Drogheda Community Orchestra, which was founded last year under the guidance of artistic director Tadhg Murphy, makes its debut at The Barbican Centre, William Street, Drogheda, on Saturday 8^th February, with special guests, sopranos Hannah O’Brien and Amie Dyer.

 The concert will also feature a reworking of local composer Michael Holohan’s The Sabbath Rang Slowly, from his 2017 work “Our Town”.

Also on the agenda are classic orchestral works from the likes of Franz Levar and Johann Strauss Snr and Jnr, as well as more modern cinema works from the pen of Ennio Morricone and Klaus Badelt.

Tadhg Murphy needs no introduction to the Drogheda musical scene, having begun his career on the violin in the Sound Shop School of Music under the initial tuition of Niamh Tiernan, herself now a viola player in the orchestra.

A career that included tours of Asia with the Royal Irish Academy of Music Chamber Orchestra and then as a freelance with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra has seen Tadhg come full circle, returning to his home town to set up his own school of music.

“I reconnected with the town’s many talented musicians,” says Tadhg, “which led to the idea of forming a community orchestra, one where people could rekindle their passion, others could explore music for the first time and others could expand their musical interests.

“In May 2024, a passionate group of local musicians gathered to bring this dream to life through the Drogheda Community Orchestra. This concert is not just a performance, it’s a vibrant celebration of community, talent and the joy of music,” he added.

Soprano Amie Dyer is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has recently returned to her home town of Drogheda after completing an 18-month contract at an Austrian opera house. She values the encouragement and support that she has enjoyed from people in Drogheda and is looking forward to giving something back to the town.

Hannah O’Brien, also a soprano singer, was a Wexford Festival artist in recent years. She was a recipient in 2023 of the Veronica Dunne bursary for young Irish singers. She obtained a distinction in her postgraduate diploma in advanced vocal studies and also studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Sylvia O’Regan and Dr Dearbhla Collins.

Composer Michael Holohan will be another familiar name to local music buffs, having moved here from Dublin in 1983. His many and varied works have included compositions for local brass bands and choirs, as well as works for the RTE Concert Orchestra. He also collaborated with well-known poets such as Seamus Heaney, Richard Murphy, Dermot Healy and Susan Connolly.

Tickets for the concert, which starts at 7.30pm on Saturday 8^th February, are sold out. But anyone interested in purchasing one is asked to keep an eye on Drogheda Community Orchestra’s Facebook and Instagram profiles in the lead-up to the event for any late returns that may allow further sales.

The orchestra rehearses in Drogheda Brass Band rooms in East Coast Business Park on Matthew’s Lane on Monday nights from 7.30pm to 9.30pm and is always looking for new members to join. Contact droghedacommunityorchestra@gmail.com.