MUSIC Bofeenaun celebrates a decade of classics

CLASSICAL NOTES?Cello player Su-a Lee will return to Bofeenaun to perform as part of the village’s tenth-anniversary Mayo Summer Classic concerts.

Bofeenaun celebrates a decade of classics


Set against the backdrop of Nephin Mountain, the small rural village of Bofeenaun in north Mayo seems at first an unlikely setting for a series of prestigious classical music concerts. It is home to a population of around 40 people and comprises two shops, a school, a community centre and a church. However, each July for the past nine years, the normally sleepy village has been awoken by the notes of Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart drifting out of the local church during a series of concerts performed by some of Europe’s most celebrated classical musicians.
These Mayo Summer Classics concerts have been a resounding success since they first began, attracting classical music lovers from all over Ireland and parts of Europe, and putting this unlikely village on the classical music map. The event has gone from strength to strength and, due to demand, what  started as a one-night only event grew into a weekend-long festival.
This year, to mark the Mayo Summer Classics tenth anniversary, a Sunday matinee performance has been added to the bill and two additional musicians will complete the line-up. Each night will also feature a unique programme of music. It promises to be one of the biggest and best series of concerts to date.
The musicians will once again be headed by Iain King on violin. King has led the concerts since they first began. Originally from Scotland, but now living outside of Ballina, Iain has played with both the Philharmonic Orchestra (first violin) and the English Chamber Orchestra (assistant leader). He will be joined by four other musicians: Gareth Hulse, on the oboe; Caroline Clemmow, on piano; Brian Schiele, on the viola; and Su-a Lee, on the cello.
Gareth Hulse has played principal oboe with the Northern Sinfonia, the English National Opera and the London Philharmonic. Caroline Clemmow is a founder member of the Hartley Piano Trio. Argentinian-born Brian Schiele currently plays with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and helped found Mr McFall’s Chamber group. Korean-born Su-a Lee helped also found Mr McFall’s Chamber group and has been assistant principal cellist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra since 2003. She is also widely noted for pushing musical and performance boundaries and has previously treated the audience in Bofeenaun to her musical-saw playing.

The Mayo Summer Classics tenth-anniversary concerts will take place on Thursday, July 11, at 8pm; Saturday, July 13, at 8pm; and Sunday, July 14, at 4pm. Tickets (€22.50 each) are available from Thomas Rowland on 087 2234957. For more information, visit www.mayosummerclassics.com.