Talentedcouple hit right notes for festive concert

NEXT week, The Irish Chamber Orchestra will present ‘Joyeaux Noël’, a programme of French festive music, at two of the country’s most historic cathedrals, St Fin Barre’s in Cork, and St Mary’s in Limerick.

Soprano Ailish Tynan will sing French favourites and traditional Christmas carols, while the orchestra will perform the music of Saint-Saëns, Vivaldi, Mahler, Britten, Debussy, Francaix and more.

The orchestra has just returned from a triumphant ‘Joyeaux Noël’ tour in Europe and, for two of its performers, Cork-based husband-and-wife team, Cian O’Duill and Aoife Nic Athlaoich, it has been a frantic time.

“We feel very fortunate to work together in the ICO,” says O’Duill, who has been a member of the orchestra since 2002. “We spent almost a decade living and working in the UK, when I would travel across to Ireland to play with ICO, while Aoife stayed in London.”

Then, their son was born, and that decided for the young couple. “We moved back to Cork in the summer of 2013 for a chance at what we saw was a better family life and have been very fortunate, in that we both have work at the Cork School of Music, and Aoife also got a position with ICO earlier this year.”

Now, they travel up and down to Limerick together whenever the orchestra is performing, so they spend more time together away from home.

Their families are an essential part of the back-up team. “Cian’s are based here in Cork and mine between Dublin and Kinsale, and they share the babysitting duties between them, when needed,” Aoife says.

Though they work hard, Aoife and Cian consider themselves lucky to be doing what they love. “Also, we both think it’s important that our son grows up understanding how much hard work we put in, and that he sees that we enjoy, and are very proud of, the work that we do.”

The plus side of such a demanding lifestyle is not being restricted to a 9-5 schedule, “so when we are at home, we often have good chunks of free time together”.

And then there is the travel bonus. “In the past year, with the ICO alone, we have visited most of Europe, as well as travelling extensively throughout Ireland. Outside of that, we have performed at the proms in London together, taught together at music courses in the UK and Ireland, performed a Brahms sextet with the Vanbrugh Quartet, and, between us, visited Mexico, Hungary, Spain, Italy and Belgium.”

It certainly beats an office job, despite the inevitable exhaustion of flights, airports, strange lodgings, and, of course, wondering how littlest one is getting on in their absence.

When we spoke, Cian and Aoife had only just arrived back from the hugely successful ICO tour of Austria and Germany, where ‘Joyeaux Noël’ received standing ovations.

“We did fabulous concerts, took walks in the foothills of the Alps, had plenty of good food and drink, and a spot of shopping at the Christmas Markets. It was wonderful! And, now, we’re going to play at two of our own Irish cathedrals, St Fin Barre’s and St Mary’s. We are so excited about that.”

• Irish Chamber Orchestra, ‘Joyeaux Noël’, St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork City, Thursday; St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick City, Friday. Booking on 061-331549 or www.uch.ie