Weekend of chamber music at Townley Hall
As the summer festival season gets underway, the Boyne Music Festival (BMF) in Drogheda prepares to open its doors for a fourth year. Founded in 2012 by sisters Aisling and Julie-Anne Manning of Ravensdale and their cousin, Deirdre Brenner, all professional musicians, with a desire to bring world-class chamber music, poetry and song to County Louth, the BMF has quickly gained recognition both at home and abroad as a premier cultural event in Ireland.
Much of the success of this young festival is thanks to the beauty of its setting. The BMF makes its home each year in Townley Hall, a breathtaking country manor built in 1799 by Francis Johnston for the Townley Balfour family. Its inspiring interior provides an intimate festival experience and tours of the extraordinary house are offered throughout the weekend.
This year’s programme includes three evenings of concerts featuring vocal and chamber works by Brahms, Dvorak, Debussy, Shostakovich, Respighi and Piazolla, among others. The BMF welcomes the return of violinist Rita Manning, bassist Chris Laurence, violist Adam Newman, as well as the Manning Trio, and also looks forward to performances by festival newcomers, soprano Sophie Junker, mezzo-soprano Norah King, flautist Fiona Kelly and harpist Jean Kelly.
The evening concert on August 6th will incorporate world music, bringing a refreshing new element to the BMF. The programme, Folk Inspirations, will begin with chamber music works inspired by various folk idioms. This will be followed by music based on Syrian and Kurdish folk poetry performed by Syrian bouzouk player, Salah Ammo, and Austrian percussionist, Peter Gabis. The duo’s compositions are a fusion of oriental music, overtone singing and jazz, accompanied by engaging stories about life and culture in the Middle East.
Family programming is also a key aspect to the Boyne Music Festival and its Family Concert is a highlight of the weekend each summer. This year’s family concert programme also draws on the theme of folk music, presenting selections of music from around the world in a light-hearted and child-friendly manner. This event will be preceded by a morning Children’s Workshop which offers children ages 6 to 13 the opportunity to explore musical ideas together with BMF artists.
The BMF is committed to poetry and this summer is delighted to welcome poet Anne Marie Fyfe to read from her latest collection, A House for Me. This afternoon event will also offer music for flute and harp and will be followed by a poetry workshop, So Far from Home, in which participants can explore ideas connected to the theme of home through their own writing.
Rounding out the weekend is an additional afternoon programme featuring Boyne Music Festival Young Artists. These young musicians have been selected via a competitive application process and work intensively in masterclasses with BMF artists in preparation for this concert.
Tickets and further information regarding all events are available on the Boyne Music Festival website http://boynemusicfestival.com or by phone +353 (87) 439 6040.
EVENTS Friday 5th August, 8pm - Opening Concert Saturday 6th August, 10:30am - Tour of Townley Hall Saturday 6th August, 10:30am - Childrens' Workshop Saturday 6th August, 2pm - Family Concert Saturday 6th August, 8pm - Evening Concert: Folk Inspirations Sunday 7th August, 12pm - Tour of Townley Hall Sunday 7th August, 2pm - BMF Young Artists Concert Sunday 7th August, 4pm - Poetry Reading: Anne-Marie Fyfe Sunday 7th August, 5.15pm - Poetry Workshop: Anne-Marie Fyfe Sunday 7th August, 8pm - Closing Concert: The Night In Silence
http://boynemusicfestival.com/