Donegal VEC Music Education Partnership’s Donegal Youth Orchestra has been awarded a special Achievement Award for "The Happy Prince" project. The citation reads "For outstanding artistic achievement and for outstanding promotion of music in the community." The award was given at the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras Festival in the National Concert Hall, Dublin on Saturday 9th February and was presented to Vincent Kennedy (Composer, and also conductor of the Donegal Youth Orchestra) and Angela McLaughlin (Music Development Manager with the Donegal Music Education Partnership) by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald.
This award is a wonderful recognition for all involved in the beautiful Happy Prince production - John Nee (who has written the retelling of Oscar Wilde's story and who narrates and acts it so beautifully), Vincent Kennedy (Composer & Conductor), Raymond Keane (Director), Donegal Youth Orchestra (leader Joanne Cuffe), Donegal Youth Choir (Director Sara Laughlin), Niall Cranney (Lighting Design and sound) and the commissioner Terre Duffy and Donegal County Council Public Art Programme.
The Happy Prince was commissioned by the Donegal County Council’s Public Art Office, and produced by An Grianán Theatre in partnership with the Donegal VEC Music Education Partnership. You will have another opportunity to see The Happy Prince locally when it will be performed in An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny, on Sunday afternoon, 14 April.
For further information on the award and Donegal Music Education Partnership, tel. (074) 9176293 / musiceducation@donegalvec.ie
