MacLuí Children's Arts Festival 2022
Location: Westport Town Hall
Date: 04 - 04 Mar
Join the Degani Piano Trio of pianist Rachel Quinn, violinist Alan Smale and cellist Annette Cleary along with award-winning Donegal artist Kim Sharkey and her magical live drawings of whales and other sea stories The concert will include a musical treasure trove of Whale Tales, a newly composed work by leading Irish composer Ian Wilson and specially arranged Irish Folk Songs for piano trio by other Irish composers John Buckley and Phillip Martin including ‘The Maids of Mitchelstown Fancy’, ‘Lagan love’, ‘She moved through the Fair’ and the ‘Masons Apron’.
Some humorous and also ghostly children’s poetry is interspersed between the folksongs to illuminate the musical moods such as The Jumblies, Ducks Ditty and the Stolen Child.
Whale Tales:
Whale Tales is a brand new piece of music by leading Irish composer Ian Wilson for violin, cello and grand piano inspired by different stories about whales, as a way of reminding us how wonderful these creatures are.
A short introduction is followed by four main movements – “Jonah”, “The Whale’s Tail” (after the area on the dwarf planet Pluto with the same name); “Sleep” (inspired by how whales sleep – vertically!); and “The White Whale”, after Herman Melville’s famous novel Moby Dick. The trio comes with their own grand piano, which whilst playing a pivotal role in the beautiful music arrangements for the show, also reflects the shape and form of the whale!
The music is very illustrative and the movements relatively short so it will appeal to children’s imaginations. The inclusion of live drawing on stage by the wonderful children’s artist Kim Sharkey makes this ‘Music and Illustration Performance’ experience completely engaging for Primary School students.
The “Whale Tales” was developed between these artists during the lockdown in 2021 thanks to support funding by the Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle ealaíon.
More Info on Musicians / Artists: www.deganitrio.com
Kim Sharkey
Artist/Educator
Winner of the Children’s Books Ireland Éilís Dillon Award 2020
Children's Books Ireland Champion of Reading
Regional Coordinator CRAFted DCCI
Member of Design and Crafts Council of Ireland Education Panel