to OURchestra Residential Camp
We welcome new members to all orchestras & choirs. There is no audition process and any musician or singer is welcome from any teacher, within or outside the music school. Age 6-99+
Athenry Youth Orchestra
Athenry Youth Orchestra was founded by Katharine Mac Mághnuis so that the music students of east county Galway could experience ensemble music-making. Athenry Music School has the ethos of a fun, positive and inclusive approach to music education, and these values extend to the orchestra. While the orchestras are housed in Athenry Music School, membership is open to any young musician. The ensembles are structured like youth clubs: the members have many responsibilities, including librarianship, press duties, tuning, and ‘set up’ and ‘tear down’! The Youth Orchestra repertoire is chosen to appeal to the members, with a special emphasis on recently composed works. As well as the commissioning and rehearsal of new works, performance is an integral part of the Athenry Music School ensemble experience. Every Christmas the senior ensembles work with local choirs in ‘A Union of Voices’, and each ensemble performs in a concert annually.
Every April, the numbers of Athenry Youth Orchestra are hugely augmented, as each member of AMS who can carry their instrument – over three hundred music students! – combines with the AYO to form ‘The Mega-Orchestra’. They have performed in Wavre, Brussels and Overijse in Belgium, the National Concert Hall, Dublin, Castalia Hall, Kilkenny, Galway Cathedral, , Bunratty Hall and at the Sixmilebridge Winter Festival and have performed with Zoe Conway, Ailbhe Mc Donagh, Brendan Walshe, Yuki Nishioka, St Patricks Brass Band, Coole Youth Orchestra, The Young Singers from Canada and Austrian rock band The Talisman collection and give many national, regional and local concerts. The performances are prepared in rehearsals that are lively, loud and hugely enjoyable, with many orchestral friendships being formed.
Here are the Athenry Youth Orchestra performing Vivaldi’s Gloria with Athenry Youth Choir , Cor Le Kids and Cor le Cheile augmented by our MEGA choir at our annual MEGA concert in Galway Cathedral. April 2019
Athenry Vision Orchestra
Founded in 2015 the Horizon orchestras members range in age from 10-15. They have received workshops and concerted with Malachy Robinson, Double Bass, Laoise O Brien, recorder and Eamon Sweeney, lute and guitar. They have performed at the Three Rings Arts Festival and the Galway International Early Music Festival. Conducted by Katharine Mac Mághnuis since 2020. Previous conductors include Daire Mac Mághnuis from 2015-19, and Emmet O Connor from 2019-20.
Athenry Creation Orchestra
Formerly Athenry Junior Orchestra, our youngest orchestra was founded in 2009. They have an annual tour to Dublin, to collaborate with the Tyrrlestown Educate Together National School Xylophone orchestra where they do 3 concerts and then go for pizza and bowling! Members have responsibilities for setting up the orchestra room, music stand management, helping prepare the orchestra folders and librarianship duties.
Athenry Guitar Orchestras
The Athenry Music School Guitar Orchestra was established in 2009 as an artistic and social outlet for local young classical guitarists. The last few years has seen the orchestra perform in a wide variety of settings including TV (with John Spillane on TG4), radio (on Flirt FM), and events and festivals including four years in the Galway Fringe Festival, the RTÉ Big Music Week, Múscailt, Coole Orchestras festival and more. They recently began recording a CD which they hope to release later in the year, with a single planned as a fundraiser for Crumlin Children’s Hospital. You can keep up to date through the Athenry Music School Facebook page, and the Orchestra’s Twitter account! Recordings of some performances are available to hear on Soundcloud and watch on our Youtube page.The majority of the music performed by the Orchestra is composed especially for them, much of it composed by their founding director, Kevin Brett. 2014 saw the addition of a Junior Guitar Orchestra. This is aimed at introducing players to ensemble rehearsal and performance from an earlier stage in their musical development. Rehearsals for both orchestras take place on Tuesdays.
Cór le Chéile
Cór le Chéile Community choir was set up in September 2011 to provide an opportunity for community members to come together and sing. This dedicated group rehearse once a week in Athenry Music School under the director Fionnuala Hannigan-Dunkley. The choirs repertoire ranges from Lauridsen to Jenkins, musical numbers to traditional airs. They have performed at many concert and fundraising events. The only requirement for admission to the choir is a love of singing and a willingness to learn!
Athenry Youth Choir
Consisting of twenty members, Athenry Youth Choir was founded by Helen Farrell in September 2012. The choir performs a wide variety of music including a cappella part songs, musical numbers, jazz and modern classics. Athenry Youth Choir perform at various community and fundraising events and at Athenry Music School’s annual A Union of Voices and MEGA Concert. The choir rehearse once a week and take part in choral workshops throughout the year. The choir is open to anyone aged 12-18 years and has been directed by Sinead Murphy since 2022.
Athenry Youth Choir performing A Million Dreams
Cór le Kids
Athenry Music School’s childrens’ choir, Cór le kids, is eight years in existence and has over 30 members. Over years the choir has built up an exciting repertoire and performed at numerous events. The choir meet every Thursday evening. They have produced a CD with the harp ensemble ad enjoy an annual tour to Dublin.
We have members represented in the
National Youth Orchestra of Ireland
National Youth Wind Ensemble of Ireland
Irish Memory Orchestra
Galway Traditional Orchestra
West of Ireland Symphony Orchestra; Symphonic Waves.
As reported on RTE Radio and Television News 8th February 2019
“The priority within the music school is inclusivity”
Pat McGrath reports from Athenry where a decade long effort to promote music in the Galway town has resulted in the formation of eight orchestras
Historic Orchestras & Groups
The Athenry Camerata
Founded in 2017 Athenry Camerata was a group of 13 senior young musicians. They have worked with founding conductor, Daire Mac Mághnuis, tutors Renee Neeson and Gergely Kuklis and in Sept 2019 were joined by conductor Emmet O Connor and our former conductor in residence for 2019-20 Tom Crowley. Their programme included Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, St Paul’s Suite by Holtz , Joan Trimble’s Intermezzo and John Kinsella’s Hommage á Clarence. They had the honour to perform in the National Concert Hall in 2019, and partnered with the Galway Music Residency, ConTempo Quartet, the Lyonstownship Choir, Chicago, The Skyline Choir, Colorado and with the Trinity Palmer Orchestra USA.
Athenry Cello Ensemble
Founded in 2014, this ensemble performed beautifully as the flagship of our cello department and encouraged many uptakes of the cello and double bass . All cello students were invited to participate in sectional rehearsals 6 times a year and perform in the music school’s annual gala concert.
We are very proud to have created six outreach programmes in local national and post primary schools. These ranged from individual tuition to group classes, from trombone to harp and from musicianship lessons to musical drama. Athenry Music School is delighted to have been able to donate instruments to many of these schemes and these instruments were provided free to the schools.
We are always enthusiastic in enabling these young people to join in social music making environments and to that end had founded 5 orchestras in our outreach programmes. These students were also welcome to join one of our other 6 orchestras in the music school. Due to this work, we were awarded the Irish National Award for the Development of Youth Orchestras in 2014.
Each of our outreach programmes are tailor made for the individual school. After a school expresses an interest in a programme, our music specialists meet with the principal, teachers and parents to design a programme which matches their vision and needs. We continue to support the programme for as long as they need or want us and are happy to provide performance opportunities for these young musicians within our music school schedule of events or to develop new events specifically for the school.
OURchestra Residential Camp
Directors: Katharine Mac Mághnuis of Athenry Music School and Katharina Baker of Coole Music
The annual residential OURchestra was founded in 2008. This national award winning camp* housed in The Burren Outdoor Centre hosts up to 50 young musicians who meet for 5 days in July each year to enjoy orchestral playing, chamber music, traditional and gypsy music, juggling, camp fires and much more.
Inquiries by email.
OUR MEMBERS
The students (age 12-18) are from the two founding directors’ respective schools; Atheny Music School, Katharine Mac Mághnuis & Coole Music and Arts, Katharina Baker, plus national and international students. They need to have attained at least Grade 3 or Level 5 Suzuki (end of book 3) in an orchestral instrument. Double instrumentalists are welcome.
OUR Team
The course directors and founders are myself, Katharine Mac Maghnuis Director of Athenry Music School and Katharina Baker, Director of Coole Music, Gort. We have a parent volunteer, Ellie (aka The Kitchen Goddess!) who prepares home cooked meals.
Other faculty include international violinist Christy Collett (South Africa/ living in Belgium) and Daire Mac Maghnuis (Ireland/ living in Berlin) and Kitchen Goddess, Ellie.
We also have a youth volunteer team of ex members (who are technically too old to be on the course but who we can’t get rid of!)
OUR FOOD
(we accommodate any dietary needs and fussy eaters are worked around but not entertained too much)
The menu is
Breakfast: Cereals and toast (loads to keep teenages happy!)
Break: Fruit and occasional biscuits
Lunch: Homemade soup (veg, potato & leek, tomato) and sandwich of the child’s choice
Break: as above
Dinner: Chicken curry. Spag Bol, Shepherd’s pie, etc
Night snacks: Hot chocolate/ Beans on toast, Hot dogs, S’mores!
You can see that we are of the belief that fed children are happy and productive 🙂
OUR ACTIVITIES
The general layout of a day is (each year changes slightly due to instrumentation and faculty)
8.45am Breakfast
9.30 OURchestra
11am Break
11.15 OURchestra (sectionals)
1pm Lunch
2pm Juggling/ Traditional/ Gypsy
3pm Chamber groups
4pm Break
4.15pm Chamber groups
5pm OURchestra
6pm Dinner
7pm Traditional
8.15pm Break
8.45 Camp fire (entertainment and night snack)
10pm Bed
11pm Lights out
OUR ETHOS AND INCLUSION POLICY
We are very aware that a student coming from outside of the 2 majority schools may need extra support in feeling included. We have a number of policies in place that mind the holistic well being of these students and a highly developed ethos of teaching our own students how to be positive, consistent and constant in their welcome of new students.
OUR COST
The course is fully residential (in boys’ and girls’ dormitories)
Full board and tuition is included
€250 deposit of €75 (link will be emailed after receipt of application form) required to secure you place by post – we will send out forms upon your confirmation of your place. Balance to be paid 3 weeks before the camp. |Please use our email button at the top right of our our website to apply.
*Recipient of the 2010 Irish Association of Youth Orchestras overall award for the development of Youth Orchestras in Ireland