Bray Co. Wicklow 11th -13th May 2012

Gospel singers and Glee fans will be heading to Bray Co. Wicklow and making waves on the seafront for the 3rdannual Gospel Rising Music Festival, from Friday 11th May to Sunday 13th May, Bray will be awash with all things gospel for this great celebration of music.

Following on from the great success of Gospel Rising in Ennis in 2010 and Portlaoise in 2011, Gospel Rising 2012, supported by The Arts Council and proudly partnered with RTE Lyric FM and UCB Ireland Radio, promises to be bigger and better than ever before. The festival is built around a series of workshops, led by gospel instructors from across Ireland, the UK and the USA, such as; Kim Chandler, David Jackson, Eimear Crehan, Cherry Hartshorn, Sean Gilligan, Anton Cullen, Ross Scanlon and the Gospel Project.

The Gospel Rising workshops are open to all, encompassing all gospel music styles, repertoire, choreography, soloist technique, and much more. Places on the workshops MUST be pre-booked. For more information, to book these workshops, how to get there, where to stay etc, go online to www.gospelrising.com, for any querries contact info@gospelrising.com or call +353 86 8370087 but hurry, places are running out fast!

With a multitude of workshops to choose from, split across 3 sessions, there really is something for everyone, whether attending on your own or as part of your local gospel choir. Learn the latest techniques and get the edge for your gospel group from the of the Gospel worlds leading experts.

From Cork to Cavan, Sligo to Wicklow, the whole weekend showcases Ireland’s current diversity and rising of gospel choir music. Apart from the fantastic array of workshops available to gospel enthusiasts, there will be plenty for Gospel Rising attendees to do and see across the weekend. A highlight of the festival is the FREE open-air gig on Saturday 12th May from 7pm on the bandstand on Bray seafront, which will showcase Ireland’s many gospel music styles. Anyone and everyone is welcome and the Gospel Rising Music Festival team look forward to welcoming gospel fans and those new to the scene to a night of unrivaled gospel fun.

Find out more and book @ www.gospelrising.com

Bray Co. Wicklow

Hey folks.
The music festival is fast approaching. This time in Bray Co Wicklow. So we hope you’ll be able to make it East-side this time round!
Once again we are putting together a packed weekend of workshops and gigs, and fun and laughter.
This is your chance to come experience gospel choir music for yourself, learn to sing in this style, see how others do it, and have a great time at one of the first Irish festivals of the 2012 season! Perhaps you are already in a gospel choir, and if so, there are plenty of workshops for you old hats and chances to sing on stage if a gang of you are attending the festival.

Ticket booking opens on Friday 17th February.
Early Bird Full Weekend ticket price will be €50 (deposit of €30 taken at time of booking, €20 balance payable upon arrival at festival)
Early bird ticket booking will close Friday 13th April, Full Weekend ticket will then be €60.

We’ll be taking all bookings through our website www.gospelrising.com. When the box office opens on the 17th February all details regarding the workshop options will be available. We are currently finalising all our facilitators.

If you are part of a group, you will also be able to apply to sing on stage at our gigs over the weekend, so now is the chance to gather your gang to come to Gospel Rising Music Festival 2012, and then submit your details for a chance to perform.

We’ll be in touch again when booking opens.
For now, please save the date 11th-13th May 2012, join us on facebook, and tell your friends about the festival.

The Gospel Rising Team

THURS 20 OCT
CLUB ARAS NA GAEL
DOMINICK ST GALWAY
12 NOON – 2.30PM
SOCIAL INCLUSION LAUNCH
feat
TOLUKING african calypso
TRAD ALL STARS irish
CASEY LEIGH singer from sth africa
adm free

SAT 22 OCT
JOHNSTONS HALL
MAIN ST KINVARA
8.30pm – 11pm
SOCIAL INCLUSION EVENT
feat
TOLUKING african calypso
DUB DOCTOR reggae
SONKE choir
adm free

SAT 22 OCT
TULLYS BAR
MAIN ST KINVARA
10.30pm-1am
SPIRIT OF VOICE FESTIVAL LAUNCH
feat
ELECTRO SWING
ALI DUVET
CANTINA BOP
adm free

FRI 11 NOV
ROWING CLUB
WOODQUAY GALWAY
9pm – 2am
SPIRIT OF VOICE FESTIVAL
feat
BUGLE BABES 40\’s melody
DARRAGH MCGANN baritone
NINA VIERTEL from berlin
CHILL barbershop
ORLAITH NI MHEACHAIR sean nos
adm €10/€5

SAT 12 NOV
ROWING CLUB
WOODQUAY GALWAY
9pm-2am
SPIRIT OF VOICE FESTIVAL
feat
MADU reggae
WHITENOISE beatbox
CASEY LEIGH from sth africa
ERIKA FEENEY from sweden
adm €10/€5

SAT 12 NOV
ROWING CLUB
WOODQUAY GALWAY
11am -5pm
VOICE WORKSHOPS
facilitators
WHITENOISE beatbox class
MALLIKA MCCARTHY connected voice
HELEN WEBB world voice
NINA VIERTEL yoga
adm €12 per class

SUN 13
CRANE BAR
SEA RD GALWAY
8pm-11pm
SPIRIT OF VOICE FESTIVAL
feat
SEAMUS RUTTLEDGE poet singer
KAYLA MCDONAGH classical trad
NINA VIERTEL from berlin
adm €5

www.spiritofvoice.com

2011 Spirit of Voice Festival Launch

The 2011 Spirit of Voice festival will take place from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th November in Galway. There will be various artists and performers holding shows across the city. Everyone will have the opportunity to take part in the festival voice workshops and bid for street urban artist BAQSR painting \”Polaroid\” who kindly donated the artwork as a raffle prize to support people with Cystic Fibrosis. This exciting and unique cultural event is now in its eight year and continues to grow in popularity.

Inclusiveness and access to culture for all are extremely important values held by Spirit of Voice productions and are promoting 2 Social Inclusion Awareness Week events in the city and county. Award winning African gospel soul singer Toluking will be joined on stage by the Dub Doctor Reggae sound system , Casey Leigh , the Trad Allstars together with the Sonke world music choir for a mini tour starting on Thursday 20 October from 12 midday at Club at Aras na Gael launched by Mayor of Galway Cllr. Hildegarde Naughton, followed on Saturday October 22 in Johnstons Hall Kinvara from 8.30pm. Free admission to both shows supported by Galway City and County councils.

This year’s festival launch party is taking place at Tully’s Bar in Kinvara at 10.30pm on Saturday 22 October featuring the electro swing sounds from two of UK’s leading Djs, Ali Duvet & Cantina Bop, with musical support from Litehaus to launch the forthcoming series of concert and workshop events.

The Spirit of Voice festival celebrates the human voice, in all its fascinating and magnificent forms and adds another dimension to the vibrant cultural life of the city. Such has been its popularity that it’s a regular welcome date in the winter music calendar. Supported by the Arts Council,

The Spirit of Voice 2011 Festival begins on Friday 11th November with a 11 11 11 line up to include music from the 1940’s with the Bugle Babes, a female melody trio plus Opera Baritone Darragh McGann aka the singing taxi driver with Barbershop quartet Chill singing harmonies. Songwriter Nina Viertel will bring her Berlin sound to Galway for the first time, together with traditional sean nos songs from Connemera’s own Orlaith Ni Mheachair . Entry is €5 / €10 after 10pm.

The annual voice workshops will be held on Saturday 12th November providing a selection of vocal classes starting at 11am with Kundalini yoga voice chants as taught by Nina Viertel to open the day. From 12.30 Helen Webb invites you to a “world singing space”. After lunch, Mallika McCarthy will show you how to be “the connected voice”. The final workshop at 4pm is hosted by Irelands champion beatboxer Cian Sayles aka Whitenoise beatbox. This is a great opportunity to learn the skills and techniques to play the beat urban style. To book call LISA @ 0876748557 €12 per class or €40 all day including FREE admission to Saturday evening show! email lisa.voiceworkshops@gmail.com

On Saturday 12 November, from 9pm funky Reggae masters Madu arrive in town direct from their successful tour promoting new album “from the elders yard”. Salim & Aminah have spent the summer playing at festivals dubbing up their Malaysian roots reggae with sublime vocals to mix dance hall and dub style sounds. Beatboxer Whitenoise keeps the groove moving making mouth music to dance too as the chance to hear the angelic voice of singing prodigy Casey Leigh who will showcase her new recordings in concert as Sweden’s Erika Feeney plays her latest soulful melody rock n blues

The Muckno Mania Festival was introduced in 1999 by the Directors of Castleblayney Community Enterprise on foot of a need to stage a summer entertainment event which would involve local people. However today the Muckno Mania Festival is planned and implemented by a Committee of local people in Castleblayney and is run under the auspices of Castleblayney Community Enterprise. The Festival Programme includes a variety of activities aimed at all sections of the community and primarily promotes arts, music, dance, creative arts, sports, and crafts. The aims of the Festival are to promote and stimulate community interest in the arts and to enhance cultural, social, and economic development within the community. The Festival has successfully harnessed widespread local support and participation with its varied and interesting programme. The Festival is now in its 12th year.

Galway Arts Festival is Ireland’s largest international arts festival. Founded in 1978 it has grown into an event with a significant reputation where, in 2010, there were 158,000 attendances at 273 performances, talks and exhibitions in 25 venues over 14 days. The Festival showcases a wide variety of international artists alongside the best of Irish talent and includes music (popular, contemporary, jazz, world, classical and traditional), theatre (indoor and outdoor), visual arts, dance, talks, discussions, family events and comedy in its programme.

The Festival has consolidated its reputation nationally and internationally and continues to develop its profile through the international media and attracts 27% of its audience from abroad. It has developed a profile within the ‘festival world’ where it now is viewed as operating on an international circuit, with a reputation equal to that of much larger international festivals.

The Festival has contributed hugely to placing Galway firmly on the map as both a key cultural centre for the arts and cultural tourism destination. In addition the Festival has founded and acted as a seedbed for a number of well known and established arts organisations in Galway.

Highlights from the programme from 2008-2010 included, Primal Scream, Philip Glass, New York Dolls, David Gray, David Byrne, Brad Mehldau, Blondie, Rich Hall, Kronos Quartet, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Bon Iver, David Hockney, Joni Mitchell, Henri Matisse, Tommy Tiernan, Spike Jonze and Reginald D Hunter amongst others. Visiting international theatre and dance companies have included John Mahoney and Northlight Theatre, The Royal National Theatre, The Royal Court, Steppenwolf, Michael Clark Dance Company, Hofesh Shechter Dance Company, The Abbey Theatre, Druid Theatre Company and the Bristol Old Vic and the Festival also present traditional music concerts in large-scale and intimate settings, and large scale street spectacle from Royal de Luxe to the annual Macnas Festival Parade

The festival has a price tag of over €280,000 when entertainments and all associated costs are paid for and this money is generated through fundraising and some grant aid. A team of over thirty voluntary people work all year round to compile, organise and market a programme of events to span the duration of the festival and cater for the young and old alike.
The Ballina Salmon Festival is proud of its family-centred focus and one third of its entire programme is dedicated solely to children. When such an extensive line-up is considered, the workload truly is immense so the festival committee is urging all those who can help, either financially or voluntarily, to please lend a hand.
About Ballina
Built on the banks of the majestic River Moy, Ballina is a warm, welcoming and hospitable town. It is a distinctive area, a place apart, renowned for its relaxed atmosphere that falls against the backdrop of the iconic Cathedral, and the winding waters from the Ridgepool to the Quay. The North Mayo capital, Ballina is the ideal place for visitors to base themselves in whilst enjoying and exploring the extensive region of unspoilt beauty spanning Mayo and West Sligo.

Come and join with us next summer and make precious family memories with the
2011 Ballina Salmon Festival which takes place from the 10TH – 17TH July.

The Earagail Arts Festival is a venue-based music and arts festival with eclectic and alternative music, visual arts, circus and theatre programmes alongside spoken word, film, family and children centred events. We bring inspiring performers to this captivating European frontier, showcase artists from the area and provide opportunities for cultural exchange. We employ a range of venues from purpose built theatres and galleries, to village halls and outdoor venues created for the occasion, serviced by professional technical crew and production management. The level of genuine positive feedback from artists and audiences alike is testament to our core belief in ensuring the best quality experience for everyone.

Celebrating the best in international and local artists has produced a rich vein of collaborations and partnerships including Toumani Diabate and Liam OMaonlai, Donal Lunny and Cor Thaobh a Leithid, The Henry Girls with The Fox Hunt, Victor Gama and An Cosan Glas, Inishowen Gospel Choir and Moya Brennan. From movie screenings in forests and castles to innovative theatre,street arts and circus in gardens, parks and state of the art venues, our unique programme reaches out across County Donegal, so wherever youre staying youll be able to enjoy a feast of entertainment located in the heart of one of Irelands most outstanding areas of natural beauty.