Mayo conductor Kathy Fahey to stage 'Illumination' concert on Achill Island

A FUNDRAISING concert conducted by renowned Mayo orchestra conductor, Kathy Fahey will take place in an Achill church as a fundraiser for the Camille Souter Cottage Residency.

The Achill Heinrich Boll Association will host 'Illumination' , a concert by Kathy Fahey, performed by Choral Symphony West with soloist Patrick Quinn in St Joseph’s Church, Bunnacurry, Achill on Saturday, August 17 at 8pm.

The concert is part of a fundraising campaign by the Achill Heinrich Böll Association who propose to purchase and refurbish the cottage and studio of renowned artist Camille Souter on Achill Island and establish a funded artists residency in her memory.

A native of Belcarra, Castlebar, Kathy Fahey is a freelance choral director and orchestra conductor who from a very young age, has been immersed in music, both teaching and performing.

Kathy was just 18 years old when she performed Handel’s Messiah for the first time as part of the Maynooth College Choral Society, where she was studying, and went on to conduct a full performance of the famous work in The Church of The Holy Rosary, Castlebar.

It was the first time to be performed in Mayo, with a 100 strong choir and 18-piece orchestra. Subsequently, sacred works are now performed biannually in the county town under her baton collaborating Vocalessence Ladies Choir with the Mayo Concert Orchestra, which is collectively known as Choral Symphony West.

She works with several choirs across Mayo, as well as Mayo Concert Orchestra with her most recent appointment being director of Gardiner Street Gospel Choir in Dublin. Commenting on her 'Illumination' concert, Kathy said it was inspired by the Northern Lights.

“I started composing 'Illumination' during the summer of 2023 having been hugely inspired by the sightings of the Northern Lights, and of course I am passionate about sacred music. Each of the 12 pieces in the work is loosely based around the imagery therein, each piece titled appropriately, and in addition, the seven choral pieces are all of a sacred nature, but themed around light.

“Along with those pieces, there are two symphonies, ‘Aurora's Prelude’ and ‘Enchanting Skies’. The full work is completed by powerful solos for tenor, mezzo-soprano and baritone,” she said.

Kathy also has a great love for gospel music, having trained the multi-awarded Chapel Street Gospel Choir, with a particular appreciation for traditional African American gospel and its historic significance as well as the more modern gospel spirituals.

Her career in most recent years has had considerable focus on composition, one of her finest achievements being her brainchild, Fáinne Óir, a dance show created and composed in 2019, with a storyline set during the Famine years in Ireland. This show has been performed across Ireland and on Broadway in New York.

Camille Souter's cottage

Camille Souter's cottage is located in Dooagh on Achill Island where she lived from 1958 into the early 1960’s and permanently from the mid 1980s until her death on March 3, 2023.

Achill Heinrich Böll Association recently launched a campaign to purchase the cottage to establish a funded artist's residence where professional artists will live and work at her studio for a given period with financial support.

Tickets for Illumination cost €20 each and are available at www.heinrichboellcottage.com.