Opening Gala Concert

THURSDAY 24TH OCTOBER ST. COLUMB’S HALL, 8PM

Presented by Sarah Brett

The Opening Gala Concert will launch the inaugural City of Derry International Choral Festival with a truly international line-up of artists, including Latvian Voices, o cial Choral Ambassadors of Latvia and champions of the World Choir Games 2012, Spanish beat boxer Lytos, world-renowned Derry saxophonist Gerard McChrystal, ambassador for Derry-Londonderry City of Culture 2013, and internationally acclaimed local chamber choir, Codetta.

PROGRAMME

CODETTA

The Cure at Troy - Ian Wilson, poem by Seamus Heaney As I Roved Out - Mark-Anthony Turnage from At Sixes and Sevens Rop tú mo baile (Be Thou My Vision) - Graeme G. Stewart Meditation 2 - Sonam Di Yi and Phowa - Ciarán Farrell

GERARD MCCHRYSTAL AND RUTH MCGINLEY

Carmen Fantasy - François Borne Les Berceaux - Gabriel Faure Deep Purple - Rudy Weidoeft Pequena Czarda - Pedro Itturalde

INTERVAL

LATVIAN VOICES

Rota - L. Jēkabsone Pūt, vējiņi - L. Leontjeva Sākums un gals - L. Jēkabsone Ellas - Mercedes Peon, arr. L. Jēkabsone Life Jacket - Instrumental, arr. L. Jēkabsone

LYTOS (BEATBOX PERFORMER)

Zvejnieks mani aicināja - Traditional Latvian Folk Song, arr. L. Jēkabsone Medley: Coldplay (The Scientist), The Rembrandts (I’ll be there for You), L. Cohen (Hallelujah), J. Mraz (I’m Yours), Mika (Happy Ending) - arr. L. Jēkabsone, N. Vītiņa Lec, Saulīte - L. Jēkabsone

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LATVIAN VOICES

The vocal group Latvian Voices consists of seven young female singers from Riga, Latvia. Many of their concerts take place outside Latvia, and travelling has thus become an integral part of Latvian Voices’ everyday routine. The group has brought home quite a few noteworthy prizes and awards from their travels, including victories in competitions in vokal.total (Graz, Austria), A Cappella (Leipzig, Germany) and the World Choir Games (Cincinnati, US). Latvian Voices are the o cial Choral Ambassadors of Latvia and will be the musical faces of Riga, European Capital of Culture 2014.

Latvian Voices perform music of di erent historical ages and genres yet their hearts belong, rst and foremost, to Latvian folk song, especially the melodies related to the sun. The group’s stage costumes are interweaved with sun symbols of the ancient Latvians, which are like small amulets that accompany the girls around the world.

LYTOS

Lytos (Carlos Vidal) is a Spanish beatbox artist, who since his early childhood has devoted his life to the world of music. Initially, Lytos developed his talent on the streets, where he spent a lot of his time breakdancing and rapping. At the age of 16 he started performing in various night clubs and to date he has performed in concerts in the UK, the US, Russia, France and Austria. He has also participated in prestigious beatboxing forums, including Eastpak Hipnotik Festival, the Battle of the Year and Mallorca Surf Action. In 2009 Lytos became the beatbox champion of Spain. Soon after that he also won the Xtreme BCN beatbox championship as well as the European championship and the title ‘Emperor of the Mic 2010’. Lytos represents Spain at the annual beatbox forums in London, Berlin, New York and Switzerland.

The collaboration between Latvian Voices and Lytos began in the summer of 2011 at the a cappella festival vokal.total in Graz, Austria and has continued with unprecedented musical surprises, most recently at performances in the SchleswigHolstein Music Festival (July 2013), the 1st International Elb A Cappella Festival in Geesthacht, Germany (August 2013) and at the A Cappella Nights in Blieskastel and Bayreuth (October 2013).

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GERARD MCCHRYSTAL

Gerard McChrystal is a world-renowned saxophonist from Derry. To date, he has performed in over 30 countries, including London’s Wigmore Hall, the San Francisco Opera House and Stuttgart Stattshalle. He has performed with Philip Glass, the Soweto String Quartet, the guitarist Craig Ogden, the Syzmanowski String Quartet, the Smith Quartet, the tenor Tommy Smith, Irish choir Anúna, ensemblebash as well as many orchestras including the Philharmonia, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC NOW, the BBC Concert Orchestra, RTE National Symphony Orchestra and Stuttgart Staatsorchester.

Gerard is a gold endorsee for RICO and an ambassador for Derry-Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013.

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RUTH MCGINLEY

Derry-born pianist Ruth McGinley began to play the piano at the age of two, taught by her mother. She was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Irish Academy of Music when she was nine, and later received a scholarship to continue her performance studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Christopher Elton. She was awarded a 1st Class B. Arts Degree from the Royal Irish Academy in 1999, and a Postgraduate in Performance from the Royal College of Music in 2002.

As a young pianist, Ruth won many awards including the Piano Final of the RTE Young Musician of the Future. However, it was her success in the BBC Young Musician of the Year 1994 that took her career to an international level. Ruth has since performed as soloist with the BBC Philharmonic, the London Mozart Players, the National Symphony Orchestra, the RTE Concert Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra. She is in great demand as an accompanist and chamber musician, whilst her interest in classical crossover has enabled Ruth to work with artists such as Hayley Westenra and as a regular accompanist for The Priests.

CODETTA

Under the guidance of Dónal Doherty, Codetta is an internationally acclaimed chamber choir based in Derry. Its members live and work throughout Ireland and the UK, and return home for intensive weekend rehearsals every month.

Codetta has given many concerts both locally and nationally, including an acclaimed performance of the Bach Mass in B Minor. In 2006 it participated in the Advent Festival in Prague and it has successfully competed in a range of international choral festivals, most notably reaching the nal of the Grand Prix in Maribor in 2008 and winning awards at the Sligo and Cork International Choral Festivals in 2008/2009. In 2010 Codetta visited Tuscany, performing in Florence, Reggello and Siena, and in April 2011 it participated in the Montreux Choral Festival, Switzerland.

2013 has been a particularly exciting year for the group, with many notable performances both at home and abroad. Highlights include appearances at two Prom concerts in London’s Royal Albert Hall, performing Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 with Vasily Petrenko and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. In January of this year it featured in the Sons & Daughters concert to open Derry’s year as the rst UK City of Culture, singing alongside guests such as Snow Patrol and Neil Hannon. Other City of Culture performances this year have included Verdi’s Requiem with the Ulster Orchestra and a new cantata, At Sixes and Sevens, by Mark-Anthony Turnage and Paul Muldoon to mark the 400th anniversary of Derry’s Walls.

Codetta is delighted to be part of the inaugural City of Derry International Choral Festival.

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