JUNE 23’s concert given by the up and coming Price brothers, Irish teens Sean and Conor who are X-Factor stars, closed business at University Concert Hall for the Summer.
Yes, from here into September 8 when UCH’s 25th Anniversary Gala Concert opens the season programme, a major refurbishment of the venue will occupy the next months.
“We are upgrading the foyer, the box office, back stage rooms, offices and there will be a full revision of the Allegro Restaurant,” marketing manager Emma Foote tells Limerick Post. “Soft furbishing will change, lighting will become more ambient. We are looking forward to being able to offer a full dining menu pre-show and of course, there will be bundle offers with specific shows.”
A substantial investment is set aside by the concert hall team to complete this glamorous reboot before September songtime.
“We are refurbishing the ‘back of house’, upgrading everything and soundproofing. We are even introducing a piano there for warm-up exercises before performers go on stage. As a venue, bear in mind that we offer a significant amount of free parking also to people attending, that which most city-based venues don’t really have.”
25th Anniversary Gala
THE new-look concert hall apart, there are great expectations of the Gala scheduled for Saturday September 8 night. Words to the wise: book while you can with box office opening to the general public on Monday July 2 at www.uch.ie
Look to RTE Concert Orchestra, a mix of musical genres, of performances and solo artists for Ireland’s finest on stage as well as international talent. Big names for big time excitement are promised.
“Our 140 or so Friends of UCH have priority booking privileges and their box office facility opened a week ago,” Emma reveals. “Friends benefit from quite an exclusive ticket offer of great seats plus a complementary souvenir programme and an invitation to the pre-concert reception that will take place in the refurbished foyer. It’s our way of thanking them for their support and many have been with us annually since Friends of University Concert Hall was set up 13 years ago.
“Anyone else interested in the 25th Anniversary Gala Concert is advised to secure their ticket promptly as we will have an invited audience in attendance for this occasion. There will be a limited number of seats available.
“We are welcoming back the RTE Concert Orchestra who have played here many times over the 25 years and this will be a light celebratory programme of different musical styles, from orchestral to musical theatre, from traditional to pop to classical. This will be our first concert, our first event, in the refurbished hall and we are excited about it.”
Personal picks
A CAREER professional in performance venues, from The Gate in Dublin to the time when UCH managed performances for LIT Millennium Theatre and now box office for St Mary’s Cathedral on occasion, as well as festivals such as Limerick Sings, we prompted Emma for her pick of the pops. From the return after years’ absence of the Shaolin Warriors on October 3 to Bagatelle at 40 (September 15), this venue will host one vibrant season.
“Albert Hammond has sold out on every occasion here. Playing September 30 this season, he gives a fantastic concert. As an artist we don’t realise how many songs that we are familiar with are songs he has written, and for performers as diverse as Whitney Houston to Joe Dolan. It’s an amazing night on stage.”
As a singer/ songwriter/ guitarist, expect a solid two hours packed with hits such as ‘The Free Electric Band’, ‘The Air that I Breathe’, ‘Never Rains in Southern California’, ‘To All the Girls I Loved Before’ and more.
Comedy and class
EMMA’s thrill about September 27’s ‘Eurovision – The Ultimate Show’ isn’t shared by all but fans of Ireland representatives such as Paul Harrington, Linda Martin, Niamh Kavanagh and Charlie McGettigan will love this gig with live music by Swarbrigg Bros and the great Paddy Cole as MC.
Now for laughs:
“It will be a first time for Jason Manford with us, the British comedian whom you might know from his TV gigs on ‘Live at the Apollo’. He is booked here by popular demand and it is going to be interesting.” Note o13’s only and that u16’s must be accompanied.
Special mention to ‘Mario Lanza – the Loveliest Night of the Year’. This concert returns to celebrate the opera star and matinée idol’s 59th year since his lamented early death.
“Pat Egan promotions bring us this concert with Vladimir Jablokov, the incredible violinist and his Slovak Festival Musicians. Tenors Sean Costello and Ronan Egan will be joined by soprano Sheena Maguire. There will be audio-visuals too from Mario Lanza’s time on stage and screen, and that’s an important element to the show.
“This is a lovely, lovely concert.”
On that fond note, Arts page refers the reader on to www.uch.ie to pull from this well of talent on tap for us, into May 2019 bookings.
