Summer Lunchtime Concerts in St. Iberius Church
EACH summer Music for Wexford devotes its series of lunchtime concerts to young musicians. The first concert on Wednesday 6th July at 1.05pm in St. Iberius Church will feature nine young musicians and singers.
The Quaids are a musical family from Clonegal, Co Wexford. The four eldest formed a quartet in 2002 and the younger four have joined in on special events.
On this occasion we have Aisling (21) on 1st violin from the “senior quartet” joining Eirinn (16) on cello, Enya (13) 2nd violin and the youngest member Liadhain (11) on viola.
The “juniors” commenced playing events one year ago, and have enjoyed performing in the Royal College of Surgeons, Royal Irish Academy of Music and Trinity College. They were privileged to be involved in masterclasses with the Contempo Quartet early this year. They enjoy playing pop, musicals and classical music. They will play works by Puccini, Mozart and Lennon and McCartney.
Young pianists, Katie and Grace Mercer will play solo works and duets by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. Katie, aged 13, has been playing piano since the age of 5. She is currently preparing for Grade 7. She also plays violin and is a member of both the Dublin Youth Orchestra and County Wexford Youth Orchestra. Grace, aged 11, is preparing for Grade 6 piano and also plays oboe. She is a member of Dublin Youth Orchestra and plays with the Wexford School of Music Wind Quintet. Katie and Grace study piano with Katherine Miller.
The young singers, Sarah Brady soprano and Andrew Gavin, tenor will be accompanied by pianist Éadaoin Copeland. Though she is just finishing her vocal studies degree in the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Sarah has already sung in opera and on the concert stage. She has also won numerous awards for her singing in the Feis Ceoil and in the RIAM. In September she plans to begin study for her Master’s degree in Music Performance.
Andrew Gavin has just completed his Master’s degree in the RIAM. He too has sung in opera and oratorio. Earlier this year he made his debut in the Wigmore Hall, London when he participated in “Irish Culture in Britain: a centenary presentation”. Last month he was a soloist in the performance by the New Ross Singers and Musici Ireland of Gounod’s St Cecilia Mass. He will be returning to Wexford in the autumn to sing in the chorus of Herculanum and Vanessa and in one of the short works.
Éadaoin Copeland studies piano with Réamonn Keary and Dearbhla Brosnan in the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She performs regularly as an accompanist and is a member of the Cavanagh- Copeland Oboe and Piano Duo. Éadaoin recently performed in Dublin, London and New York in ‘Drums and Guns’, a song project featuring students from the RIAM, Guildhall School and the Julliard School. She is a multiple prize-winner in festivals including the RIAM Piano Festival and Feis Ceoil. In September, Éadaoin will begin a Masters in Instrumental Répétiteurship in the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
Tickets are available at the door.