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Brilliant Santa to play the classics
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Tomorrow, Monday, April 16 at 8pm, Santa Ignace will be playing the greatest classics of all time – Beethoven Moonlight Sonata, Liszt Mephisto Waltz, Rachmaninov Sonata No 2 and Chopin ballade No 4 – at the Brehon Hotel in Killarney.
Santa, who is currently a Piano Lecturer at the Cork School of Music, was nominated by her professor Jan Čap and honoured to start a 10-month Female Conducting Programme at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, which is specifically designed to promote female conductors in Ireland. The course is led by world-renowned conductors such as Alice Farnham (Welsh National Youth Opera), David Brophy (RTÉ Concert Orchestra) and Bobby Houlihan. The course will conclude with participants conducting Beethoven Symphony No 1 and Warlock Capriol Suite on June 27.
Santa recently also applied for an external Conducting Masterclass in St Petersburg, Russia with world renowned conductor Maestro Korchmar (conducting method of Ilya Musin). She was very pleased to be accepted as an active participant, which gave her an opportunity to conduct symphony orchestra at the concert for the first time. On April 1, she was conducting Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 and Mozart Symphony No 40 at the Assembly Hall in St Petersburg.
Another opportunity to conduct symphony orchestra for Santa will present itself to Santa at the International Berlin Masterclasses where she will be conducting selected pieces by Mendelsohn.
Santa is also excited to be involved in the forthcoming Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a solo recitalist performing pieces by Chopin, Beethoven, Godowsky, Listz and Rachmaninov. And this coming summer, she will be recording her first CD which will include Passacaglia by Godowsky, Sonata No 2 by Rachmaninov and Four Ballades by Chopin.
Tickets for her Brehon show are available at the door before the concert and funds raised will go towards the fees for the upcoming conducting masterclasses.
FESTIVAL HIT: Local accordion virtuoso Liam O’Connor pictured performing alongside his family band members, daughter Saoirse on vocals and keyboards, and sons Oisín on guitar and Cillian on drums, during their high-energy set on the Salty Dog Stage at Electric Picnic in Stradbally last weekend. Photos: Paul Dargan
Camera Club exhibition opens at Killarney House
Killarney Camera Club’s 25th anniversary exhibition is open to the public at Killarney House until Sunday, October 4.
Mayor of Killarney Councillor John O’Donoghue officially opened the event, which features a wide range of work from local photographers capturing landscapes, people, and moments from home and abroad.
Speaking at the opening, Mayor O’Donoghue highlighted the rich natural surroundings available to local photographers. “We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world, with dramatic mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, and a vibrant town centre, as well as beaches and open sea just a short distance away,” he said.
In a lighthearted admission, the Mayor admitted to storing hundreds of photos on his phone, adding that seeing the standard of work on display inspired him “to finally print some of my own photographs for posterity.”
The club was founded in 2001 as the Photographic Society of Killarney at the Park Place Hotel before adopting its current name in 2006. Founding member Seamus Long recalled starting with just eight members, contrasting it with today’s membership of over 30 photographers who meet at the ANAM Arts and Cultural Centre.
“There is nothing better than seeing your images in print, mounted and framed and hanging on a wall,” Mr Long said, referencing the club’s shift from traditional darkrooms to modern digital photography.
To mark the anniversary, the club has published a commemorative booklet featuring 25 select images from members past and present. The limited-edition booklet is available at Eason’s and directly from the club.
The exhibition runs daily at Killarney House until October 4. Admission is free and all are welcome.
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