Musician and composer Martin Tourish was commissioned to create a 20 minute suite of music inspired by the life of Colonel James Fitzmaurice in collaboration with the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra.
Colonel James Fitzmaurice was a pioneering aviator from Portlaoise who was part of the first successful transatlantic aircraft flight from East to West in 1928.
This young group of musicians have worked with Martin in a highly collaborative way to create new music together during the pandemic. The orchestra auditioned online for new members during lockdown, and increased in numbers from 23 members to 76, with new musicians joining from different parts of Ireland, north and south, from Armagh to Cork.
Members then composed music with Martin using zoom calls, youtube videos, emails, audio files.
The project's development has unearthed many intriguing parallels between our current challenges, and those faced by Fitzmaurice in his lifetime.