50th Anniversary Opening Concert

We opened the year and our 50th anniversary celebrations on the 17th April at the prestigious Royal Over-Seas League Club in St James’s. It was superbly compered by Irish actor Donal Cox and we were honoured to have him.

Sacha Bistany opened for us on guitar, a particular highlight was ‘Down By The Sally Gardens’. Sacha is the joint winner of the Irish Heritage Homan Potterton Bursary for Stringed Instruments 2024. Alex Heusen, who looks after the legacy of Homan Potterton, was in the audience and said he was delighted with the performance. Phoebe White performed on the violin, accompanied by Peter Regan on piano, and is the joint winner of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival Bursary for 2023. Phoebe’s rendition was outstanding. Owen Lucas tenor, sang magnificently – including Benjamin Britten’s ‘O Waly Waly.’ He is the winner of the Irish Heritage Brackaville Bursary for Vocal Studies and was accompanied on piano by Frasier Hickland, another Irish Heritage alumnus. Gabriel Francis-Dehqani wowed the audience with his playing of the cello. Gabriel has won the IH Music Bursary for Performance 2024, and he was accompanied by last year’s winner of the same bursary, Luke Lally Maguire. Harry O’Connor premiered his piece, which won him the Composition Bursary sponsored by The Ireland Funds of GB. The piece was in two sections bringing alive the sound of winds through music. The opus was played by Luke.

The guest of honour for the evening was Sioned Williams, former Principal Harpist at the BBC Symphony Orchestra and she gave a lovely sequence of Irish melodies along with some historical background to her pieces, delighting all. Everyone agreed that the talent displayed this year was really quite outstanding.

Fifty years is a remarkable achievement to have attained and our founders, Ethna and Charles Kennedy, laid strong foundations to take us to where we are today. It was a privilege to have Dr Mary Wilson, their daughter, attend the concert and witness the continuation of her parents’ noble work.