The air around the RDS in Dublin yesterday was filled with violins, vocalists and games of tag for the opening of one of Europe's oldest classical music festivals, the Feis Ceoil.
Almost 1,800 competitors aged eight to 80, from Ireland and the UK, will travel to the festival over the next two weeks to take part in 169 vocal, choral, instrumental, ensemble and orchestral competitions.
Sponsored by Siemens, the festival has been running since 1897 and has boasted past performers such as John McCormack, Bernadette Greevy and John O'Conor. It is organised by an army of volunteers, with 60 stewards enlisted for the event itself and more working all year in the background.
Yesterday afternoon, the orchestras held rehearsals in the waiting areas outside the RDS Concert Hall.
Loreto Secondary School in Kilkenny are veterans of the feis. They have been sending orchestras to the event since 1968 and, under the care of music teacher Jacinta Cantwell, planned to blow the audience away with The Dam Busters' March before lulling it with One Fine Day from Madame Butterfly.
Solo violinist with Loreto, Alison Comerford (16) intended to practise to settle her nerves. David Ormond (16) on the other hand was showing no nerves. He is one of two males in the orchestra, drafted in from CBS Kilkenny for his skill with the tenor sax. He admitted that he enjoyed the company of the Loreto girls as well as making music.
"It's a good ratio!" he said.
Co-ed school Coláiste Iognáid, from Galway, gathered in the glass-walled corridor beside the hall and practised two pieces written for the occasion by their music teacher, Carl Hession. Last year, they took second place in the Dorothy Mayer Foundation Cup.
Outside the concert hall, eight to 12- year-olds from St Canice's National School in Kilkenny, feeder school for Loreto's, played tag on the green.
Upstairs in the Dodder Room, the under-18 girls sang 54 versions of Schubert's To Music for the Brennan Cup.
The 110th Feis Ceoil will continue until April 7th, under administrator Carmel Byrne's close eye.
