Young Ambassadors to represent Music Generation at Major International Conference this July!

Back row, L-R: Sarah Murphy, Michelle Gallagher, Síofra Hanley, Ella Doherty, Amy Meehan, Catherine Gallagher, Elliot Murphy, Jennifer Kilcoyne, Grainne Mulligan, Alice Purcell. Front row, L-R: Feargus Murphy, Evan McGinty, Seamus Devenny, Cale O'Donnell, Lughan Devenny. Image: Christina Irwin

Tuesday 12 July, Dublin – Fourteen young musicians ages 14 to 19 from Sligo and Donegal will travel to Glasgow later this month to represent Music Generation at the 32nd Annual International Society of Music Education (ISME) Conference. The ensemble, formed especially for the occasion, will premiere their own original compositions on Tuesday 26 July at the National Piping Centre, Glasgow, for an audience of musicians and educators from across the globe.

Present in over eighty countries, ISME is affiliated to the International Music Council and UNESCO and is the premiere international organisation for music education.

The Music Generation Young Ambassadors – five from Sligo and nine from Donegal – will treat delegates to a 30-minute set featuring a series of traditional Irish and contemporary songs and works, including the world premiere of ‘Generation Music’, a collaborative composition produced for this particular event. Performing across musical genres and styles, members of the ensemble will play a diverse range of instruments, from concertina to clarinet, fiddle to flute, drums, bass, piano, voice and more.

Speaking of the upcoming event, Rosaleen Molloy, National Director of Music Generation, said: “This global conference offers a world platform to showcase the brilliant work of these extraordinary young musicians, and will give hundreds of international delegates an insight into the breadth and quality of youth music-making happening in Ireland. We’re honoured that our Young Ambassadors from Donegal and Sligo will have the chance to perform at such a prestigious event. We hope that they’ll continue their musical journeys with confidence and pride, having created, produced and staged what’s certain to be a world-class gig in Glasgow!”

Síofra Hanley, Young Ambassador from Music Generation Sligo, said: “I’m really excited to represent Music Generation in Glasgow. We know that the Conference is a massive event and lots of other musicians and music groups from around the world will be performing. It’s great that we can be part of that and to have had the chance to perform our own composition The Three Wishes and to collaborate with the group from Donegal to create brand new music together. We’ve been working really hard on a dynamic, energetic set and we can’t wait to perform it for the audience.”

Throughout July the combined Donegal / Sligo ensemble have come together to collaborate, compose and rehearse the set that will be performed at ISME 2016. This exciting, cross-county music-making process is directed by Sarah Murphy and assisted by Seamus Devenny, with sound by Feargus Murphy (all of Wall2Wall Music, Derry)

The Young Ambassadors participate in programmes run through Music Generation Sligo and Donegal Music Education Partnership, as well as national Music Generation projects and events, including 'Music @ Mount Leinster' (a cross-county music camp for young traditional Irish musicians), ‘Soundwaves’ (a Music Generation/Arts Council Partnership Project to develop the skills of a 21st century musician), and The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Irish Tour, 2015.

Music Generation is Ireland’s national music education programme, initiated by Music Network and co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Skills and local Music Education Partnerships.

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Notes to Editors

Follow the journey of these Young Ambassadors through rehearsal to their performance at ISME Glasgow 2016:
Facebook: MusicGeneration
Twitter: @Mus_Gen #ismeglasgow2016

About Music Generation Sligo
Music Generation Sligo is a music education service for children and young people in County Sligo. It is part of Music Generation – Ireland’s National Music Education Programme, initiated by Music Network, co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Skills and Local Music education Partnerships. Locally, Music Generation Sligo is managed and funded locally by Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB, Sligo County Council, Sligo Education Centre, Sligo County Childcare Committee, Cranmore Regeneration and the local music sector.

About Donegal Music Education Partnership
Donegal Music Education Partnership (DMEP) was one of two local Music Education Partnerships piloted in a joint initiative between Music Network and the Department of Education in 2005. DMEP has gone from strength to strength ever since. It provides quality, after-school instrumental and vocal tuition in a wide range of instruments in numerous centres across the county, largely held in Donegal ETB’s network of schools, colleges and centres. Genres taught include classical, traditional, jazz and contemporary/rock music.

International Society for Music Education
The International Society for Music Education (ISME) was formed at a conference convened by UNESCO in 1953 ‘to stimulate music education as an integral part of general education.’ This has been ISME's main concern over the past decades and continues to be its most important source of motivation. Present in over eighty countries, ISME is affiliated to the International Music Council and UNESCO and is the premiere international organisation for music education. ISME believes that lived experiences of music, in all their many aspects, are a vital part of the life of all people. Its mission is to enhance those experiences by:

• building and maintaining a worldwide community of music educators characterised by mutual respect and support;
• fostering global intercultural understanding and cooperation among the world's music educators; and
• promoting music education for people of all ages in all relevant situations throughout the world.

The 32nd Annual ISME Conference will be held in Glasgow, UK, from 24 – 29 July 2016.