Midlands Youth Orchestra to take part in Festival of Youth Orchestras

The Midlands Youth Orchestra has been very busy over the past couple of weeks preparing for their performance at the 26th edition Festival of Youth Orchestras next Saturday February19th. T

he concert, which will feature four other youth orchestras, will take place in the National Concert Hall, Dublin. The concert is presented by the Irish Association of Youth Orchestra which was established in 1994.To prepare for this, with the generous support of Offaly County Council’s Arts Office, the orchestra commissioned the prolific harpist and composer Michael Rooney to write a dedicated arrangement of a suite – “An Bealach Ar Ais” which will be part of the repertoire to be performed on Saturday. The three pieces - Aonrú, Sult, and Dóchas - are Michael Rooney’s own compositions, and represent a seamless fusion of classical and traditional music. Not only did Michael arrange the pieces for the orchestra, but he also facilitated a day-long workshop on Sunday October 24th.

Michael Rooney has composed many pieces which combine traditional Irish music with classical music. He is widely regarded as one of the foremost players of the traditional Irish harp. He was awarded the TG4 Composer of the year in 2017. One of his compositions the "Macalla Suite" composed for the 1916 centenary was performed in London by the Macalla Orchestra - some past members of Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra were members of that orchestra. Other notable compositions by Michael Rooney include the Famine Suite (2019) and the Battle of the Books Suite (2007). His music also features on the ‘The Queen’s Speech,’ RTE’s documentary of Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Ireland.

The Midlands Youth Orchestra was founded by Vincent Hunt in 2006 after a collaborative project involving different orchestras from around the midlands.

It is now a well-established and successful group of over forty young musicians, aged between 12 and 22 who come primarily from Co. Offaly with a small number from adjoining counties.

With the easing of covid restrictions the orchestra if getting back to rehearsing one day per month, augmented by additional workshops where new music pieces are planned and introduced. The orchestra plays music of a range of styles from classic to modern pop and traditional Irish. With the now easing of covid restrictions, there a number of performances are in the pipeline to showcase the rich and high standard attained under our current Musical Director, Matt Rafter.

Matt Rafter is a cellist, conductor, and event producer based in Dublin. As a freelance musician he is in regular demand for performing, recording and touring projects, which he balances against his passion for music education at all levels. He is currently Musical Director of the Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra, and cellist of both the Vltava and Belenus String Quartets. He also serves as Concerts Manager for Crash Ensemble, Ireland’s foremost contemporary music group. Matt completed his undergraduate degree in Music at Trinity College, Dublin in 2013, where he played an active role in the musical life of the college, including conducting the Trinity Orchestra at major Irish festivals and internationally. From 2013-14 Matt toured internationally as cellist with Irish sensation Hozier, as well as performing variously with Kodaline, The Riptide Movement, Heathers and many more. From 2015-18 he was a Musician Educator on the strings programme with Music Generation South Dublin and proceeded to establish orchestra projects in several schools as the programmes matured. Matt was a member of the Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra as a teenager, he returned to become Musical Director in 2015 – 18, enjoying performances in the National Concert Hall and in Madrid in 2017. After two years living in Montreal, Matt returned to Ireland and was delighted to return to his role with the Irish Midlands Youth Orchestra in 2020. Matt is adventurous, innovative and ambitious for the orchestra and is looking forward to the forthcoming Festival of Youth Orchestras. Matt is delighted that the orchestra will be able to feature the music of the distinguished composer Michael Rooney.

For information on becoming a member send email to: irishmidlandsyo@gmail.com