I organised the City of Cork Symphony Orchestra to host a coffee hour in the Cork Opera House Foyer today. We started playing inside to a happy crowd, but as the weather was cracking, we ended up outside, instruments roasting in the sun not so good, but we had a lot of fun! We played my arrangement of White Stripes Seven Nation Army for 5 cellos (We had Fin the viola player being an honorary cellist), as well as an Irish 'ramble with the lass' I composed, Nothing Else Matters from Metallica, then we continued outside with Creeping Death, also Metallica.
There was complimentary tea & coffee along with a host of tasty treats which the orchestra members made and brought along and people sat outside the Opera House enjoying free coffee, delicious cakes and great music. Bliss really! Passers by were gently accosted by the conductor Keith Pascoe in his suit and dickiebow, who enticed them inside the building to buy tickets with the offer of free sticky flapjacks!
"The event is to give people a chance to come and enjoy a sample of the music to be enjoyed by the City of Cork Symphony Orchestra on Wed 13th April at 8pm when we will host a Tchaikovsky evening of music in Cork Opera House"
…well the Tchaikovsky didn't come out, but when joined by the violinists we did a wild Pachelbels Canon, a swooning Gabriel's Oboe and a plangent Danny Boy amongst other favorites.
Cork Opera House was the place to be this Friday 8th April and as one American tourist said "wow that was the most amazing couple of hours – I just got off the plane, came into town and this is incredible; music, sunshine, free cake and coffee, people enjoying themselves. If this is what Ireland is like, I'm going to have a great time here!"
I felt very proud to have had initiated, planned it and made it happen; not always easy to follow through with a good idea! But most importantly, biggest thanks to the people who helped make it happen!
…and to the sun!
