International choirs sing in Mayo towns

OVER 1,000 singers will take part in the second Mayo International Choral Festival later this month May. Expect to hear singing from many genres, including jazz, pop, folk, barbershop, sacred, and some yet to be defined. Over 40 male and female international, national and Mayo choirs will participate on a competitive and non-competitive basis. The event will include a number of evening and daily county-wide performances, as well as competitions and workshops. Choirs from Mayo, Mayo Lions clubs and local community groups will assist with the coordination of the concerts, and visiting choirs. International choirs include from the US, The University of New Hampshire Touring Ensembles; from England, The Reading Male Voice Choir; from Wales, Cantorion Colin Jones; from Germany, Hendsemer Krischer and from Scotland, the Oban Gaelic Choir. Thereâ€â„¢s a great representation from around Ireland including last yearâ€â„¢s festival winners â€ËœEnchiriadisâ€â„¢, back to defend their honour. Seven community concerts will take place all over the county (8.30pm), with local and visiting choirs performing at each. Thursday May 23 sees the festival opening concert in the Castlecourt Hotel, Westport. On Friday 25th choirs and guest artistes will perform in concerts in Ballina, Ballinrobe, Ballintubber, Killala, Newport and Swinford. Saturday sees the adjudications of the competing choirs â€â€ open to the public and itâ€â„¢s a great chance to see all the choirs singing at their best. In between the competitions choirs will perform short outdoor street performances and also at Mayo Memorial Peace Park, weather permitting. At 8.30pm on Saturday, many of the prize-winning choirs will perform at the Gala Choral Concert in the Royal Theatre, Castlebar. During this event, all the choirs will sing two songs in unison, as a massed choir, the highlight of the festival. Post entertainment with â€ËœThe Lucky Pluckersâ€â„¢, featuring traditional Irish Music song and dance, and some funky tunes for those who want to step it out. On Sunday, everyone is invited to sing at the Dawn Chorus at Lough Lannagh car park, Castlebar at 8am, and in Ballina on the new bridge at 5.15am. International group show at Kennys THE official opening of Vibrant Synchronies, a group art exhibition, will take place at The Kenny Gallery, Galway on Friday May 10 at 3 pm. The speaker will be Marilyn Gaughan, Galway County Arts Officer. This is a cosmopolitan group of fine artists, many of whom have previously been selected to exhibit their work in Estense Castle in Ferrara, Italy. They have come together under the professional guidance and curatorial skills of Paola Trevisan. She provides a strong interactive network for artists from all over the world. They come together to communicate and share their various cultures and experiences, and to learn from each other. This exciting show consists of the paintings and sculpture of 13 artists from eleven different countries. It provides us with a diversity of styles, influences, sensibilities and character from differing ethnic backgrounds. Galway Dance Days next week GALWAY will play host to a festival of dance with a difference devised and presented by choreographer and Galway-Dancer-in Residence, Rionach Ní Néill. Galway Dance Days 2013 takes place from May 16 to 18. It is part of the 45th Conference of Irish Geographers, hosted by NUI Galwayâ€â„¢s Geography Department. The CIG is their biggest yet, with 250 delegates, and the keynote speaker is David Harvey, probably the most famous radical geographer of this generation. Rider in Arena (NUIGâ€â„¢s The Cube 1pm Friday May 18th) is a multiple series of compositions by internationally renowned solo dancer Elena Giannotti. Dancing intricate and minimalist movements with precision and forgetfulness, her subtle and atmospheric work is stark in its breathtaking simplicity. Alongside the academic strand will be a number of exciting dance performances: At Town Hall Theatre on Thursday May 16 celebrated Catalan dance troupe La Veronal, fresh from their most recent trip to Russia, present â€ËœShort Cutsâ€â„¢. Blending a dazzling technical virtuosity with references from cinema, philosophy, photography, art and literature, they create a unique narrative. At 8pm in Druid Theatre on Saturday May 18 the visceral, provocative and funny, Fitzgerald & Stapleton present â€ËœThe Work The Workâ€â„¢. Their delight in the details of human existence struggles with their conviction of its futility. For full programme and updates see Galway Dance Days 2013 on www.facebook.com/pages/Galway-Dance-Days-2013 May Over The Edge THE May Over The Edge Writersâ€â„¢ Gathering presents readings by Fiona Smith and Kevin Doyle and the Galway launch of Between Time by Jean Folan, The Light Knows Tricks by Jo Hemmant and The First Book of Frags by Dave Lordan. The event will take place at Charlie Byrneâ€â„¢s Bookshop, Middle Street, Galway on Friday, May 17, at 6.30pm. All are welcome. There is no cover charge.