Tag Archives: cork

Concerto Extravaganza!!

On the 15th April I will be playing the Khachaturian Cello Concerto in E minor with the City of Cork Symphony Orchestra. It will be a very exciting event, as three concertos will be performed on the night, the cello concerto and two huge favourites, Rachmaninoff 2 and Tchaikovsky 1, played by virtuoso American pianist David Syme. The Khachaturian cello concerto is an incredible and epic reflection of the great Khachaturian’s life. This concert is also important as it is the final one in my Masters in performance at the Cork School of Music. Soon you must all refer to me as Master de Ziah! So if you live near Cork, or want to fly in, the concert will be great, and I will buy you a drink afterwards if you call me Master…

  

Who
Concerto Extravaganza with CCSO, David Syme and Ilse de Ziah
When
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
20:00 - All Ages Buy Tickets
Where
Aula Maxima, UCC (map)
University College Cork,
Western Road, Cork
Cork, Ireland
Other Info
The City of Cork Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Keith Pascoe is proud to present "Concerto Extravaganza!" a concert of three concertos, featuring American virtuoso David Syme, at the Aula Maxima, UCC on 15 April 2015. He will play TWO concertos by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff in the one concert. The third concerto, Khachaturian’s epic Cello Concerto in E minor will be played by Australian cellist Ilse De Ziah.

David Syme, American piano virtuoso living in Ireland, has had a long and colorful career. He has performed in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, and in major venues in 17 European countries, Canada and Mexico. An alumnus of Juilliard and Indiana University, he was a protégé of the legendary Jorge Bolet. He was schooled in the grand tradition of the great masters, and also studied with Ozan Marsh, Sascha Gorodnitzki, Ania Dorfmann, Louis Kentner and Constance Keene. He has recorded two dozen CDs with such orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony, and the Czech National Symphony.
“I am delighted to be making my Cork début, at last!”, Syme quips light-heartedly. “Ireland has been my home since 2005, and West Cork is my base. I am thrilled to be playing with an orchestra that has made it to the Guinness Book of Records!”
Since arriving in Ireland in 2005, he has been steadily forging a reputation as one of the finest pianists ever to grace its shores. He is best known there for his “Living-Room Concerts”, held about 25 times a year in his West Cork home on the Beara Peninsula. This series was profiled by Mary Kennedy on RTE Television’s “Nationwide” in 2011. These concerts are social and musical events, with people driving from all corners of the country to attend. One of David’s biggest fans has been the immortal Maureen O’Hara, who prior to her recent move to the U.S., annually celebrated her birthday by listening to him play. Christy Moore, Ireland’s most-loved musician, has been a loyal supporter as well. David Syme performs regularly throughout Ireland and the European mainland as well as in the U.S.
http://symepiano.com

It promises to be a great run-up to the CCSO’s Summer concert with José Carreras and Katharine Jenkins in Musgrave Park on 20 June.

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Baroque Cello

Last night performing on Baroque cello with The CSM Baroque Strings for a lovely final Masters concert of Countertenor Graham J. Norton. It was wonderful to work with Jory Vinikour who directed and played harpsichord. Also soprano Laura Gilsenan sang beautifully a couple of duos including the gorgeous Monteverdi, Pur ti mio. We also played a Handel Concerto, Vivaldi: Longe Mala umbrae Terrores, Handel: Vo far guerra And Cara Sposa and Monteverdi: L’incoronatione di Poppea

I played the Cork School of Music baroque cello as my own bought online from China is not brilliant! I was playing a beautiful very old borrowed one for a few years and miss its sweet sound. The CSM one started to sound ok after playing it a few days, but as always with gut strings and Baroque cello, it’s really hard to play in tune! You can’t relax concentration for even a split second or the finger hits out of tune. I find the best way to approach it is keeping arms low and relaxed, the body as grounded as possible, and snapping fingers down crisply where possible. Also keeping the left arm very light in shifts as the thick strings can make shifts tricky.
And then of course playing musically, listening, following…

Custom House, Cork

I performed a solo cello concert at Custom House in Cork for the Windle Club on sunny Thursday. Afterwards I was treated to a delicious lunch around the corner at the Brasserie.

The Custom House was designed by William Hargrave in 1881 and built at Custom House Street between the north and south channels of the River Lee.  At the time its main work dealt with inland revenue.  In 1904 the Cork Harbour Commissioners took over the building on a 999 year lease.

Custom House Cork

The magnificently ornate boardroom, where I performed was added to the building in 1906 and was designed by William Price, the then Harbour Engineer.

Custom House Cork Boardroom

Ozmosis Concert

OZmoSiS is a new ensemble that I formed with two other expat Australians living in Ireland.
We performed at the Cork School of Music and during the concert I played the premiere of an original work Blow by Blow

An Australian blow fly trapped in the window, the buzz, the irritation, the reminder of what is beyond the window
a reminder of what it is to be free, feelings of being being trapped, so near yet so far.
Working towards your goals blow by blow, a journey where there are all the elements of being a blowfly trapped, released
coming up against the invisible wall time and time again but still persevering,
still heading towards the light, the promise of freedom.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SaRFPU77Tk’]

Dido and Aeneas

Having a great time preparing for this. Don’t miss!

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I8aF_75Kq4′]

Cork Opera House presents
Cara O’Sullivan Majella Cullagh Mary Hegarty in Dido & Aeneas by Henry Purcell

Directed by John O’Brien

Arranged by and featuring Marja Gaynor (strings)
with Carolyn Goodwin (winds), Ilse De Ziah (strings) & Piia Pakarinen (accordian)

And with Brendan Collins as Aeneas

Choreography by Inma Moya Pavon
Costume Design by Lisa Zagone
Set Design by John O’Brien
Lighting Design by Michael Hurley

For the very first time Cork’s International Stars Cara O’Sullivan, Majella Cullagh and Mary Hegarty will perform on the operatic stage together in Henry Purcell’s exquisite masterpiece Dido and Aeneas.

The 1689 Baroque work is given a stunning new arrangement involving elements of jazz, gypsy and tango and is set in a fantastical gothic world.

This one-hour opera, based on the Roman poet Virgil’s tragic story of Queen Dido and her Trojan lover, Aeneas, was one of the first operas written and performed in English.

In this new production, each of the four singers also plays their principal character’s subconscious other self – a concept which heightens the emotional and sexual tension created by the passion of hidden desires.

The new orchestration will be created by Baroque and contemporary music specialist and violinist, Marja Gaynor for a quartet of multi-instrumentalist musicians.

Dido and Aeneas offers a top-quality, not to be missed artistic experience for adults and an engaging introduction to opera for teenage audiences.

Performance Schedule
Tues 8 Feb – 8pm
Wed 9 Feb – 8pm
Thurs 10 Feb – 1.30pm & 9pm

Tickets: €20
Concession Tickets Available: €15
School Group Tickets: €12
Limited Early Bird €15 Tickets Available