January: RTÉ 1 broadcast the of the four-part documentary Music Changes Lives, by Mind the Gap Productions, featuring the music project based in St Agnes' School, as well as St. Ultan’s Cherry Orchard on Tuesday 5th of January at 10:15 pm.
Subsequent episodes were broadcast on January 12th, 16th, 19th and February 2nd. The programme followed the stories of children who play in the orchestra, and explored the richness music has brought to the lives of those involved. There were many interviews and stories featured, culminating with the orchestra’s 2009 performance at the National Concert Hall.
Dublin Youth Orchestra - Sixteen of our senior St Agnes' Community Youth Orchestra (CYO) players performed at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, with Dublin Youth Orchestras. It was a great night! Saturday Jan 16th
Primary School Principals Conference - The St. Agnes' CYO performed at the National Primary Schools Principals Annual Conference in City West Hotel, Dublin, on 28th January. The orchestra got a fantastic reception, and Sr. Bernadette made a presentation to principals as to how to develop music in their schools. There was a very high level of interest shown by many principals.
Mention in Dáil Debate - Leinster House Dáil debate January 28th 2010 led by Catherine Byrne TD refers to orchestra project in Crumlin. Read the debate here.
February
European Council of Artists (ECA) visit St. Agnes'. An international delegation from the European Council of Artists came to visit St. Agnes’ school, to observe the violin project as an example of an arts project in practice in a school environment on February 1st. Representatives from Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Romania, Croatia, Malta and Latvia heard the orchestra play, and met afterwards with staff from the school and violin project. The ECA represents artists around Europe. It works for promotion of the arts and to influence European policies of concern to Artists.
We were very pleased to have the ECA visit, and we thank them for their warm encouraging words.
RTÉ's Morning Ireland appearance - Sr Bernadette Sweeney and Joanna Crooks were interviewed on Morning Ireland radio programme, RTÉ radio one, Tuesday 2nd February 2010. Cathal McCoille, interviewing was very enthusiastic about the violin project, while Joanna and Sr. Bernadette spoke of its positive effects and possibilities. If you missed the programme, you can listen online here.
Festival of Youth Orchestras 2010- A group of St Agnes' players attended the afternoon Festival Concert. At the evening concert Sophie Fahey and Joseph McCabe presented flowers. They received red Valentine roses - here they are on the steps of the National Concert Hall.
St Agnes' Parent Orchestra - was launched on Tuesday February 23rd. Those playing first and second violins, violas, cellos and double basses were conducted by Seamus Doyle. Everyone was amazed and delighted. The Parent Orchestra will continue to meet on Tuesday mornings. Refreshments were provided downstairs in the small hall.
Feature in the IRISH TIMES Music in the Classroom magazine Tuesday February 23rd - Kellie O'Neill, viola, was featured on page 4 of the Irish Times Music in the Classroom magazine. She did a brilliant interview, and mentioned both St Agnes CYO and Dublin Youth Orchestras.
Feis Ceoil press launch at the National Concert Hall, Dublin. St Agnes' Music Crumlin was invited to attend the Press Launch of the 2010 Feis Ceoil. Five girls from 3rd class, accompanied by Sister Bernadette and Joanna Crooks, represented St Agnes' Music Crumlin. The girls were featured in a lot of photographs and were treated to drinks and canapes in the foyer of the National Concert Hall.
March
CPSMA Annual Conference - St Agnes' CYO performed on the 5th of March at 7:30 pm in the Killarney Suite of the Radisson Airport Hotel for delegates attending the Catholic Primary School Managers' Association 2010 conference. The Orchestra played quite an extensive programme, including Haydn's St Anthony' Chorale, the Trepak from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, There Stands a Little Man from Humperdinck's ballet, "Hansel and Gretel", Flirtation by Sandra Dackow, The Day of the Dolphin by Edward Huws Jones, Mozart's Sleigh Ride with bells, and the Finale to Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld.
Córfhéile na Scoileanna - Inter-Schools Music Festival - On Saturday February 6th St Agnes' CYO (primary school children only from St Agnes and Scoil Colm) performed at the Inter-Schools Music Festival hosted annually by Wesley College. Under the baton of Seamus Doyle they earned a well-deserved 88%.
Well done to all those who performed.
Rosary College Musical Evening - On Monday 15th March St Agnes' CYO opened the Rosary College Musical Evening at 7:30pm. They were joined for Mozart's Sleigh Ride by the Rosary College Recorder Ensemble. Tuned bells and sleigh bells were played by Kirsty Nolan, Laura Rooney, Danielle Maloney and Sophie Fahey from St Agnes' CYO 2nd violins. Amy Leon and Amy Murray performed Schumann's Two Grenadiers accompanied by Triona English. The Rosary College Orchestra included Yasmine Byrne, violin, Kayleigh Greenhalgh, violin, Amy Leon, viola, Amy Murray, viola, Aishling Greenhalgh, double bass, and Claire Hyland, double bass, all members of St Agnes' CYO. The Rosary Orchestra accompanied most of the items throughout the evening.
Dublin Youth Orchestra (DYO) auditions : Alannah King, cello, Jordean O'Brien, cello, and Nerea Murphy, double bass, got places in Dublin Youth Orchestras at the March auditions. In the season ahead there will be 21 St Agnes CYO players or past players in DYO!
Feis Ceoil - St Agnes CYO made their debut appearance in the Junior Orchestra Competition at the RDS in the ESB Feis Ceoil. Under the baton of Seamus Doyle they received 1st Class Honours 85%. Here they are setting off in the bus in high spirits. Later Seamus Doyle walks onstage to conduct in the RDS Main Concert Hall.
NSO rehearsal - On Friday 19th March, Shauna McCann, violin, Orlagh Doyle, violin, Lucy Ray, violin, Alannah King, cello, Emma Lynch, cello, and Jordean O'Brien, cello, escorted by Pauline Cavanagh and Joanna Crooks, went to the morning rehearsal of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in the National Concert Hall. They sat on the edge of the balcony, looking right down onto the stage to hear violin soloist Nicola Benedetti rehearsing Tchaikovsky's violin concerto and Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture.
RTÉ News Six One and the 9pm - Wed April 21st - broadcast a report by Samantha Libreri on St Agnes' Parent Orchestra, featuring a Tuesday morning rehearsal and two family groups, Peter Elliott, his daughter-in-law Jacqueline Elliott, and her son Josh and nephew Ben, and the Jones family with Ken and Lisa Jones, Kelsie, Sara, Karl and Daniel.
Drogheda Arts Festival - St. Agnes' CYO performed as guest artists the 2010 Drogheda Arts Festival in the fabulous new Barbican theatre. The orchestra played a selection of current favourite pieces and gave the audience a chance to get the feel of learning music through audience participation numbers. The concert was shared with the choir of Our Lady's College Greenhills, Drogheda, and the Ballymun project Wind Ensemble.
May
Cello Day - Aisling Drury Byrne (NSO) visited St Agnes' Primary School on Thursday May 13th. All nine cellos in St Agnes' Primary School, Shauna, Jordean, Alannah, Emma, Michaela, Alaia, Laura, Kelsey and Rebecca, as well as two cellists from the St Agnes' Parents' Orchestra, Mick Deans and Brian O'Hare, and our three "baby" cellos, Courtney, Caitlin and Michael took part along with Eimear O'Grady, our cello teacher. It was a wonderful experience. Perhaps most of all Aisling conveyed to everyone as none else could her sheer love of her cello!
Photograph from the Irish Independent, Business Section, Tuesday May 25th 2010 taken at Business to Arts event allianz Business To Arts Awards 2010
Business2Arts
Amy Keenan O'Gorman (7), Noble Tharayil (7), Jenny Iljina (6) and Nathan Hynes (7) from St Agnes' Primary School, Crumlin, who performed with a group of children at IMMA, Royal Hospital Kilmainham at this year's Allianz Business To Arts Awards. Special guest Jean Butler presented the Dublin Airport Authority €5000 Arts Award to the project. Crumlin Credit Union was the nominated business for the Business To Arts Awards. Nathan Hynes danced for Jean Butler!
Primary School Orchestra Examination - On Friday June 11th St Agnes' Community Youth Orchestra took the Primary School Orchestra examination of the Royal Irish Academy of Music and received 92% - a Distinction. Read more
Side by Side Concert -Sunday June 13th
A fantastic concert took place on Sunday June 13th at 6:30 pm conducted by Seamus Doyle. In addition to the Side by Side Orchestra, the St Agnes' Parent Orchestra made a debut appearance, and the Junior Orchestra also performed for the first time in the end-of-year concert.
The following guest players joined St Agnes' CYO: VIOLIN Pauline Cavanagh, Mona Curran, Judith Curtis, Dara Daly, Siobhan Doyle, Claire Crehan, Helen Crooks, Anne Harte, Eileen Hudson, Siobhan Keane, Anna Keary, Rachel Lyons, Danielle McGrane, Rosney Nulty VIOLA Marie Louise Bowe, Stefan French, Nicole Hudson, Anthony Mulholland CELLO Jana Grunkova, Colm O'Brien, Eimear O'Grady, Oona Whelan DOUBLE BASS Eimear Saunders PERCUSSION Conor Cavanagh
Former pupils, Yasmine Byrne, violin, Kayleigh Greenhalgh, violin, Heather Ronan, viola, Claire Hyland, double bass, Aishling Greenhalgh, double bass joined in.
School Leavers Recital - On Wednesday June 23rd 2010 the School Leavers' and Chamber Music Recital to end the school year took place at 7 pm in the cookery room with an audience of family and friends to listen to music by Bach, Handel, Schumann, Weber, and a selection of quartets from Sheila Nelson's "Tunes for my String Quartet". Read more....
September
St Agnes' Primary School Cello Ensemble perform at the Diocesan Mass for the start of the new academic year in St Bernadette's Church, Clogher Rd, Crumlin on Thursday September 23rd at 7:30 pm. Members of the Cello Ensemble: Alannah King, Jordean O'Brien, Emma Lynch, Kelsey McCabe, Michaela Pantoja, Rebecca Ross, Alaia Murphy, Laura Darragh, Shauna Johnstone.
Members of St Agnes' CYO give a presentation at St Andrew's Junior School Parents' on Tuesday September 28th 2010 Association meeting, 7 pm.
St Agnes' Parent Orchestra perform on Sunday October 10th 2010 at the Crumlin Mental Health Association Concert, 8 pm, St Agnes' Church, Crumlin Village.
The documentary MUSIC CHANGES LIVES is re broadcast again on RTÉ1 during RTÉ's Big Music Week. The documentary was commended (Third place) in the Annual Radharc Awards for documentary films of 2010. Rebroadcast, October 12th, 14th, 19th and 20th 2010.
Morning concert at Belvedere College. On Wednesday 17th November at 11:30 am Belvedere College hosted a concert attended by six primary schools in the O'Reilly Theatre. Sharing the concert programme with St Agnes' Community Youth Orchestra (CYO) conducted by Seamus Doyle and Belvedere College Wind Band and Orchestra. Wednesday November 17th -
One in Four concert in Kimmage Manor - Friday November 26th - chamber musicians perform in Read more
St Agnes' Cello Ensemble and "Plucked String Quartet" opened the annual One in Four concert in the Church of the Blessed Spirit, Kimmage Manor, Whitehall Road, on Friday 26th November. The church was packed. Other performers included the Garda Ladies' Choir and Boys' Choir of Pius X. Members of the cello octet were: Kelsey McCabe, Rebecca Ross, Alannah King, Jordean O'Brien, Emma Lynch (unable to play on that date), Michaela Pantoja, Alaia Murphy, Laura Darragh.
They played three Christmas carols, a Polish carol, Infant Holy Infant Lowly, Silent Night and O Come all ye Faithful. Members of the Plucked String Quartet were Jassjot Pal Kaur, 1st vl, Melissa Deans, 2nd violin, Kellie O'Neill, viola, Kelsey McCabe, cello. They played a traditional folktune, Bobby Shafto, arranged for string quartet by Sheila Nelson, and the March by Handel from Judas Maccabeus.
St Agnes' Parents' Orchestra - some members of the Patent's Orchestra play Christmas Carols at Ashleaf Shopping Centre. The group played a selection of Christmas and other music, in support of the violin project. The following day Wednesday 15th December - Musicians from Rosary College Orchestra play Christmas Carols at the centre, joined by senior players from St Agnes and past pupils of St Agnes. Tuesday December 14th
RTÉ Lyric FM broadcast - Tuesday 14th December - The Polish Christmas Carol recorded by the children in St Agnes' 2nd to 6th Class Infant Holy Infant Lowly was broadcast during Lunchtime Classics with Liz Nolan on RTE Lyric fm on Tuesday 14th December. Conducted by Sister Bernadette Sweeney, this is the St Agnes' entry in Choirs for Christmas.
Visits to nursing home and school for the blind
Friday 17th December Third Class in St Agnes go to Caritas Nursing Home, Blackrock, and the School for the Blind, Merrion, to perform the Christmas Story in Words and Music, accompanied by Pauline Cavanagh.
Christmas Concert - Saturday 18th December The Christmas season all went very well despite some earlier difficulties with the snow. The Christmas Concert was a spectacular success, with great performances from the Junior orchestra, the senior school orchestra and the parents orchestra. Also performances from within the orchestra by the 'Plucked' quartet and Cello ensemble. There was a great turnout, with VIPs including local politicians, family members young and old and other fans! See below for other Christmas events. Well done to all who took part and helped make all our Christmas events possible. Thanks to all those who shared photos with us on our Facebook page!