Irish Institute of Music Song podcast

Our IIMS Guest Artist in episode 20 is Ardú, Ireland's premier a cappella vocal band. The Dublin-based ensemble specialises in contemporary unaccompanied vocal music in various styles.   During the group's recording session at the Irish Institute of Music and Song, Dónal spoke to artistic director Ciarán Kelly, soprano Laura Shields and bass Adam Hannon about their repertoire, their complex recording process and their experiences of making music together during lockdown.   Subscribe at www.irishinstituteofmusic.com

In episode 19, we welcome Canadian conductor Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt onto the podcast for the second installation of the IIMS Choral Series. In our IIMS Choral Series, we reach out to conductors and choral experts across the world to discuss repertoire, conducting and singing technique.   Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt is the Director of Choral Programs at the University of Toronto whose research areas include leadership styles among conductors, and choral repertoire, particularly by Canadian composers. Dr Apfelstadt is an advisory board member for AIRS (Advanced Disciplinary Research in Singing), a project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She is also a past National President of ACDA (American Choral Directors Association).   This episode includes ? pieces of music, all conducted by Dr Apfelstadt.   The opening and closing piece is "Ezekiel", arr. Stacey Gibbs, followed by "True Colours", arr. Saunder Choi. The third piece is "All of Us" from Considering Matthew Shepherd by Craig Hella.   For more information, visit www.irishinstituteofmusic.com

In episode 18, we welcome Californian conductor Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe for the first interview in our IIMS Choral Series.   In our IIMS Choral Series, we reach out to conductors and choral experts across the world to discuss repertoire, conducting and singing technique.   Dr Jo-Michael Scheibe is Chair of USC Thornton School of Music Department of Choral and Sacred Music and recently served at the Western Division of the American Choral Director's Association (ACDA). He is former vice president of International Affairs at the ACDA.   This episode includes three pieces of music, all conducted by Dr Scheibe. The opening and closing piece is "Ezekiel", arr. Stacey Gibbs, followed by "True Colours", arr. Saunder Choi. The third piece is "All of Us" from Considering Matthew Shepherd by Craig Hella.   For more information, visit www.irishinstituteofmusic.com  

In the third episode of the IIMS Song Series, we speak to West End and Broadway star Fra Fee.

We discuss his musical upbringing in County Tyrone, singing in Ulster Youth Choir, and training his voice classically. Fra also tells us how his appearance in Tom Hooper's 2012 blockbuster 'Les Miserables' changed the trajectory of his career. We also explore "belting" in the context of vocal training and the importance of "vocal rest".

To find out what's happening at the Irish Institute of Music & Song this summer, visit www.irishinstituteofmusic.com

In episode 16, we spoke to Irish songwriter Lesley Roy in her Manhattan apartment where she has living in lockdown. Lesley is a songwriter and performer from Balbriggan, County Dublin. She has co-written with Katy Perry and two of her songs have appeared on hit reality TV show "The Hills". In 2012, her co-write "Pop That Lock" featured on a chart-topping album in the USA, and her voice can be heard every time WWE wrestler Ember Moon enters the ring.   Lesley was also Ireland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with her own song "Story of My Life".   In this episode, Lesley tells us about her experience of writing with Katy Perry, touring her début album across the USA at the age of 21, and she explains the different songwriting approaches in LA and Nashville.   The songs featured in this episode were all written and co-written by Lesley. In order, they are:

• "Story of My Life" - Ireland's entry for Eurovision Song Contest 2020
• "Here For You Now" from Unbeautiful LP (2008)
• "Slow Goodbye" from Unbeautiful LP (2008)
• "Gold" (2020)

For more info on the Irish Institute of Music & Song, visit irishinstituteofmusic.com

In this first episode of the new IIMS Song Series, Dónal chats to songwriter Carl Corcoran.   With a career of performance and songwriting behind him, Carl's infamous radio programme "Blue of the Night" was the pride of RTÉ Lyric FM for ten years and won him many admirers among the music lovers who listened every night.   Since September 2017, he has acted as Course Director of the Master's in Songwriting at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. In October 2019, he was invited to join the Board of Music Network, Ireland. Carl is a passionate advocate of the Arts in Ireland and is committed to supporting and promoting Irish artists at home and abroad.   During the conversation, Carl tells Dónal about his formative songwriting experiences and his relationship with major label EMI as a young "manufactured" artist, his life as a musician in America and his profound commitment to music in Ireland over the last decade.   Here are the songs featured in this episode:

• "To Feel The Power of Love - Live" (Corcoran), Covid Cave Creations (2020)
• Gulliver" (Stone/Corcoran) from New Day LP (1974)
• "I Believe in Love" (Stone/Abernethy) from Storyteller LP (1976)
• "Let It Shine" (Stone/Abernethy) from Let It Shine LP (1978)
• Whistling Wind (Corcoran/Taylor) from Dancing the Dublin Reel LP (1994)

Episode 14 is the second in the IIMS Guest Artist series, in which we speak to groups and performers who come along to visit the Irish Institute of Music & Song campus in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin.

Our IIMS Guest Artist in this episode is Providence Chorale from Providence School in Jacksonville, Florida.

During their visit to Balbriggan in March, Dónal spoke to the director Jennifer Hudson and two of the young singers - Ricky and Haley - and Michael T. Dawson explained the Masterclass experience with this young American group.

To find out more about the IIMS campus, visit www.irishinstituteofmusic.com

Episode 13 is the first in our series of IIMS Guest Artist episodes, where we speak to groups and performers who visit the Irish Institute of Music & Song campus in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin.

The very first of our IIMS Guest Artists was the prize-winning choir of Presentation Secondary School Kilkenny. In this episode, Dónal chats to the choir's conductor, Laura Carroll, and Head Girl, Rose. Michael T. Dawson also describes the Masterclass experience with this fine choir.

To find out more about the IIMS campus, visit www.irishinstituteofmusic.com

In episode 12, Dónal speaks to English conductor Andrew Nunn, the Artistic Director of the National Youth Choir of Northern Ireland. They discuss Andrew's introduction to singing a bit later in life, coming into the choral world as an instrumentalist. They also chat about the impact of a conductor's gender on the choir and the process of mourning what we've lost in the wake of the 2020 pandemic.

To find out about the new IIMS online conducting course with Michael T. Dawson, visit www.irishinstituteofmusic.com.

Our guest in Episode 11 is Amy Ryan, award-winning conductor, educator and performer based in Dublin. Amy is the Chair of the Kodály Society of Ireland.   In this episode, Amy chats to Dónal and Michael about the benefits of studying the Kodály approach to music-making, discusses the challenges of choral rehearsals during a global pandemic, and suggests some of the gaps left by the Leaving Certificate.   To find out about our newest online conducting course, visit www.irishinstituteofmusic.com/courses