Riverdance: The Music of Bill Whelan

featuring the WORLD PREMIERE of the RIVERDANCE SYMPHONIC SUITE

RTÉ Concert Orchestra
David Brophy conductor
Thursday 17 May, 8pm
National Concert Hall

With guests Bill Whelan,  fiddle player Zoë Conway,  accordionist Máirtín O’Connor, vocalist Eleanor McEvoy, uilleann piper Maitiú Ó Casaide,  dancers Yolanda Gonzalez Sobrado and  Mick Donegan,  Crash Ensemble and UCD Choral Scholars

Programme includes the world premiere of the Symphonic Suite from Riverdance , Caracena from The Seville Suite,  The Currach and Evening Céilí from Inishlacken,  An Chistin from Carna,  Jazzical Cyclebike,  Seabird,  Flying Blind,  Lift the Wings,  Shivna  and The Heart’s Cry

Following the sell-out success of A Celebration of Bill Whelan in 2010, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra returns with what is sure to be another spectacular collaboration with Grammy Award-winning composer Bill Whelan.

The RTÉ CO gave the electrifying first performance of Riverdance as the interval act in the 1994 Eurovision and went on to record the phenomenally successful CD of the entire show. Now, as part of a wide-ranging programme of his music, the orchestra has the honour of giving the world premiere of Bill’s Symphonic Suite from Riverdance. This promises to be not only a highlight of the evening’s celebration but a highlight of Irish musical life this year.

     Bill Whelan writes:  ‘The idea for a Riverdance Symphonic Suite has been on my radar for some time.  Over the years I have often had requests from foreign orchestras for a full-length concert piece containing the music from the show. As my original score incorporated traditional instruments, it was not always easy to assemble the various ethnic elements for a concert in say, Japan. So what I have done with this new score is to present all the themes fromRiverdance in a way that is playable by a full symphony orchestra anywhere in the world, without the traditional musicians. There were two principal challenges – the first was to arrange the themes and melodies as a colourful and dynamic concert piece. The second was to choose the instruments from within the orchestra to appropriately replace the original ethnic instruments and voices. As this will be its first performance, I look forward with anticipation as this augmented RTÉ CO under David Brophy brings the work of the last few years to life.’

Tickets: €11–€38 (conc. €10–€35)
10% group discount available
Booking: 353 (01) 417 0000 or www.rte.ie/co

For further information please contact

Angela Rohan, PR Executive, RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Tel: 353 (01) 208 2493 | Mobile: 353 (087) 617 2531 | Email: angela.rohan@rte.ie

Read this on the Riverdance website: Riverdance: The Music of Bill Whelan

All photos Anita and Steve Shevett unless otherwise indicated.

The final number of the show, Heartland, on opening night

Conor Hayes and Sinead McCafferty take their finale bows

John McColgan (Director), Moya Doherty (Producer) and Bill Whelan (Composer)

Moya Doherty, Gene Wilder and John McColgan with the Riverdance Day Proclamation signed by NY mayor Michael Bloomberg

An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (Irish Prime Minister), Moya Doherty, John McColgan

Ted Kennedy Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, Moya Doherty

Barbara Galavan with Riverdance composer Bill Whelan

Former and current Riverdance principal dancers Jean Butler and Sinead McCafferty

Riverdance Principal dancers, Sinead McCafferty and Conor Hayes

Cuan Hanly (husband of Jean Butler), Jean Butler, Joan Egan of Tyrone Productions and her husband Gabriel Egan (picture: Irish Voice)

The Celtic Tenors – James Nelson, Niall Morris, Matthew Gilsenan who entertained the guests at the opening night party (picture: Irish Voice)

Moya Doherty with Chloe from Celtic Woman and Adele King, also known as ‘Twink

Celtic Woman members Maeve Ni Mhaolohatha, Orla Fallon and Mairead Nesbitt

Riverdance dancers Susan Ginnety (who was celebrating her 10th year with Riverdance), Aileen Cronin, Conor Hayes and Yvonne Mahady

Jean Butler (centre) with (left to right) Riverdance dancers Aislinn Ryan, Laura Minogue, Jennifer Healy and Patricia Henry

Riverdance dancers Melissa Convery, Anna Brovkina, Aaron Tolson, Tokiko Masuda and Sam Nichols.

Moscow Folk Ballet dancers Alexei Soukarhev, his wife Liubov Marchukova and baby Georgiy in full tuxedo!

Zoe Conway (Riverdance fiddle player) with Riverdance flamenco dancers Yolanda Gonzales Sobrado and Carmen Armengou

Dancer Sean Beglan, Sean’s mother, Senior Executive Producer of Riverdance Julian Erskine and dancer Jillian Winke

Riverdance dancers Deirdre McDonnell, Katie Flannery, Aileen Cronin, Corey Hutchins, Amy Siegal and Moscow Folk Ballet dancer Natalia Tomilina

John McColgan greets the crowd to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Riverdance. (picture: Irish Voice)

Moya and John with the Riverdance 10 year anniversary cake

Read this on the Riverdance website: Riverdance celebrates its 10th anniversary in style