This blog is aimed at people of ALL ages, who have an interest in music; an interest in following how one woman’s local idea , incredible talent and perseverance can flourish into an international Broadway event and / or anyone that is interested in ‘6 months in the life’ of a gigging musician who got to experience a lifelong dream of being involved in an amazing stage show, with some of her best friends – from the outset of our first rehearsals with new music, through to the opening night in our local theatre and our first (but hopefully not last) performance on Broadway, New York!

In February 2019, our conductor Kathy Fahey told us she had created a contemporary music and dance show called ‘Fainné Óir’. Set during the Irish Famine, this show would chronicle the fictional life of the O’Malley family from Mayo and centre on the life of the eldest daughter Saoirse, portraying her story of loss, love, emigration and humanity, through the medium of music and dance. This would be premiered in Castlebar’s Theatre Royal Hotel in September and would include world-recognised Irish dancers, musicians and local singers, along with ourselves – the Mayo Concert Orchestra. It is an understatement to say that from the outset, the level of excitement and anticipation in the room was palpable!

Rehearsals began on February 21^st when we received the opening pieces of the show. From the very first few notes of the Overture, it was obvious to all involved that we had been given the opportunity to play and be involved in something incredibly special. With each new piece, our collective excitement and pride in our conductor and her incomparable talents grew. On a personal note, I had forgotten how much joy I could get from contemporary classical music and how satisfying it was to be back playing with the orchestra I had grown up with but had been absent from for over a decade. Week by week and month by month we honed the music and our performance, even working throughout the summer months – something we had never done before, to ensure that our opening performance would be as flawless as possible.

Our opening night and world premiere was set for September 20^th. The final weeks leading up to opening night was a heady blend of rehearsals between the orchestra, Voxfusion choir, solo musicians and dancers, as well as a short orchestral performance for the media. Before we knew it, it was the day of our opening show and time to soundcheck for our premiere performance. As is almost customary, the final rehearsal did not go entirely to plan, likely due to our collective adrenaline levels and nervousness. However, all that had to be put aside come 8pm on Friday September 20^th!

Sitting in the greenroom with minutes to go, surrounded by some of my oldest and closest friends, as well as new ones that I had grown close to over this experience and hope to retain for many years to come, the atmosphere was electric! Knowing we had an almost sold-out theatre full of our family and friends, as well as some notable well-known guests and that our hard work that had begun over seven months previously would finally be showcased, was more than a little exhilarating.

There was also an incredible sense of pride in my friend and conductor Kathy Fahey and the immense amount of work she had put into this show in the previous 18 months in conceiving of the idea, writing the narrative, composing the music and lyrics, conducting the orchestra and choir, producing and directing the show and getting us to a new standard in our musical ability and confidence. With minutes to go, Gary our stage director roared it was time to get into our places and then there was no turning back!

Tuning over and theatre in darkness except for our stand lights, we awaited our conductor’s entrance, which was met with rapturous applause from the audience. Once silence had been restored, we settled ourselves and began to listen to the opening narrative voiced by Sean Keane which set the scene for our show, which was followed by the orchestra playing our opening piece, ‘Overture’

From the response of everyone in the theatre to our opening number, we knew we had them immediately enthralled. From the moment the dancers entered the stage, through the highs and lows of the show – sorrowful moments which drew tears from the audience, to the euphoric finale which culminated in a full, prolonged standing ovation from everyone in the theatre, it was obvious to all involved that our performance and Kathy’s vision had been a tremendous success!

Following a few nights sleep and even more rehearsals, we boarded a plane bound for JFK airport in New York and our second performance in Symphony Space Theatre, Broadway. This performance took place on September 26^th 2019.

It is hard to quantify how truly incredible this experience was. Since first beginning the violin, aged seven, I have always held the dream of one day getting to play on a Broadway stage, however I never believed this would ever possibly be made a reality. But thanks to Kathy’s relentless ambition, belief and trust in us as musicians, on September 26^th  2019 (a date I will never forget) I sat on a Broadway stage in Manhattan New York, surrounded by some of my closest friends, in front of a full theatre and got to perform as a first violinist with the Mayo Concert Orchestra in the stage show ‘Fainné Óir’.

Following on from our incredible success in Castlebar and Broadway, we were invited back to do another show in the Royal Theatre, Castlebar a month later and again had a sold-out show and received a standing ovation. Next, it was on to the Concert Hall in the University of Limerick before having a date with the Olympia Theatre in Dublin at Christmas.

In the space of four months, I had gotten the chance to play two venues that had always been on my ‘bucket list’ – Broadway and the Olympia and I had done it with a group of my oldest and closest friends! Here’s to more amazing experiences, venues and maybe even countries, with this incredible show, ‘Fainné Óir’ in 2020 and beyond!