Exciting ideas in the pipeline for Longford's third Camlin Keys Festival

The afternoon of Saturday, July 6 saw Lenny Chen and Athénaís, Ariane-Eugenie and Aristide Selve, bring to a close the second Camlin Keys Festival, Longford.

The festival, funded by Creative Ireland, greeted talented musicians from all over the country, as far afield as Cork, Monaghan, Sligo and closer to home, Roscommon and Westmeath, all of whom gathered to share their hard work and commitment to mastering their instruments.

Camlin Keys opened in St John’s Church, Longford on Friday evening to the glorious singing of Athlone A Cappella, ladies barbershop group sharing their wonderful sounds, with a demo of how a capella works from their Musical Director, Hillary Roche.

PICTURES | Longford's Camlin Keys Festival hits the high notes in memorable style

Joining them in the concert was Ubuntu Voices Choir, Moate, a Music Generation Westmeath and New Horizons project of intergenerational and multicultural singing for the joy of singing, led by Andrew Yau.

Longford’s Wings of Ukraine gave a performance of traditional songs as part of the evening, with all the choirs uniting for the last few songs which included some audience participation – great fun – with the music of Niall Mannion and Andrew Yau on violin, piano and voice providing an interlude to the choirs.

Saturday morning’s Mindful Musician workshop delivered by adjudicator, Niall Mannion, was well attended with the morning’s participants, eagerly looking for tips on how to beat their pre-performance jitters! The performance classes ran throughout the morning, with pianists from as young as 4 playing their pieces.

Pictures | Longford's second Camlin Keys Festival strikes the right chord

Festival Director, Joanna Pearman, emphasised, “Camlin Key’s ethos is very much that the festival be an opportunity to perform and show off your pieces, rather than be a competitive activity. The focus is very much on sharing and playing the pieces for each other.”

With the introduction of a bowed string section, people were treated not only to piano, but also violin and cello.

Early years music was in session throughout the morning, as Laura O’Gara kept the younger siblings entertained, and the arrival of Danna Davis, Musical Youth Edenderry, provided a musical story-time delight bringing the adventure of the Little Red Hen to life! Danna continued with a Vocal Workshop in the afternoon explaining the workings of the voice and how to best use it.

Meanwhile Andrew Yau worked with some of the young musicians in a Composition Workshop – we can’t wait to hear the finished piece which features, harp, flute, clarinet, piano and electric guitar!

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The day was busy but rewarding, summed up by Agnieszka Butt who travelled with her daughter Sofia from Cork for the weekend, “Camlin Keys Festival 2024 brought together talented young musicians, where they presented their music in a friendly atmosphere. My daughter didn't feel like there was a competition, she felt like she was just attending the concert. The organisers ensured a friendly atmosphere. In another room, children's games full of musical activities were organised. We participated in mindful musicianship. Niall Mannion taught us some tricks on how to deal with stress and present yourself on stage. After this, nothing was scary anymore! I suggest you participate in this event, regardless of your musical level.
There is a place for everyone there. All the children did a great job! At the higher level, it was an amazing performance, young pianists presented their music straight from the heart, you could hear it. I hope that next year we will be able to participate in the closing concert of the entire festival.”

Ms Pearman expressed thanks to the festival funders, Creative Ireland, Longford County Council, Longford Arts Office and Ballymahon Municipal District, organising committee members Carmel Keenan, Francesca Pawleczyk and Tamara Niekludow and to Rev. Simon Scott, St John’s Church and St John’s National School ‘without whom the Camlin Keys Festival would not be possible’.

She concluded, “We have lots of exciting ideas and plans for next year in the pipeline and welcome ideas and suggestions from the wider community. Please find us on Facebook, visit our website, www.camlinkeys.ie, or email –camlinkeyspianofestival@gmail.com.”

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