ArtScape:The board of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland (NYOI) has stirred up a hornets' nest by announcing a decision "to amalgamate its two existing orchestras, the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland (ages 12-18) and National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (ages 18-24)", writes Michael Dervan.
The restructuring, which is to take effect in 2008, will create an orchestra with players aged between 14 and 21. Gearóid Grant, a member of the NYOI board, and the conductor of the younger orchestra, is to take overall musical charge.
It's a puzzling package of decisions on a number of counts, not least because the NYOI actually consists of four rather than two orchestras. In addition to the two that are to be merged, there are also the NYOI Camerata Strings, directed by Michael d'Arcy (this was founded in 2003 as an initiative of the players themselves), and the National String Training Orchestra, directed by Candace Whitehead (which, according to the NYOI website, "offers intensive training to players who have not quite reached the standard of the NYOI at audition").
The proposed restructuring makes no mention of the fate of either of these. This is extraordinary, given that both of them explicitly address the major issue the board is using to justify the orchestral amalgamation. The board states that "recruitment of sufficient players, of the requisite standard, to support two orchestras - particularly in the string sections - has become a significant challenge, especially in recent years".
From the perspective of the older ensemble, it's rather hard to see how an orchestra of 14- to 21-year-olds is at all guaranteed to be able to recruit higher-quality string players than one using 18- to 24-year-olds. Logically, this would require that there is a greater pool of good players in the age band 14 to 18 than in the age band 21 to 24. Surely those extra years of training and playing have some positive effects? No evidence on this front is provided in the board's statement.
Gearóid Grant's elevation is coupled with a decision that "world-class, international conductors" will appear as guest conductors every two years. They currently appear twice a year, so this proposal will greatly dilute young Irish musicians' exposure to top-quality conductors, a factor that may introduce recruitment difficulties of its own.
The NYOI's former general manager Joanna Crooks - who masterminded the orchestra's complete concert performances of Wagner's Ring in Limerick and Birmingham in 2002, and who worked in a voluntary capacity - retired last August, having given six months' notice to the board. The board has twice advertised for a general manager, but has not yet appointed one. It now finds itself in the final stages of the strangest of recruitment processes. Simply put, whoever fills the post is going to end up doing a very different kind of management job to the one they originally applied for.
Two board members have already resigned as a result of the decision to amalgamate: Donagh Collins (a director of the London music agent Askonas Holt, and brother of the pianist Finghin) and Una McMahon (who is also orchestra manager of the younger orchestra). Others are believed to be considering their positions.
Collins describes the board as being "a few steps away from the reality of the orchestra on an everyday basis". He points to the hiatus in management and a limitation in touring as factors in attracting players.
He also says there are questions to be asked in respect of governance, the handling of the recruitment process, and conflict-of-interest issues within the board. "A hundred musicians a year are not going to get the opportunity to play in the new, dumbed-down orchestra," he said. "Even though I didn't become a professional performer, my interest in following a musical career was greatly firmed by my experiences in the NYOI." An online petition (www.ipetitions.com/ petition/nyoi1) has already attracted about 250 names, among them the University of Limerick's Professor of Music, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin; conductor Alexander Anissimov; composers Raymond Deane and Brent Parker; the leader of the Callino Quartet, Sarah Sexton; violinist Michael d'Arcy; and former chief executive of the National Chamber Choir, Karina Lundström.
Downes heads Culture Ireland
Culture Ireland - the organisation responsible for promoting Irish culture overseas - got a further boost this week with the appointment of Eugene Downes as its first full-time chief executive. Downes, a consultant on international arts and cultural relations, has previously worked with the Department of Arts and was responsible for drawing up the report and recommendations that led to the Minister, John O'Donoghue, establishing Culture Ireland to replace the old Department of Foreign Affairs Cultural Relations Committee, which had a similar, but more limited, role but much less funding.
Culture Ireland chairman Prof Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin said that Downes had "come to the fore against strong international interests in this position. Through his executive leadership Culture Ireland will now commence its second phase of bringing into reality its strategic plan towards the continued expansion of support for Irish arts globally".
Culture Ireland received €4.5 million in exchequer funding for the current year - a figure that will need to rise substantially in the future if it is to fulfil its remit. One of the first tasks facing Downes will be the setting up of a full administration team and finding premises. As well as hiring new staff, it is expected some staff may come from within the Department of Arts, from which the organisation has been run in conjunction with its very active board since it was set up in 2005.
Earlier this year the Government decided to make Culture Ireland an independent statutory body - a status similar to such organisations as Fáilte Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. One of the body's most recent events abroad was the pre-Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles to honour Van Morrison.
Downes says he is looking forward to working with Irish artists and arts organisations "to support their presence on the global stage and open new pathways of understanding between cultures".
A former member of the diplomatic service - he was cultural attaché in Moscow - Downes has acted as an independent consultant advising Government bodies on international arts strategy.
Waterford's feast of new plays
Some interesting pairings are taking shape in Waterford ahead of the inaugural New Plays Festival, which will be run as part of the Sean Dunne Literary Festival later this month, writes Brian O'Connell.
The New Plays Festival will comprise eight new 15-minute plays, six of which come from previously un-produced writers. The idea for the festival came in the lead-up to Red Kettle's 21st anniversary in 2006, when the theatre company sought ways to celebrate their past work with new and emerging writers.
"Down through the years we would sometimes receive upwards of 100 unsolicited scripts a year," explains Red Kettle artistic director Ben Hennessy. "We have always had an affinity with new writers, yet many times we were unable to take them on, so we felt like doing something to mark this aspect of our work during the anniversary."
Initially the plan was to produce just two new plays, yet such was the volume of entries that a decision was taken to broaden the commissions into a festival of new writing.
"In all we had 49 entries, which is very impressive. We also commissioned two new pieces from Bernard Farrell and local writer Pat Daly. Bernard in particular has been very generous with his time, encouraging the younger writers and giving advice and expertise," says Hennessy. Farrell's offering, The Undertaking, will be directed by Ben Barnes, while other writer/director pairings include John Flynn and Terry Byrne as well as local duo Pat Daly and Michael Power.
The productions are currently being staged in pairs, every lunchtime in Waterford's Granary Theatre, while next Friday evening all eight plays will be staged at the Theatre Royal. One set will fit all, and cast members include Catherine Byrne, John Olohan, Pascal Scott and Charlie Bonner.
"The Sean Dunne festival begins on April 16th, and expects to draw upwards of 400 attendees. As well as incorporating the New Play Festival, highlights include readings by Paul Durcan and Gabriel Fitzmaurice as well as the announcement of winners of the Sean Dunne Awards. For more information, contact Waterford Arts Office at 051-309900 or see www.red-kettle.com.