HARPERS TO GO VIRTUAL FOR FEST
The show will go on for An Chúirt Chruitireachta International Festival for Irish Harp!
With the cancellation of the 34th international Harp Festival due to Covid-19, the International Festival for Irish Harp takes its first steps to becoming an on-line festival and will run from Monday 28th June to Thursday 2nd July at www.cairdenacruite. com/festival.
For four days, the festival will leave its normal home at an Grianan, Termonfeckin, and become a virtual mecca for harpers, where the very best of Irish harping can be experienced and where our foremost tutors share their expertise to inspire future harp players.
Alongside its lunchtime virtual Drogheda Tholsel Sessions featuring rising stars of Irish harping, the Festival brings together highlights from its 2019 popular public concert series, featuring a roll call of Irish and international leading harpers; including Maeve Gilchrist, Cormac De Barra and
Siobhán Armstrong, and this year’s festival will also include a performance from Louth Music Generation Harp Ensemble, directed by Deirdre Ní Bhuachalla, and a unique recording of a gathering of young harpers from all over the country, led by 2019 artist-in-residence and composer, Maeve Gilchrist. Daily workshops will be hosted by their foremost tutors.
“Over its 34-year history, An Chúirt Chruitireachta has played a major part in leading the huge upsurge of interest in the harp in Ireland today” says Festival Director, Aibhlín McCrann. “We are certainly not going to allow the pandemic deter us from bringing the best of Irish harping on-line to our harpers here and overseas, and to audiences farther afield.
An Chúirt Chruitireachta is funded by The Arts Council, Louth Co Council, Create Louth and with support from RTÉ Lyric fm and RTÉ Supporting the Arts. Special thanks to the Trench Trust who have generously supported the harp ensemble experiment.
Tuesday 30th June, 1pm - Rising Harp Stars, Aoife Blake and Grainne Meyer
8pm - Oíche na bhFear. Harpers Cormac de Barra, Oisín Morrison, Paul Dooley, Séamas Ó Flatharta and multi-instrumentalist, Barry Kerr.
Wednesday 1st July, 5pm
Harps a-humming. 100 young harpers in ensemble with harper Maeve Gilchrist. Wednesday 1st July, 8pm.
Réalta Ceoil - Maeve Gilchrist and Nic Gareiss in concert with Con Tempo Quartet. Thursday 2nd July, 1pm
The Drogheda Tholsel Sessions Rising Harp Stars, Harper Luke Webb and Fionn Ó hAlmhain, Pipes. Thursday 2nd July, 8pm Cruitirí na Féile
Harpers Máire Ní Chathasaigh, Kathleen Loughnane, Gráinne Hambly, Áine Ní Dhubhghaill, Anne-Marie O’Farrell, Cormac de Barra, Deirdre Granville with singer, Seosaimhín Ní Bheaglaoich and Éamon de Barra, flute.
www.cairdenacruite.com/festival