Press Release No embargo Arvo Pärt’s World Premiere Baltic Voices in Ireland

“I love Arvo Pärt’s music, and I love the fact that he is such a brave, talented man. He’s completely out of step with the zeitgeist and yet he’s enormously popular, which is so inspiring. His music fulfils a deep human need that has nothing to do with fashion.” The Guardian 2004

A new commission from Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, one of the most original musical voices of our time, will receive its world première next February 2008 in Co. Louth. Pärt, one of the most popular and spiritually- oriented of living composers, was commissioned by Eamonn Quinn, Artistic Director of Louth Contemporary Music Society (LCMS) to write a new piece of sacred music using the text of St Patrick’s Breastplate (Christ beside me, Christ within me..).The composer has named the composition The Deer’s Cry.

The première will be performed by one of the world’s foremost choirs the Latvian State Choir conducted by Irish conductor Fergus Sheil. The State Choir “Latvija” are the largest professional choir in Latvia. Critic Jorn Florian Fukss named the State Choir Latvija as the best choir of the year. World premières will take place in St Peter’s Church of Ireland, Drogheda, on 13 February 2008 and in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dundalk, on 14 February 2008. Part of the programme will include an interlude of Pärt’s instrumental music performed by Michael McHale, piano and Ioana Petcu Colan, violin. The Irish Times are the print sponsor and RTE lyric fm are going to record the performances for future broadcast. Already, there have been enquiries for tickets from across the globe and LCMS are expecting an international audience.

His music has been used in over 50 films, from "Väike motoroller" (1962) to "Promised Land" (2004). The Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten was used in Léos Carax's Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991) and in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 while showing the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in . Spiegel im Spiegel was prominently used in Mike Nichols' Wit (2001), the mountain climbing documentary Touching the Void (2003), and Gus Van Sant's Gerry (2003), which also used Für Alina.

In keeping with Louth Contemporary Music Society’s desire to commission new sacred music based on existing Irish texts, there will be further world premières each evening. The Latvian composer Georg Pelecis will set the poem I See His Blood upon the Rose by Joseph Mary Plunkett who is a descendent of the local saint, St Oliver Plunkett.

Northern Irish composer Deirdre McKay, a native of Ballynahinch has set the last words of Oliver Plunkett Comendo Spiritum Meum. This text will have an added significance for the people of Drogheda. The concerts will be broadcast on RTÉ lyric fm’s Nova programme, (Sunday evenings, 8pm-10pm, on 96-99fm). Louth Contemporary Music Society acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council in making this event possible. ARVO PÄRT WORLD PREMIÈRE : BALTIC VOICES IN IRELAND: is presented by Louth Contemporary Music Society in association with Dundalk Arts Office, The Louth County Arts Office, Drogheda Arts Office and the Latvian Embassy in Ireland and the Irish Times. ARVO PÄRT WORLD PREMIÈRE : BALTIC VOICES IN IRELAND was funded by The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon under its one off project scheme and financially supported by the Drogheda Arts Office, Louth County Arts Office, Dundalk Arts Office and the Embassy of Latvia as part of the celebrations of the 90th Anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Latvia. Louth Contemporary Music Society also acknowledges the generous sponsorship from The Irish Times, Fáilte Ireland and RTÉ lyric fm.

Tickets are now on sale from: ƒ www.centralticketbureau.com. ƒ Telephone Bookings ROI: 0818 205 205; UK 0870 850 2896, ƒ International :++ 353 1 4487777 ƒ The Central Ticket Bureau, Liberty Hall, 33 Eden Quay, 1 ƒ www.ticketmaster.ie and all Ticketmaster outlets ƒ Drogheda Arts Office 041 987 6165 ƒ LCMS 042 9353576 ƒ St. Patrick's Cathedral 042 9334648 ƒ An Táin Box Office 042 939 2919 Further information is available from www.louthcms.org Further information on the Latvian State Choir is available here: http://www.choirlatvija.lv/.

Notes to editors

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt was born in 1935 in Paide, . After studies with Heino Eller’s composition class in Tallinn, he worked from 1958 to 1967 as a sound engineer for Estonian Radio. In 1980 he emigrated with his family to Vienna and then, one year later, traveled on a DAAD scholarship to Berlin, where he has lived ever since.

As one of the most radical representatives of the so-called ‘Soviet Avant- garde’, Pärt’s work passed through a profound evolutionary process. His first creative period began with neo-classical piano music. Then followed ten years in which he made his own individual use of the most important compositional techniques of the avant-garde: dodecaphony, composition with sound masses, aleatoricism, collage technique. Nekrolog (1960), the first piece of dodecaphonic music written in Estonia, and Perpetuum mobile (1963) gained the composer his first recognition by the West. In his collage works ‘avant- garde’ and ‘early’ music confront each other boldly and irreconcilably, a confrontation which attains its most extreme expression in his last collage piece Credo (1968). But by this time all the compositional devices Pärt had employed to date had lost all their former fascination and begun to seem pointless to him. The search for his own voice drove him into a withdrawal from creative work lasting nearly eight years, during which he engaged with the study of Gregorian Chant, the Notre Dame school and classical vocal polyphony.

In 1976 music emerged from this silence – the little piano piece Für Alina. It is obvious that with this work Pärt had discovered his own path. The new compositional principle used here for the first time, which he called tintinnabuli (Latin for ‘little bells’), has defined his work right up to today. The ‘tintinnabuli principle’ does not strive towards a progressive increase in complexity, but rather towards an extreme reduction of sound materials and a limitation to the essential.

George Pelecis The main characteristics of composer’s music are positive emotions, joy of music and music-playing, contemplation of the ideal or aspiration for it. The musical language is based on diatonic, consonance's and clear major - minor system. As a musicologist G. Pelecis is author of two theses about Johannes Ockeghem (XV c.) and Palestrina (XVI c.) as well as more than 30 articles about problems of form in the music of Middle Ages, Renaissance, baroque and a number of Latvian composers. Georgs Pelecis is born in Riga, 1947, graduated from Aram Khachaturjan’s composition class of the P. Tschaikovsky Conservatoire, Moscow (1970), post graduate research studentship, until 1977, doctor art. (1981), doctor habil. art. (1990). “A Study Of Palestrina Style” is marked by the International Palestrina Center in Rome (1993). G. Pelecis studied for a short period at Oxford (1995, Corpus Christi College) and Cambridge (1997, Gonville and Caius College) Universities. His music for Roald Dahl’s “Jack And The Beanstalk” had its world-premiere in the Royal Albert Hall (London). Since 1990 G. Pelecis is professor of the Latvian Academy of Music. He teaches theory and history of counterpoint and fugue. He was the first president of the Riga Centre of Early Music. As a composer G. Pelecis took part in different music festivals ("Alternativa"- Moscow; Lochenhaus - Austria)

Deirdre McKay Deirdre McKay was born in Co. Down. She studied music at Queen's University, , continuing her studies with John Casken at the University of Manchester and later with Kevin Volans. In 2003 she completed a PhD in composition at Queen's University, Belfast, with Piers Hellawell.

Appointed Composer in Association to the Northern Sinfonia’s affiliated Young Sinfonia in 2002, her work has received over ninety performances in the past five years in Ireland, the UK, Europe, South Africa and the US with commissions from RTÉ, Music Network, Sligo New Music Festival and the Dublin Youth Orchestra with performances by the Vertavo, Tippett and RTÉ Vanbrugh String Quartets, Andrew Zolinsky, the Ulster Orchestra, the Crash Ensemble and Concorde. Her work has featured at the Park Lane Series at the South Bank, Orléans Concours International and the RTÉ Living Music Festival, and has been broadcast by the BBC and RTÉ Lyric FM. In 2005 her RTÉ Living Music Festival commission ‘Ice Etchings’ was selected for performance by the Firebird Ensemble at the IAMIC Congress in New York.

In education, she has led projects with the Ulster Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Pushkin Prizes Trust and Opera Theatre Company. Recent commissions include a second collaboration with visual artist Jean Duncan for the Naughton Gallery, a Concorde Beckett Centenary commission, an ACNI commission for the RTÉ National Chamber Choir and an RTÉ commission for the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.

The State Choir Latvija The State Choir Latvija was founded in 1942. The chorus gained its title of the state choir in 1947. Since 1997, the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the choir is Maris Sirmais. The repertoire encompasses large- scale compositions - oratorios, cantatas, masses, requiems, symphonies, concert performances of operas, a broad a cappella program and compositions for chorus and organ. This covers music from early Renaissance to the present day. The choir received the Latvian Grand Music Award three times (1998, 2000, 2002).In 2003 the choir received the Award of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia. The choir Latvija has developed creative relationships with leading symphony orchestras in Singapore, Israel, , Moscow, St.Petersburg, Lithuania, Estonia.To date, the choir has participated in many international music festivals such as the I and II International Music Festivals in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), the “Prague Spring International Music Festival”, festivals devoted to Bach and Handel in Leipzig and Berlin, the Biennial and “Festwoche” in Berlin, the “Schleswig- Holstein Music Festival”, the “XXII Festival Bellini” in Italy, the “Bucharest International Festival”, the Jubilee Celebration of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the “Warsaw Autumn”, the “Bratislava Music Festival” and other international music festivals in Norway, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium. The State Choir Latvija successfully collaborated with conductors Mariss Jansons, Valerij Gergiyev, Mstislav Rostropovich, Neeme Järvi, Lorin Mazel, Kurt Masur, Vasily Sinaiskis, Gintaras Rinkevicius, Jonas Aleksas, Jevgeny Svetlanov, Kiril Kondrashin, David Oistrakh, Genady Rozhdestvensky, Andres Mustonen, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Tõnu Kaljuste et al. In March 2006 the State Choir Latvija together with Gustav Mahler’s chamber orchestra and conductor Tonu Kaljuste had a performance in Ferrara, Italy, performing Arvo Pärt’s works: In principio and Cecilia, vergine romana In 2003 the choir organized a concert with only ARVO Pärt works. The composer himself prepared the concert of his works, some of which had not been heard before, and the concert was attended by the President ECM, Manfred Eicher. The Choir has also had a number of world premieres of Georg Pelecis work - God is Love (2001 the choir’s commission) - Requiem Latviense (2006 the choir’s commission)

Fergus Sheil Fergus Sheil studied music in Trinity College in Dublin and conducting with Leon Barzin in Paris. In 1995 he won the BRI Conducting competition run by the National Association of Youth Orchestras in the UK.He has worked for many of the major professional orchestras and opera companies in Ireland including the National Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St Cecilia, National Youth Orchestra, Opera Ireland, Wexford Festival Opera, Opera Theatre Company and Lyric Opera Productions. In 1996 Fergus became Chorus Master and Head of Music at Opera Ireland where he worked until 1998 when he joined Scottish Opera as Chorus Master. In 2002, he was invited to become director of Crash Ensemble, Ireland’s leading contemporary music ensemble, a position he held until 2004. Fergus’ operatic repertoire includes Lucia di Lammermoor, La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Aida, I due Foscari, Attila, Nabucco (for Lyric Opera) L’elisir d’amore (Opera Ireland, Scottish Opera), Aida (Scottish Opera), The Lighthouse – Maxwell Davies and La cenerentola (Opera Theatre Company). Internationally Fergus has fulfilled engagements in the UK, , , Estonia, South Africa, and the USA where he made his début in 2002 in New York’s Carnegie Hall in the opening concert of a tour of highlights from the “Irish Ring” – The Bohemian Girl, The Lily of Killarney and Maritana.

Michael McHale - piano

One of the leading young Irish pianists of his generation, Michael McHale's playing has been described as 'instantly engaging' (The Times), with 'lucidity and elegance' (Daily Telegraph). After graduating from Cambridge University with a double first-class honours degree in Music, Michael went on to study piano with Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music as holder of the EMI Music Sound Foundation Scholarship. A former student of John O'Conor and Reamonn Keary at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, he won the 2004 Camerata Ireland Musician of the Year, and was winner of the Brennan and Field Prizes at the 2006 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition. Michael was featured as a 'rising star' in International Piano magazine as a result of his performance of two Mozart concertos with the Halle Orchestra at the Piano 2006 festival in Manchester. He has performed throughout the UK and Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Hungary and USA, including several broadcast performances for BBC Radio 3 and RTE Radio, and has performed Beethoven Concertos 3 and 4 with the Ulster Orchestra and Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos with Barry Douglas and Camerata Ireland. Recent engagements include solo recitals in the Phillips Collection, Washington DC and National Concert Hall, Dublin, a concert tour of Ireland with Ensemble Avalon and performances of Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto with the Ulster Orchestra (for BBC Radio) and the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland (for RTE Lyric FM). Michael is grateful to Camerata Ireland / Accenture, the Musicians' Benevolent Fund, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Making Music and the Arts Council of Young Musicians' Platform for supporting his performing career.

Ioana Petcu Colan - violin

An Irish violinist of Romanian origin, Ioana is an established soloist and chamber musician travelling internationally to perform from her current home in Barcelona. Ioana's solo appearances with orchestra have featured Khachaturian, Shostakovitch, Bruch, Beethoven, Mozart and both Prokofiev Violin Concertos as well as works by Saint-Saens, Wieniaswki, Mozart and Sarasate and concertos by Bach performed both on modern and baroque violin. Ioana is soloist on two CDs released by RTE and was invited to premier 'Elastic Harmonic' for Violin and Orchestra by Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy on Irish national television. A keen chamber musician, Ioana is former 1st violin and founder member of the Callino Quartet with whom she enjoyed a full and varied performing career spanning seven years including concert tours, festival appearances and recordings, the latest release being 'Veer', a disc of Ian Wilson's string quartets. In duo partnership she has performed the complete Beethoven Piano and Violin Sonata cycle and has performed most of the major duo repertoire extensively. As a chamber musician, she has performed in such prestigious venues as London's Wigmore Hall, Dublin's National Concert Hall and Manchester's Bridgewater Hall and at many international festivals - Cheltenham, Ryedale, Bergen, Heidelberg Fruhlungs, West Cork Chamber Music, Kilkenny Arts, Clandeboye, Sligo New Music, 'Up North' and others. Ioana is currently a member of Ensemble Avalon and of the Irish Chamber Orchestra and is guest violinist with various ensembles. Ioana's studies took her from Ireland through France, obtaining the Premier Prix a l'Unanimite at the age of sixteen, to the UK where she was awarded a 1st class Honours BMus degree from the London Royal Academy of Music before returning to Ireland to receive a 1st-class MA in Performance from the Cork School of Music. Ioana plays on an Italian violin, built by Goffredo Cappa in 1695.