
Contact stagnesccma@gmail.com for more information.