PARALLEL with the enormous scope of classes and training ongoing at Summer Music on the Shannon is a series of public concerts and performances. From elegant Mozart tributes by the Senior Student faculty at Georgian House to streamed concert by pianist John Perry, there is wonderful entertainment available to all over the three weeks of this opera and music school.
Director Robert Creech, who founded the SMS academy 16 years ago, looks ahead to the final days of performances taking place not just in Limerick, but in Kilrush, Kilmallock and Bruff also.
“In Georgian House, Pery Square on Thursday August 13, 8pm there is the last in the Mozart Plus series,” says the Canadian born Creech. “This concert is going to be primarily instrumental and, as with the other Mozarts, is just 7euro in. At the same time in Bruff on Thursday 13 in a converted church (of Ireland) there will be SMS International Brass and String Quintets with two soloists playing, Chris Lacey from London on flute and cornettist Conor Sheil”.
SMS Youth Opera Theatre is going to present the musical version of The Mermaid story on Friday 14 at 8pm at UCH. This will be BAFTA winner composer Carl Davis’ primary work with the academy as artist in residence, his operatic interpretation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale.
It’s not the only opera focus of this annual international school for musician prodigies. SMS Youth Opera Theatre will travel to Kilrush Community School on Sunday 17, 8pm with The Mermaid and to Friars Gate in Kilmallock on Tuesday 18, 8pm with the other show accomplished this year, Bernice Bobs Her Hair.
“On to Saturday 15 and an 8pm show called The Sound of Silence. Carl Davis has written a score to five Chaplin movies and The Sound of Silence is based on two of these, Easy Street and The Pawn Shop. The music co-ordinates with the action in the film, be that a fight sequence, love story and so on and the first half of this concert night will be a performance of a Haydn symphony to make Haydn’s bicentennial year.”
Clare residents will be pleased at the option of seeing this same unique work at Community School, Kilrush on Sunday August 16 at 8pm.
Bob Creech, in the throes of the 18-day challenge of Summer Music on the Shannon when Arts page approached, brings all to a full stop on Sunday 16. Take the afternoon of the Sabbath to absorb Mendelssohn’s fine Symphony No. 5 at 1.30pm at UCH, Plassey.
“This is a stirring symphony, built on the cherished Reformation hymn A Mighty Fortress. This moving symphony, which Mendelssohn thought one of his best, is a treasure of orchestral repertoire. It brings all students and faculty members on stage, about 160 in total, for the concert”.
This homage to Mendelssohn closes SMS for the year, other than the outlying concerts in Kilrush of The Mermaid on Monday 17 and in Friars Gate, Kilmallock, Tuesday 18, the opera Bernice Bobs Her Hair.
Book for any or all online at www.uch.ie or contact the concert hall box office; all shows at 8pm other than the Sunday 16 lunchtime performance of Reformation Symphony, 1.30pm.
