East Cork Early Music Festival (10-13 Oct 2013)
We Need Your Help!
The festival, now in it's 11th year has brought exceptional Early Music performers to Cork for over a decade, while providing opportunities for local players in the form of ‘rising star’ concerts, school workshops and masterclasses. East Cork Early Music has consistently presented some of the most memorable concerts in the Irish concert diary.
This year’s festival, however, aims to raise the profile and standard of ‘historically informed performance’ in Ireland in a major way. ECEMF 2013 aspires to be a truly inspiring event, involving a record number of Irish-born and Irish-based musicians and providing a platform not just for listening, learning and performance but also for collaboration and interaction.
So, what are we offering in 2013? Our overseas visitors are the renowned recorder virtuoso Vicente Parrilla and his young dynamic More Hispano, one of the most exciting groups to emerge from Spain. More Hispano’s lutenist Miguel will then collaborate with Aoife Nic Athlaoich, principle cellist with the European Chamber Orchestra, for a lunchtime concert, followed by local heroes Cork Chamber Choir getting together for the first time with a full viol consort – The Dublin Viols. Most importantly, 2013’s festival sees the establishment of a brand new orchestra: the CBO (Cork Baroque Orchestra)! For some time now there has been a growing interest amongst Irish-based players in performing 17th and 18th c. repertoire in a professional, historically inspired set-up. This Cork Baroque Orchestra will invite an outstanding guest leader for all its projects, and bring some experienced Irish ex-pats home to inspire and educate new generations of players.
This year’s guest director is Jörn Boysen, a world-class harpsichordist and conductor based in The Hague. We’re very excited also to have one of Ireland’s finest violin soloists Ioana Petcu-Colan not just to lead the orchestra, but also to give a duo recital with Jörn. Both of these remarkable young musicians are exactly what characterises the best period performers these days – intelligent, open-minded musicians who have their finger on the pulse.
Add workshops, open rehearsals, a Festival Club! We’re especially excited about the Club: we’re hosting an Irish trad session with 16th and 17th century tunes, and a night of authentically performed 1920s jazz, a chance for genres, musicians and audience to mix and exchange. Finally, to top it all off, we’re organising an Early Music Flash Mob on the streets of Cork and Midleton, featuring students from Cork’s CIT School of Music, UCC and the County Cork VEC.
East Cork Early Music is a small organisation trying to make big things happen: we need your help to raise €3000 to bring it all together. Your money will go towards the performer’s fees, publicity, overheads and . . . that’s it really. No big admin machinery here, just a gang of volunteers passionate about the importance of good music played well.
ECEMF gratefully acknowledges the support of the Arts Council and Cork County Council.