RTÉ has announced fiddle player, singer and composer Zoë Conway as Associate Artist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
A central figure in Irish traditional music, over the years Zoë Conway has collaborated with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra on a range of projects encompassing concerts, broadcasts, recordings, a Fleadh Cheoil na Éireann appearance and a tour of China.
As Associate Artist with the RTÉ CO, she joins an artistic team that already includes jazz supremo Guy Barker, also an Associate Artist, further enhacing the Orchestra's expansive repetroire.
Zoë Conway said: 'I feel privileged to bring my music to this wonderful orchestra as playing with them is one of my favourite things to do! I just love that place where Irish traditional and orchestral worlds come together, and I feel this collaboration is an exciting development for my music and voice as a composer and performer, and an important development of our living, breathing tradition.’
Watch: Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre perform Faoiseamh a Gheobhadsa (I Will Find Solace)
An RTÉ Concert Orchestra concert on 15th November at the National Concert Hall will showcase Zoë Conway's talents as both a performer and a composer. The first half of the evening features the world premiere of the film From a Forest to a Fiddle, accompanied by a live performance of Zoë’s score, while the second half promises a feast of traditional music old and new, including her work Desert Storm/Rounding Malin Head and Bill Whelan’s iconic Riverdance.
Performing alongside Zoë and the RTÉ CO, led by Principal Guest Conductor Stephen Bell, will be guitarist - and her husband - John Mc Intyre, alongside music greats Dónal Lunny, Louise Mulcahy and John Sheahan.
Watch: Zoë Conway + John McIntyre perform Gillespies Mazurka / The Bakers Reel / The Calgary P
A celebration of tradition, of craft and of nature, From a Forest to a Fiddle is a meditative artistic timelapse capturing craftsman Jim Mc Killop making a fiddle in his rural workshop in the Cooley Mountains. Mc Killop has stopped making instruments but was persuaded by Zoë Conway – who buys all her fiddles from him – to make just one more so his process could be captured. The project, supported by An Táin Arts Centre and The Arts Council, was commissioned by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
RTÉ Concert Orchestra General Manager Joe Csibi said: 'Zoë's personality has always shone through in her creative being. She writes so beautifully and creatively that it is hard to do anything but be captivated. As a performer, she is a virtuoso. As a composer, a genius. Our orchestra is lucky to work with Zoë and to create new and fabulous musical adventures for our audience.’
From A Forest To A Fiddle With Zoë Conway and guests is at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, on November 15th 2023 - find out more here.
