December 2018
Mayo Concert Orchestra booked to tour with Sean Keane
The invitation to Mayo Concert Orchestra to accompany one of Ireland’s finest singers, Sean Keane, on a concert tour, was a real privilege and exactly the type of booking the orchestra has been building towards, according to Musical Director, Kathy Fahey, who announced the news to orchestra members after they returned from the summer break in September.
Kathy stated at the time: “It’s a huge sign of the progress we have made in the last two years and a big move towards putting our names on the map.
“Sean Keane is from a big family of musicians and is one of the most amazing artists; I love his sincerity, it is no good to just listen to him, you have to see him perform. Every word he sings is full of meaning and he also has such a lovely personality, is funny and entertaining. He has the whole package and is one our own, a country artist and very unassuming, down to earth and someone who will have a cup of tea with anyone. I have worked alongside many artists and Sean Keane is by far a star.
“He recently sold out the national concert hall for one of his performances – it holds 2,000 people – so that speaks volumes. He was also invited to sing at the recent World Meeting of Families for Pope Francis’ visit at the Phoenix Park in Dublin, in front of an audience of more than 100,000 people.
“So he is big and he also has followers from every age. He is a household name, everybody knows him and he is world travelled, with regular shows in the US and Europe and all around the UK regularly.
“So it is wonderful to be invited to accompany him on his concert tour. We are really looking forward to it. A lot of the songs we will be accompanying are on Sean’s latest CD – Gratitude – with some Christmas pieces thrown in.”
Kathy added that she had complete faith that Mayo Concert Orchestra would pull off this latest challenge, even though it came directly on top of musical rehearsals for Messiah – the famous and lengthy oratorio by Handel due to be performed as part of the Christmas tradition by local choral group Vocalessence at Castlebar Church of the Holy Rosary on the last Sunday in November.
“While we must be careful not to take on too much at one time the key to managing these projects is to run a carefully timetabled practice strategy with clear progress plans, which we are already working on.
“Any orchestra that can play Vivaldi and do it within three months of rehearsals, covering elements of the four seasons and the Gloria; that can go from pop music to Vivaldi in a matter of months, is clearly capable of anything.
“On the night of the audition I knew the orchestra played really well and hearing a naked orchestra like that, without mikes or any frills, of course he was impressed.
“Mayo Concert Orchestra consists of members who travel from all over the province just to be at our weekly rehearsal. There are opportunities and challenges but at the end of the day I could definitely see us as a working orchestra in the sense that any show coming to town could call on us rather than have to bring in musicians from outside to provide backing music. “
Fahey revealed that a number of additional projects are also waiting in the pipeline for the orchestra so that, while 2018 has been a busy year, 2019 may prove even busier!