Teens tune up for challenge of major orchestral event

She might be just 13 but Amy Dolan is already leader of the band — and not just any band — the County Cork School of Music VEC Senior Youth Orchestra, no less.

Along with the other 90 or so members of the orchestra, Amy has been chosen to play at the prestigious 18th Festival of Youth Orchestras at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, next weekend as part of the celebrations surrounding Ireland’s EU presidency.

“Oh my God, I’m so excited! It’s such a big stage!” says the young violinist. “We have about 91 students in the orchestra. Some of them are older than me and some are a bit younger.”

“I’m a bit nervous about being the leader, but we’ve had loads of practice — we practise every Saturday from 10am to 1pm, and later if we have something big on.

“We played for President Higgins on January 18 when he came to Coláiste Choilm in Ballincollig,” says Amy, who has played the violin since she was five. She has been with the County Cork School of Music since the age of eight.

The Cork group will join seven other orchestras with over 500 young musicians from around Ireland and abroad to perform pieces, from The Sleeping Beauty waltz by Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins to arrangements of ‘Born This Way’ and ‘Edge of Glory’ by Lady Gaga.

For clarinet player and musician Niamh Grimmer from Schull, the trip to the National Concert Hall will be a welcome break from exam stress.

“I really enjoy it. It’s great fun and I really like it. Everyone up there is really nice and it’ll be a lovely break after the mock Junior Cert exams,” says the 14-year-old, a student at Schull Community College.

The festival, which takes place at the National Concert Hall in Dublin next Saturday, is being included in the official cultural programme of the Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union.

At the festival, run by the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras, there will also be a combined string orchestra of more than 60 players from orchestras in Dublin, Denmark and Norway.

The VEC youth orchestra is County Cork School of Music’s largest senior ensemble and accommodates students from all over the Cork county and the greater Munster area.

This is the Cork orchestra’s fourth visit to the festival.

It won the best emerging orchestra award in 1999 at its first visit to the NCH.

* Tickets from €7.50 to €15 from the NCH box office: 01 417 0000, www.nch.ie