Write a commentThe Irish choral ensemble, Anúna launches its 2014/2015 season this September with a concert in St Colman'a College Chapel in Newry later this month.
Founded in 1987 by its current director, Michael McGlynn, Anúna has over the last quarter century created a unique sonic ambience receiving accolades for the originality of their performances, recordings and the natural, unmannered quality of the singers' vocal production.
Anúna's concerts feature a compelling combination of candle-lit movement, costume and atmospheric music. All of their material is written or arranged for the group by McGlynn, and includes reconstructions of early and medieval music from Ireland and beyond. Anúna sing unaccompanied and without conductor, with between twelve and fourteen singers in any performance.
Their flexibility as an ensemble has allowed them to slip easily between musical genres. As a highly acclaimed classical choral ensemble they have appeared twice at the World Sacred Music Festival in Morocco, given the first-ever Irish Prom at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, and have sung at the prestigious Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In June 2014 Anúna performed to great acclaim at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, where they will return at the end of the 2014/15 season.
Their unique nature has allowed them to cross over successfully into various other musical genres. In 1994 they created the vocal ambience of Riverdance, before departing the Show in 1996. During that period they reached top 10 in the U.K. Singles Charts and held the number 1 spot in the Irish Singles Chart for eighteen weeks. While curating the prestigious Meltdown Festival at London's South Bank in 1995, Elvis Costello invited Anúna to perform.
The 2014/2015 season is truly international, featuring tours to Japan, the Netherlands and China and beginning with a performance in Newry followed by one in Belfast.
The Newry concert is on Thursday 25 September at 8pm at St Colman's College Chapel, Newry while the Belfast concert is the following day Friday 26 September at Clonard Monastery, Belfast
Tickets [unreserved]: £15 / £12 concession
Tickets available online at: www.anuna.ie or on the door (both venues).
Commenting on the up-coming concerts Michael McGlynn said “ This year is very special. For the first time in our history the majority of our singers, who come from all over the world, are from Northern Ireland. Many of them first experienced the choir as children attending our concerts over the last three decades.
These performances will feature the classic trademarks of Anúna - candles, atmosphere and a unique haunting soundscape that has taken us from China to Morocco and New York to Buenos Aires.”
