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Music Weekend
October Music Weekend at
Ballyfin Demesne
October 7th to 9th
Ever since the days of the blind harpist in the Great Hall of
a medieval castle, music has been inextricably associated
with the Great Houses of Ireland. In celebration of this long
and happy connection, in October 2011 Ballyfin is holding a
magical weekend in which great music can be appreciated
in some of the most beautiful interiors in Ireland. Ballyfin
was built in the 1820s for Sir Charles Coote to designs by
Richard and William Vitruvius Morrison who were renowned
for their nuanced use of architectural form with modulated
space following space in rhythmic succession. The classical
harmony of the building, reflected in aural tricks played
by the Morrisons and musical motifs in the plasterwork,
combine to make Ballyfin the perfect venue to understand
Goethe’s description of architecture as ‘frozen music’.
Friday
Arrive in time for lunch followed by time to relax and
settle in.
Meet in the Saloon for pre-dinner drinks and the start
of your weekend’s entertainment with music from Anna
playing the piano
Dinner in the State Dining Room followed by a relaxing
evening recital with piano and strings in the Saloon.
Saturday
After breakfast meet for a guided tour of Ballyfin’s
wonderful demesne and gardens led by Jim Reynolds.
Lunch in the Van der Hagen Room
Afternoon string quartet recital in the Rotunda with a
programme featuring classical and romantic pieces from
such composers as Mozart, Schubert, Johann Strauss Jr
and Elgar.
Meet in the Library for pre-dinner drinks with canapés.
Dinner in the State Dining Room followed by a
performance in the Saloon featuring the wonderful talents
of tenor Brian Gilligan and soprano Anna Brady singing
favorites from both musicals and opera.
Sunday
Time to take a last tour of Ballyfin – walk by the lake, visit
the Tower and Walled Garden – or just enjoy a leisurely
breakfast with the Sunday papers by the fire.
Included:
2 nights’ accommodation with full breakfast
Lunch and dinner with selected fine wines
Tea and coffee breaks with homemade cakes and cookies
Pre-dinner drinks with canapés
Guided tour of Ballyfin
All musical performances
Use of all Ballyfin facilities including the swimming pool,
fitness center, bikes and golf carts to explore the 600
acre demesne with it’s lake, tower, grottoes and extensive
gardens.
VAT & gratuity
€915 per person sharing a deluxe double
€1,200 single occupancy
(limited number of rooms available)
Room upgrade – €150 per room per night State Room,
€400 Suite
The Performers
Anna Callanan: Pianist
Anna has a first class honours diploma in Music from the
Royal Irish Academy. She has won many awards including
gold for pianoforte recital and a Bursary award from
Kilkenny Music Festival.
quartet. She has travelled extensively in Scotland, Japan,
Switzerland, and most recently China with the RIAM. In
Summer 2010, she was invited to play with an NYOI group
for President McAleese in Aras an Uachtarain. Jane plays
on a Michael de Hoog violin.
Colm Ó Braoin: Violin
Colm is currently studying for an MA in performance on
the violin in the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Michael
d’Arcy where he leads both the symphony and chamber
orchestras. He has toured in America, China, Japan and
Korea. He also led the newly formed Phoenix Orchestra
last year in its debut performance. He participated in
ensembles winning the Hazel de Courcy Cup String Quartet
prize in 2008 and the Senior Chamber Ensemble prize in
the Feis Ceoil 2011. He has participated in masterclasses
with Yossi Zivoni, Harry Cawood and Pekka Kussisto.
Recently Colm performed Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto
No.1 with Trinity Orchestra in Dublin and Berlin.
Norah O’Leary: Cello
Norah began studying the cello at the age of four under
Olwen Lewis and Heather Boxwell in the Wexford School
of Music. At the age of eleven, she was accepted with full
scholarship to study both the cello and clarinet in the Royal
Irish Academy of Music, where she is currently in her final
year of a BA in Performance, studying under internationally
acclaimed cellist William Butt. In 2006 Norah received
a Diploma in Music Teaching and Performance from
the Royal Irish Academy of Music and this year will be
performing the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 in
the National Concert Hall, with the RIAM Symphony
Orchestra. Norah is a former principal of the National Youth
Orchestra of Ireland, The Hibernian Orchestra and South
East Regional Youth Orchestra, and a former member of
the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, RIAM
Chamber Orchestra and Wexford Sinfonia.
Jane Hackett: Violin
Jane began studying violin at eight years of age and is
now in the second year at the Royal Irish Academy. She
has studied under renowned soloist Geraldine O’ Grady,
leader of the RTE Symphony Orchestra Alan Smale, and
is currently studying under Maeve Broderick. Jane has
been an invited soloist on many occasions, including the
Carthage International Music Festival in Tunis. Jane is a
member of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, the
RIAM Symphony and Chamber orchestras and the RIAM
Stefan French: Viola
Dublin-based film composer, songwriter and freelance
musician, Stefan has completed the ‘Composition for
Film/TV’ course at Berklee College of Music in Boston
and is currently in his final year studying for a BMus in
Composition at the DIT Conservatory of Music in Dublin,
Ireland. Stefan’s primary instrument is the viola and he
studies with David O’Doherty at the DIT Conservatory.
He is a member of The Hibernian Orchestra (acting stage
and rehearsals manager for 2010/11), the DIT Symphony
Orchestra, The Phoenix Orchestra and, in late 2010, Stefan
was principal viola in the X-NYOI 40th Anniversary gala
concert at The National Concert Hall. He has performed
an extensive amount of orchestral repertoire and has
toured worldwide to Italy, France, Scotland, England,
America and China. Stefan regularly performs with smaller
ensembles and groups; the most vibrant of these being
in collaboration with the Irish Camerata, directed by
Barry Douglas and conducted by world famous composer
Krzysztof Penderecki.
Anna Brady: Soprano
Anna is studying for a BA in Performance with Suzanne
Murphy and Marek Ruszczynski at the Royal Irish Academy
of Music, Dublin. She is a multiple prizewinner, and awards
include the Plunket Greene Cup, the Nancy Calthorpe Cup,
the German Government Cup, the Veronica Dunne Cup
and the Soprano Cup. Anna was Specially Commended in
the Mozart International Singing Competition in 2009 and
was a prizewinner in the Thomas Moore Competition in
2009. Performances include Annina in Verdi’s La Traviata;
Edith in The Pirates of Penzance in September 2010 and
YumYum in the Mikado in November 2010 in the National
Concert Hall. She performed the part of La Ciesca in the
RIAM’s production of Gianni Schicchi in January 2011.
Anna sang at the premiere of ‘Kammerpop’ by Fiachra
White in January 2011. She has performed the role of Ida
in Die Fledermaus with Loughcrew Garden Opera in June
2011 and Lieschen in The Coffee Cantata by Bach with OTC
in July 2011. Upcoming roles include Semele in the RIAM’s
production of Semele in January 2012.
Brian Gilligan: Tenor
Studying at The Royal Irish Academy of Music under
vocal teacher Mary Brennan, Brian has a wonderful
singing and performance experience – some of the
highlights of which include: Guiseppe-La Traviata (Lyric
Opera Productions 2010), Registrar-Madame Butterfly
(Lyric Opera Productions 2010, Nanki Poo-The Mikado
(Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society 2010, GherardoGianni Schicchi (Royal Irish Academy of Music 2011),
Camille De Rosillon-The Merry Widow (National Concert
Hall 2011, Jorgen Tesman-Hedda Gabler (St. Patrick’s
College) and Midsummer Nights Dream (Abbey School of
Music and Drama). He has been nominated for, and won,
many awards.
Ballyfin Demesne, Ballyfin, County Laois, Ireland
tel: +353 (0)5787 55866 fax: +353 (0)5787 55883
[email protected] www.ballyfin.com