RTÉ CONCERT ORCHESTRA with CARA O’SULLIVAN JOY TO THE WORLD
Saturday 5 December, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dundalk, Co. Louth, 8pm
Joy to the World, a musical celebration full of classical and popular Christmas favourites, will take place on Friday 4 December in St Conleth’s Church, Newbridge and Saturday 5 December in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dundalk. Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, under its Principal Conductor David Brophy, with internationally acclaimed soprano Cara O’Sullivan and Irish chamber choir New Dublin Voices, the concerts will include much-loved songs Winter Wonderland and White Christmas, excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and much more. Tickets are €20 (concession €18) and are available to book from Newbridge Parish Centre, 045 431 121 (Friday 4 December) and An Táin Theatre, Dundalk, 042 939 2919 (Saturday 5 December).
Cara O’Sullivan, a native of Cork, is one of Ireland’s premier sopranos. Hugely popular with audiences, she is an instinctive performer with a remarkably full voice, exciting and dramatic, yet always performs with great sensitivity. Cara’s powerful stage presence compels audiences to watch and listen as her wondrous voice captivates. In Joy to the World, hear her sing festive classics such as O Little Town of Bethlehem, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night and It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. Orchestral offerings of Fantasy on Christmas Carols, Christmas Fantasy and Sleigh Ride are sure to sound even more atmospheric in the peaceful setting of St Conleth’s Church and St Patrick’s Cathedral. Harry’s Wondrous World, one of the recognisable pieces from the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, will delight younger audience members while no Christmas concert is complete without a rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
Joining Cara O’Sullivan shall be New Voices, a leading Irish chamber choir that has represented Ireland at international choral festivals. Accompanied by the orchestra, the choir will evoke memories of Christmases past with their rendition of Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire and Joy to the World.
Appointed Principal Conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in 2007, David Brophy is the leading Irish conductor of his generation. David has collaborated with many internationally acclaimed soloists, among them, Tasmin Little and Lesley Garrett. David has also worked closely with singer-songwriters such as Eleanor McEvoy, Paul Brady, Brian Kennedy and Declan O’Rourke, composers including Shaun Davey, Neil Martin, Bill Whelan and Arvo Pärt and traditional musicians, among them, Altan, Liam O’Flynn, Séamus Begley, Sharon Corr, Máirtín O’Connor, The Chieftains, Rita Connolly, Carlos Núñez and Sharon Shannon. His broad musical tastes have also led to collaborations with U2, Sinéad O’Connor, and Duke Special. In 2003, David conducted the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at the spectacular opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games.
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra has been cherished by Irish audiences throughout its 60-year history, whether performing with international stars such as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, José Carreras, Kiri Te Kanawa, Katherine Jenkins and Russell Watson or with leading Irish artists ranging from Cara O’Sullivan and Virginia Kerr to Altan and Duke Special. With an unrivalled repertoire, the RTÉ CO appears at leading national and international festivals, on RTÉ Radio and Television and in the opera house, while through its commercial releases its recordings are distributed worldwide. A regular guest on RTÉ Radio 1 programmes including The Tubridy Show and Mooney, the RTÉ CO was also recently involved in recording the revised signature tune for RTÉ TV’s The Late Late Show. The orchestra’s education programme is presented nationwide to tens of thousands of young people as the RTÉ/The Irish Times Music in the Classroom series.
The RTÉ CO has been heard across the world in seven Eurovision Song Contests and its commercial recordings embrace many styles from the phenomenally successful Riverdance to Declan O’Rourke’s Big Bad Beautiful World and Duke Special’s I Never Thought This Day Would Come. Recent memorable concerts include “Bugs Bunny On Broadway” with Warner Bros. and performances with Altan, Marti Pellow and Aled Jones. In February the RTÉ CO performed Handel’s Messiah in the presence of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI with Our Lady’s Choral Society in the Vatican.
For further information please contact:
Maria Buckley, PR Assistant, RTÉ Performing Groups
Tel: 01 208 2773 | 087 410 0516
Email: maria.buckley@rte.ie
Saturday 5 December, 8pm
St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dundalk, Co. Louth
Tickets: €20 (€18 conc.)
Booking: An Táin Theatre Box Office, Town Hall, Dundalk, 042 939 2919
