GALWAY EARLY MUSIC

F ESTIVAL 24-26 MAY

2019

A
SONG
AND A
DANCE
r

Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque music & dance

in the heart of medieval Galway

www.galwayearlymusic.com
 Galway Early Music would like to thank its
sponsors and friends, without whose support the
Festival would not happen.

FUNDED BY

MEDIA SPONSORS

PRINT PARTNERS

PARTNERSHIPS

PATRONS AND FRIENDS

Kimberly Lo Prete
Maura Walsh

Galway Early Music is a member of

REMA - The European Early Music Network

www.galwayearlymusic.com Galway Early Music @gwy_earlymusic

 Welcome to
A Song and a Dance!

This year’s festival is sure to get your toes tapping! Our exciting
programme is full of dance music to listen to, but there will also be
chances to learn medieval and Renaissance dances from
bransles to Playford dances. And when you need a break
from the bransles and jigs, relax and listen to beautiful
vocal music.

We welcome our old friends, The York Waits, back

to Galway. They will delight you with their lively
music in concert and around the town.

We are thrilled to be partnering with Music

for Galway to welcome back Sharon Carty
with her beautiful programme Suitcase Arias.

There is a great treat in store at our

afternoon concerts with French ensemble
Obsidienne & Compagnie and Yonit
Kosovske’s ¡Fandango! ensemble.

And, of course, we have many free exhibitions,

dance workshops, and an early Irish harp
Discovery Day as well. This year we share some of
our free events with a new heritage event, The
Medieval Experience, organised by the Civic Trust and
funded by Galway 2020 as part of the Small Towns, Big
Ideas programme.
ENJOY THE FESTIVAL!

“Great atmosphere, great music & lovely setting.”

“Galway has a tremendous buzz and the festival has terrific organisation
Planned our Ireland trip so we could attend.”
“A small festival (that) manages to assemble a program of remarkably high
international quality, and to generate a very friendly atmosphere with a lot of fun
activities. It is definitely a festival to recommend.
CONCERT

¡Fandango!
FRIDAY 24 MAY Yonit Kosovske (harpsichord), Wolodymyr Smishkewych
1:00 pm (voice & percussion), Yovanna Torres Blanco (dance),
Redmond O’Toole (guitar)

Mick Lally Theatre Rhythmic, flamboyant, and bursting with passion,

Druid Lane ¡Fandango! is an exciting and energetic concert
programme that celebrates Spanish & Iberian instrumental
Tickets:
music, song, and dance.
€15 / €10 / €6
Presenting Baroque composers from Spain and Portugal -
Soler, Seixas, and Durón - as well as traditional song and
dance from Mexico, ¡Fandango! engages the audience in
powerful rhythms and elaborate virtuosity. Rooted in
ancient traditions of Flamenco, Fandango, and Xácara,
this programme takes imaginative flight through creative
collaboration and inspiring improvisation.
 CONCERT

In association with Music for Galway

Suitcase Arias
Sharon Carty, mezzo-soprano FRIDAY 24 MAY
Claire Duff, leader, Marja Gaynor, violin 8:00 pm
Lisa Dowdall, Viola, Margaret Dorris, 'Cello
David Adams, Harpsichord
St Nicholas’
Arias by Riccardo Broschi (brother of Farinelli),
Collegiate Church
Bertoni, Giacomelli as well as Handel
Tickets:
“Suitcase arias” or “Arie di Baule” were given this name €20 / €18 /
because famous singers throughout the 17th and 18th MfG €16 / €6
centuries brought them with them on their travels, and
these arias were regularly “inserted” into operas by other
composers as party pieces or into pasticcios with the work
of several composers. This allowed singers to show off
their talents with their favourite pieces, which were familiar
to their ‘fan club’.

Experience a glorious evening of virtuosic song by

outstanding mezzo-soprano Sharon Carty.
CONCERT

Chansons à danser
SATURDAY 25 MAY Obsidienne et Compagnie
4:00 pm Emmanuel Bonnardot (director, voice, vielle), Hélène
Moreau (voice, psalterion), Florence Jacquemart
(recorders, woodwind), Bernadette Jacquet (dance),
Mick Lally Theatre Stéphane Quéant (dance)
Druid Lane
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, dancing
Tickets: featured in all the various celebrations and gatherings
€15 / €10 / €6
which took place throughout the year. In this concert
you’ll experience both the songs and the dances, from the
virelais composed by Guillaume de Machaut (the great
14th-century poet and musician) to the world of the
Bayeux Manuscript, the most popular manuscript from the
early Renaissance.

Obsidienne sings back to life all the joy of this enchanting

repertoire.
 CONCERT

A Renaissance Revel
Songs and Dance Music from Sixteenth-Century Europe
SATURDAY 25 MAY
The York Waits with Deborah Catterall, singer 8:00 pm

Drawing on sources from England, Ireland, the Low

Countries, France and Italy, the programme explores the
St Nicholas’
many styles of courtly and more rustic dance music that Collegiate Church
could be heard at all social gatherings. Pavans, Almandes,
Galliards, Basse Dances and Branles will be performed on Tickets:
the stirring combination of shawms, sackbuts and curtals, €18 / €14 / €6
with the enchanting great consort of recorders providing a
delicate contrast in tone. Bagpipes and hurdy gurdy reflect
the love of drone instruments during this age, with fiddle,
guitar, and pipe and tabor enlivening the music. The songs
reflect the themes of love, drink and merriment,
culminating in a celebration of Will Kemp, erstwhile fool at
Shakespeare’s theatre, who performed a Morris dance
from London to Norwich.
CONCERT

The Dancing Master

SUNDAY 26 MAY The Gregory Walkers & Kelsey Schuhle
5:00 pm with Athenry Music School, GEM Adult Ensemble

In earlier times music was accepted to generally have two

Meyrick Hotel uses – to be sung or danced to. Italian musicians were
Ballroom often considered decadent when, in the 16th and 17th
Eyre Square centuries, they conceived of new musical forms to serve as
vehicles purely for beautiful sounds.
Tickets:
€7 / children free
The Gregory Walkers have always relished dance music
and in this concert they will join forces with dancer Kelsey
Schuhle, as well as the Athenry School of Music and the
Galway Early Music Ensemble, to perform music from
some of the earliest sources of dance music – Playford’s
The Dancing Master, Thoinot Arbeau’s Orchesographie and
Bunting’s Collection of Ancient Irish Music.
 CONCERT

Dancing at the Crossroads

Kelsey Schuhle – dance SUNDAY 26 MAY
The Gregory Walkers: Laoise O’Brien – Recorder, 9:00 pm
Malachy Robinson – Viol, Eamon Sweeney – Early
Guitars/Lute
Mick Lally Theatre
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries Ireland adopted Druid Lane
some of the aspects of a cultural crossroads as foreign
Tickets:
soldiers passed through Ireland, Irish soldiers returned
€15 / €10 / €6
from abroad, Continental musicians were attracted to
Dublin’s growing metropolis, and Irish music was
published and adapted for Baroque tastes.

In this concert the Gregory Walkers join forces with Irish

dancer, Kelsey Schuhle, for a meeting of Baroque and
Traditional music and dance from Ireland, England, France
and Spain: Hornpipes, Chaconnes, Folías and more.
ASSOCIATE CONCERT

St Nicholas Schola Cantorum

COFFEE CONCERT

Venite, Venite!
SATURDAY 25 MAY Victoria Fraser (soprano) Rosemary Heredos (soprano),
11:00 am Dr Yonit Kosovske (harpsichord)

Come! Take a journey through time with exquisite songs

from the 12th to the 17th century. In the beautiful setting
St Nicholas’
Collegiate Church of St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, come and enjoy
medieval chant by Hildegard of Bingen along with songs
Tickets: from composers such as Buxtehude, Strozzi, and
€10 at the door Monteverdi, including the latter’s gorgeous duet Venite,
Venite. In affiliation with the Irish World Academy of Music
and Dance, University of Limerick, the musicians on this
programme include sopranos Victoria Fraser and
Rosemary Heredos from the MA Ritual Chant and Song,
and harpsichordist Dr Yonit Kosovske, Course Director of
the MA Classical Strings Performance-Keyboard.

Relax with a cuppa and cake while you listen to music in

the medieval acoustic of St Nicholas Collegiate Church.
Funds in aid of St Nicholas Schola Cantorum.
 MUSIC ON THE STREETS

Music on the Streets

There will be music wherever you turn in the Latin Quarter SATURDAY 25 MAY
on Saturday, May 25! Shawms, pipes, recorders, harp, lute, 11:00 am-3:00 pm
and brass! The music starts at the Galway Medieval
Experience in the Hall of the Red Earl, Druid Lane, and
winds its way through the streets of the Latin Quarter. Throughout the
Latin Quarter
Musicians include The York Waits, Michelle O'Connor
(vielle, rebec), Jacopo Bisagni (pipes), Sylvia Crawford (fid- In conjunction with
Galway Medieval
dle) and Brenda Malloy (harp). Experience, May 25

The Latin Quarter is in the centre of Galway’s medieval

town. Take a walk around the area and find the marriage
stones, curious carved animals and medieval windows.
Many businesses have conserved medieval stonework. And
enjoy the music!
WORKSHOP

Bransles and Farandoles

A Medieval & Renaissance Dance Workshop

SATURDAY 25 MAY Lise Carrel, facilitator

12:00 pm Jacopo Bisagni, pipes & flutes

In this workshop we will be looking at the sources for

Mick Lally Theatre, medieval and Renaissance dance directly to decide how
upstairs we will dance them. We will look at manuscript images,
Druid Lane
Renaissance dance treatises and modern traditional dances
FREE EVENT that have direct links to medieval dances.
In conjunction with
Galway Medieval Based on this information, Lise will teach medieval forms
Experience, May 25 of dance such as the round dance (the carole) and the
open-chain dance (the tresca). Moving into the
Renaissance, Lise will teach some bransles, based on
descriptions and music published by Thoinot Arbeau, and
the formal processional dance, the pavane.

Jacopo will accompany the dances on bagpipes and flutes.

However, since the dancer’s voice was often the only
instrument available in the Middle Ages, we will
occasionally try and sing to our own dancing!
 WORKSHOP

Playford Country Dance

Felicity Maxwell, facilitator SUNDAY 26 MAY

The York Waits, music 2:00 pm

In 1651, John Playford published a book entitled The

English Dancing Master, which gave both the music and the Mick Lally Theatre
figures of popular dances of the period. The book proved upstairs
Druid Lane
so successful that he and his successors published new edi-
tions with additional dances until c1728. Tickets:
Playford’s book includes dances from England, Scotland €5 at the door
and Ireland and Felicity will be teaching at least one from
each area. These popular dances are the ancestors of our
modern céilí dances, and this workshop will give you a
chance to set, turn, and arm with gay abandon!

The York Waits provide the best of dance music,

guaranteed to get your feet moving!

Open to all. No previous experience necessary.

TALK/RECITAL/WORKSHOP

Early Irish Harp Discovery Day

SUNDAY 26 MAY Have you always wanted to play the harp? Would you like
to know more about the history and traditions of Ireland’s
11:00 am: Talk iconic, ancient instrument? The Historical Harp Society of
Ireland takes you on an exciting voyage of discovery!
12:00 pm: Recital LEARN (11:00 am)
An illustrated talk on the fascinating history of the old Irish
1:00 pm: Workshop harp, given by a world expert in the field, Simon
Chadwick. Free Event
Mick Lally Theatre
Druid Lane LISTEN (12:00 pm)
Recital of solo harp music and harpers’ songs with Siobhán
Armstrong, harp, and Eibhlís Ní Ríordáin, song.
€15 / €10 / €6

PLAY (1:00 pm)

And then it’s time to hand out the harps! This workshop is
a beginners’ workshop under the gentle guidance of Sylvia
Crawford. The HHSI has a unique collection of early Irish
harps copied from originals in the National Museum of
Ireland. These will be given to the small number of lucky
participants who sign up in advance to take part in the
hands-on workshop. There are only 8 places in the harp
workshop, so book early! €15 / €10
 EXHIBITION/DEMONSTRATION

Instrument Makers Exhibition

We are proud to promote instrument makers in Ireland SATURDAY 25 MAY
who specialise in early instruments such as lute, flute, harp 11:00 am -3:00 pm
and symphonium. Come along and see beautiful hand-
made instruments, talk to the makers, and hear what the
instruments sound like.

CALLURA HARPS: Metal-strung historical harps hand- Galway City Museum

made in Ireland by Irish harper, Paul Dooley Spanish Arch

ÉRIÚ HARPS: Historical harp maker Natalie Surina, based FREE EVENT
in Oughterard, Co Galway In conjunction with
Galway Medieval
LYONS VIOLINS: Dominic Lyons makes and repairs Experience, May 25
violins, violas and cellos. He is based in east Clare and
makes his intstruments in the traditional Cremonese style
using 14th century techniques.

PAUL DOYLE INSTRUMENTS: Galway Luthier specialising in

guitars, mandolin, bouzouki and other historical members
of this family.

VLAD SMISHKEWYCH: Limerick based international

singer and Lyric FM radio presenter, Vlad also makes
hurdy-gurdys and Symphoniums.
EXHIBITION/TALK

Music and Image

Medieval Ireland circa 700 AD

SATURDAY 25 MAY Surviving musical instruments from the Early Medieval

period are rare in Europe. Most of the evidence for musical
11:00 am-2:00 pm: instruments is found as images in early bibles or on stone
Exhibition carvings. However, Ireland is fortunate to proudly hold two
2:00 pm: Talk very impressive musical instruments on the archaeological
record dating to c. 700 AD. In this exhibition and talk,
Mechanics Institute Ancient Music Ireland presents reproductions of these
Middle St instruments, including a beating reed wind instrument
made of yew called the ‘Bekan’ horn from Co. Mayo, and
FREE EVENT
In conjunction with
a pair of lip reed ‘Psalter horns’ from the River Erne, Co.
Galway Medieval Fermanagh, also made of yew wood. Both instrument
Experience, May 25 types are adorned with spirals and bands of shining
bronze. This glimpse into Early Medieval Ireland will show
the complexity of how these wood wind instruments were
made and how they were played. Using imagery from the
‘David Scene’ in the 8th-century Vespasian Psalter and
related instruments from the earlier Iron Age found in
Ireland, an intriguing window is opened into the otherwise
largely unknown domain of music at this time in these
islands.
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 DAY BY DAY

FRIDAY 24 MAY SATURDAY 25 MAY

1:00 pm ¡FANDANGO! 11:00 am VENITE, VENITE
Yonit Kosovske, Vlad Smishkewych, St Nicholas Coffee Concert
€15/ €10/€6 Redmond O’Toole, Yovanna Torres €10 at door St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church
Blanco
Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Lane
11:00 am - MUSIC IN THE STREETS*
3 pm
8:00 pm SUITCASE ARIAS The Latin Quarter
Free Event
Sharon Carty, Baroque ensemble led
€20/ €18/ by Claire Duff
MfG €16 / €6 St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church 11:00 am - MUSIC & IMAGE EXHIBITION*
2 pm Ancient Music Ireland
Free Event Mechanics Institute, Middle St.
FESTIVAL TICKET: €75 / €55
Enjoy the full festival experience and 11:00 am - MUSIC INSTRUMENT MAKERS
3 pm EXHIBITION*
immerse yourself in a weekend of glorious
Free Event Galway City Museum
music! The Festival Ticket covers entry to
all ticketed concerts*.
12:00 pm BRANSLES AND FARANDOLES
*This ticket does not cover ticketed workshops DANCE WORKSHOP*
or the Coffee Morning. Free Event Lise Carrel and Jacopo Bisagni
Mick Lally Theatre, upstairs

*Events with asterisks are taking place in 2:00 pm MUSIC & IMAGE TALK*
conjunction with Galway Civic Trust as part Ancient Music Ireland
of their Galway Medieval Experience Day Free Event Mechanics Institute, Middle St.
on May 25th. This event is funded by
Galway 2020 as part of the Small Towns
4:00 pm CHANSONS À DANSER
Big Ideas programme.
Obsidienne & Compagnie
For further details on Galway Civic Trust’s €15/€10/€6 Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Lane
Medieval Experience Day visit
www.galwaycivictrust.ie or call 8:00 pm A RENAISSANCE REVEL
091-564946. The York Waits & Deborah Catterall
€18/€14/€6 St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church
PROGRAMME

SUNDAY 26 MAY
TICKET BOOKING
11:00 am EARLY IRISH HARP DISCOVERY
DAY - TALK
ONLINE
Free Event Simon Chadwick
Mick Lally Theatre www.galwayearlymusic.com/festival

12:00 pm PHONE
EARLY IRISH HARP DISCOVERY
DAY - RECITAL Mick Lally Theatre: +353 (0)91 568 660
Siobhán Armstrong & Eibhlís Ní Monday-Friday 10am - 5pm. (Visa,
€15/€10/€6 Ríordáin MasterCard and Visa Debit are accepted)
Mick Lally Theatre

AT THE DOOR
1:00 pm EARLY IRISH HARP DISCOVERY Tickets are available at the door of
DAY - WORKSHOP concerts. If our technology doesn't fail
Free Event Sylvia Crawford
Mick Lally Theatre us, Visa, MasterCard and Visa Debit can
be used.  However cash is faster and
doesn't depend on internet availability!
2:00 pm PLAYFORD COUNTRY DANCE
WORKSHOP
€5 Felicity Maxwell & The York Waits CONCESSIONS
Mick Lally Theatre, upstairs There is a special price of €6 for full-time
students for Friday, Saturday and the
9pm Sunday concerts.  Concessions
5:00 pm THE DANCING MASTER
Local Groups Concert apply to senior citizens (65+) and the
€7 / children Meyrick Hotel Ballroom, Eyre Square unwaged.
free
GALWAY EARLY MUSIC CONTACTS
9:00 pm DANCING AT THE CROSSROADS
info@galwayearlymusic.com
The Gregory Walkers and Kelsey
€15/€10/€6 Schuhle +353 (0)83 461 9039
Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Lane
 ABOUT GALWAY EARLY MUSIC

Galway Early Music was founded when a group of Galway musicians travelled to the Lismore
Early Music Festival in 1994. It was there that the idea was born: why not bring this rich and
sometimes exotic music to the medieval city of Galway? Our first festival was in 1996 and has
been held annually ever since.
Past festivals have featured outstanding international musicians and ensembles such as Jordi
Savall, Andrew Lawrence-King & the Harp Consort, Red Priest, Ensemble Unicorn, Sequentia,
François Lazarevitch and Alla Francesca, plus outstanding Irish artists such as Siobhán
Armstrong, Malcolm Proud, The Gregory Walkers, Mark Duley and Resurgam Chamber Choir,
amongst many others.
The Festival is known for its lively programming and its attention to the place of Irish music
and musicians in the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque European music scene.
Galway Early Music is run by a voluntary committee and is a member of REMA, The European
Early Music Network.
www.galwayearlymusic.com / info@galwayearlymusic.com
Facebook: Galway Early Music / Twitter: @gwy_earlymusic / +353 83 461 9039

THANK YOU!
Druid and Síomha Nee, manager of The Mick Lally Theatre, for support and online ticket sales;
Michael Quinn of the Civic Trust for partnering many of our free events; all of our outstanding
performers for the wonderful programmes they bring to the festival; and all our volunteers
who cheerfully keep the show on the road!

GEMF STAFF 2019

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR: Maura Ó Cróinín
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Niamh Moloughney
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: Fintan Sweeney
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Mojo Workin’ FESTIVAL IMAGE: Ionia Ní Chróinín
GEM COMMITTEE: Maura Ó Cróinín, Jacopo Bisagni, Kimberly Lo Prete, Nicola Murphy,
Natalie Surina, Lise Carrel, Gabi Baehrens
 VENUES
1. Mick Lally Theatre

2. Hall of the Red Earl

3. St Nicholas’ Collegiate
Church

4. Mechanics Institute

5. Galway City Museum

6. Meyrick Hotel
MA RITUAL CHANT
AND SONG

Explore Gregorian chant

and ritual song repertoires
through personalised classes
with expert scholars and
international specialists.

www.irishworldacademy.ie