Ireland’s cultural Presidency
IFACCA/Artshub,
25 January 2004, Ireland
Ireland has commenced the Presidency of the EU with a strong cultural focus including visits by Irish artists and performers to a number of European cities.
The EU e-letter Alert has advised of the following activities:
The Irish Chamber Orchestra will perform in Vilnius, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw and Cyprus.
The contemporary music group, Crash Ensemble, will perform in the 25th anniversary of the prestigious Estonian Music Days Festival.
The National Chamber Choir will take to the stage in Prague and Wraclow in June.
Opera Ireland will take part in a special 24-hour event to celebrate the Latvian entry into the European Union.
The Vanbrugh String Quartet will be performing to audiences in Cyprus.
Irish Modern Dance Theatre, contemporary music composer Jürgen Simpson and DJ Herv will be participating in a weekend of contemporary performing arts entitled Our Dublin in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
Music Network will be organising a series of concerts in Hungary and Estonia featuring Dorian, the Callino Quartet and Finghin Collins. Collins and the Callino Quartet will also be performing for the President and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic in a major concert at the historic Waldstein Palace in Prague to celebrate Irish and Czech culture through music.
Visual artist Alice Maher will be the very first artist in an exciting season of work by European artists to exhibit in Slovenia.
Pianist Miceal O'Rourke performed alongside the Bratislava Chamber Orchestra in Slovakia on Monday 19th January while organist, Professor Gerard Gillen, will give a special recital in Bratislava Castle, Slovakia, on 30th April.
The Irish Literary Exchange will participate as the first ever Irish organising partner in the Annual European First Novel Festival in Budapest, as well as running a number of dedicated Irish literature and poetry book events in the Prague Bookfair.
In tandem with this prominent literary event in Prague, the Czech capital will be hosting a film festival that is primarily literary in content. This year the Irish Presidency Cultural Programme will support a showcase of a number of leading Irish features and short films.
The Irish Film Board and Irish Film Institute, in cooperation with the Europa Cinema Network which specialises in promoting European Cinema, will tour a season of Irish films entitled Green Screen to the Czech Republic, Estonia, Malta, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia.
May Day will be an historic event with ten New Member States joining the existing 15 EU countries. Ireland has planned a Day of Welcomes with a special cultural programme and a European Fair on St Stephen’s Green.
The full official programme for the Irish Presidency can be viewed on the Presidency web site.
The EU Presidency transfers to The Netherlands in July.
For more information, CLICK HERE