RTÉ Performing Groups
Encyclopedia
RTÉ Performing Groups is a group of five classical ensembles, part of the Irish
broadcaster RTÉ
. All but the Vanbrugh Quartet are based in Dublin (Vanbrugh are based in Cork
).
In 2008, both orchestras celebrated 60 years in existence. Between the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, a total of 134 professional musicians are employed. The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and the children's choir RTÉ Cór na nÓg are for singers at an amateur level. Presently, approximately 200 adults and children are incorporated in the choirs.
The five groups present, up to 250 events every year, most of these being live concerts. Most of these performances take place in Dublin, mostly in the National Concert Hall
but some in the Helix
and the National Gallery of Ireland
. There is a variety of high-end classical music with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet to RTÉ Concert Orchestra concerts in the fields of jazz
and big band
, classical crossover, rock music
, Irish traditional music, cabaret
, multimedia events, family concerts and more.
High-profile Irish
and international artists who have recently appeared with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra include Han-Na Chang
, Louis Lortie
and Ann Murray
, while acclaimed guests in the orchestra's history included Sir John Barbirolli, Vladimir Ashkenazy
, Joan Sutherland
and Mstislav Rostropovich
. RTÉ Concert Orchestra guests have included Luciano Pavarotti
, Plácido Domingo
, José Carreras
and Kiri Te Kanawa
, and more recently Cleo Laine
and John Dankworth
, Duke Special
, Ute Lemper
and Katherine Jenkins
.
In 2007, all groups featured on a stamp. One million stamps were printed.
The five groups have in the region of two concerts a week on the go. Depending on the time of the year, there are sometimes more.
is the Principal Conductor.
in 1985 following the introduction of new choral policy. This 140 strong choir is the country's premier symphonic choral ensemble and has performed more than 52 of the major choral works since its foundation, mostly in conjunction with the RTÉ orchestras. Its conductor is Mark Duley
.
. Regular performances are made in Dublin (such as the National Concert Hall) and in other counties.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
broadcaster RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
. All but the Vanbrugh Quartet are based in Dublin (Vanbrugh are based in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
).
RTÉ Performing Groups
The RTÉ Performing Groups are made up of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and the children's choir RTÉ Cór na nÓg. The five groups present over 250 events annually, including live performances and work in education. The groups are largely funded by licence fee revenue.In 2008, both orchestras celebrated 60 years in existence. Between the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, a total of 134 professional musicians are employed. The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and the children's choir RTÉ Cór na nÓg are for singers at an amateur level. Presently, approximately 200 adults and children are incorporated in the choirs.
The five groups present, up to 250 events every year, most of these being live concerts. Most of these performances take place in Dublin, mostly in the National Concert Hall
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall is a concert hall located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, Ireland, close to St. Stephen's Green, and is the principal national venue for classical music concerts in Ireland....
but some in the Helix
The Helix
The Helix is a building on the Dublin City University campus between Glasnevinand Whitehall on Dublin's Northside, originally planned to be called the Aula Maxima. It was completed in 2002, and it is described as a "performance space" and holds concerts, university conferring ceremonies and...
and the National Gallery of Ireland
National Gallery of Ireland
The National Gallery of Ireland houses the Irish national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on Clare Street. It was founded in 1854 and opened its doors ten years later...
. There is a variety of high-end classical music with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet to RTÉ Concert Orchestra concerts in the fields of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, classical crossover, rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, Irish traditional music, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
, multimedia events, family concerts and more.
High-profile Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and international artists who have recently appeared with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra include Han-Na Chang
Han-na Chang
Han-Na Chang is a South Korean cellist and conductor.-Childhood:She was born in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea to Korean parents. Chang began studying piano at age 3, and began her study in cello three years later at age 6...
, Louis Lortie
Louis Lortie
Louis Lortie, OC, CQ is a French-Canadian pianist. He currently lives in Berlin.He is known for his interpretation of Ravel, Chopin and Beethoven...
and Ann Murray
Ann Murray
Ann Murray DBE is an Irish mezzo-soprano. She was born on 27 August 1949, in Dublin. She studied with Frederic Cox at the Royal Manchester College of Music and made her stage debut as Alcestis in Christoph Willibald Gluck's Alceste in 1974...
, while acclaimed guests in the orchestra's history included Sir John Barbirolli, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian-Icelandic conductor and pianist. Since 1972 he has been a citizen of Iceland, his wife Þórunn's country of birth. Since 1978, because of his many obligations in Europe, he and his family have resided in Meggen, near Lucerne in Switzerland...
, Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
and Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
. RTÉ Concert Orchestra guests have included Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
, Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
, José Carreras
José Carreras
Josep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini...
and Kiri Te Kanawa
Kiri Te Kanawa
Dame Kiri Jeanette Te Kanawa, ONZ, DBE, AC is a New Zealand / Māori soprano who has had a highly successful international opera career since 1968. Acclaimed as one of the most beloved sopranos in both the United States and Britain she possesses a warm full lyric soprano voice, singing a wide array...
, and more recently Cleo Laine
Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
and John Dankworth
John Dankworth
Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE , known in his early career as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist and clarinetist...
, Duke Special
Duke Special
Duke Special, real name Peter Wilson, is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he has a distinctive look, with his long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic"...
, Ute Lemper
Ute Lemper
Ute Lemper is a German chanteuse and actress renowned for her interpretation of the work of Kurt Weill.- Biography :Born in Münster, Germany, Ute Lemper was raised in a Roman Catholic family. She joined the punk music group known as the Panama Drive Band at the age of 16...
and Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs across a spectrum of operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns.-Early life and education:...
.
In 2007, all groups featured on a stamp. One million stamps were printed.
The five groups have in the region of two concerts a week on the go. Depending on the time of the year, there are sometimes more.
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra is the concert music orchestra of Radio Telefís Éireann. It has been considered one of Europe's major symphony orchestras. It is the primary symphony orchestra of Dublin and, is the leading orchestra of the Ireland. Alan Buribayev is the Principal Conductor Designate.RTÉ Concert Orchestra
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is second of the two full time professional orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, has grown from a small studio-based recording group to become an active 45-strong orchestra performing over eighty concerts annually. David BrophyDavid Brophy
David Brophy is an Irish conductor. He is the Principal Conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.- Biography :David Brophy was born in Dublin. He studied in Ireland, England and Holland. He previously conducted the National Chamber Choir of Ireland and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, before...
is the Principal Conductor.
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir is RTÉ's main choir. The Choir has been at the centre of choral music in Ireland since its foundation by Colin MawbyColin Mawby
Colin Mawby is an English organist, choral conductor and composer.-Career:Mawby received his earliest musical education at Westminster Cathedral choir school, where he acted as assistant to George Malcolm at the organ from the age of 12. The boys performed 14 or 15 services a week and had 10 hours...
in 1985 following the introduction of new choral policy. This 140 strong choir is the country's premier symphonic choral ensemble and has performed more than 52 of the major choral works since its foundation, mostly in conjunction with the RTÉ orchestras. Its conductor is Mark Duley
Mark Duley
Mark Duley is a choral director and organist from New Zealand. He is currently the chorus master of the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir.- Biography :Duley is a first class honours graduate of Auckland University. Post-graduate studies in organ brought him to the North German Organ Academy and to Amsterdam's...
.
RTÉ Cór na nÓg
The RTÉ Cór na nÓg was founded in 1987 and consists of 65 specially-selected children between the ages of 9 and 14 directed by conductor Máire MannionMáire Mannion
Máire Mannion is an Irish choral director of RTÉ Cór na nÓg.Mannion has her own choir, St Mary’s College Choir, Naas, who have been successful at feiseanna and awarded a first prize and Certificate of Excellence at the Cork International Choral Festival in 2003. In 2004 she started working with...
. Regular performances are made in Dublin (such as the National Concert Hall) and in other counties.