Collaborations

Irish Heritage Collaborations

An important factor in Irish Heritage’s successful delivery of its charitable objectives is its programme of collaborations with organisations that share its purpose.

Mutually beneficial relationships with the following organisations have contributed significantly to the Charity’s impact in programmes including education, events, and outreach and community.

Irish Heritage is interested in forging new relationships with like-minded collaborators; anyone interested should contact the Chairman.

Collaborate with us

Irish Cultural Centre – London

The Irish Cultural Centre (ICC) is committed to sharing Ireland’s culture and it works with its neighbours in London's diverse community, to achieve deeper appreciation of the value of intercultural exchange and understanding which it believes plays a significant part in building a stronger society.

The Centre was established in 1995 and is acclaimed for providing one of the most exciting and adventurous weekly entertainment programmes in Britain, featuring Ireland’s best traditional and contemporary musicians, an Irish film programme, Irish literary events, theatre and art exhibitions and more.

Irish Heritage has collaborated with the Centre to launch the first element of the charity’s outreach and community programme – a series of afternoon music recitals for people who enjoy live music but who are unable to access evening performances.

The Centre and the Charity have also collaborated successfully on the ICC Digital and ICC Culture Hotline projects and look forward to providing Ireland’s next generation of classical musicians and singers with more performance opportunities over coming years.

ICC Website

Wigmore Hall

Thanks to the valuable support of its Patron, John Gilhooly CBE, Director of the Wigmore Hall, Irish Heritage has access to the famous classical music venue for the adjudication of its annual round of bursaries.

Discreetly nestled in central London, the Hall – renowned for its intimacy, crystalline acoustic and beautiful interior complete with an Arts and Crafts cupola above the stage – has a capacity of 552 seats, but draws in audiences from far and wide through its enterprising use of digital media and its ambitious Learning programme; these go beyond concert audiences to embrace schools, nurseries, hospitals, community centres and care homes.

Since 1994, the Hall's renowned learning programme has been giving people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities opportunities to take part in music making, engaging a broad and diverse audience through innovative creative projects, concerts, events and online resources. Hosting Irish Heritage’s bursary auditions is one aspect of the Hall’s vison in this context.

Wigmore Hall Website

Blackwater Valley Opera Festival

The Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, Ireland’s only summer opera festival, is a celebration of the finest opera and classical music set in the heart of Ireland’s ancient east. Tucked away in the beautiful Blackwater Valley, the festival stages performances of the highest artistic quality featuring both Irish and international stars and emerging talent of the classical music world.

While opera is the artistic core of the Festival, the week-long celebration of music would be incomplete without the bustling events programme featuring vocal recitals, chamber music, concerts and more. The grand houses, churches, and cathedrals of the region are the gracious hosts for these events, allowing guests to explore the architectural gems of the historic Blackwater Valley.

In all that it does, the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival aims to promote excellence, both by featuring the finest international stars, and by championing emerging artists who are at the beginning of promising careers. To this end, it is proud to annually award the BVOF Bursary and to work in collaboration with Irish Heritage in providing the latter’s talented bursary recipients with invaluable performance opportunities in the early stages of their professional careers.

Blackwater Valley Opera Festival would like to invite Irish Heritage members to book tickets to this year’s Irish Heritage Recital, featuring 2024 Bursary Award Winners (to be announced) and set to take place in the historic Salterbridge House, Cappoquin, County Waterford on Friday, 31st May - 1pm.

Ireland’s Summer Opera Festival takes place from 27 May - 3 June 2024, hosting 22 events at 11 venues across the Blackwater Valley during an 8-day extravaganza. The flagship opera G.F. Handel - Giulio Cesare will grace the grounds of Lismore Castle, County Waterford and will feature the award-winning Irish Baroque Orchestra under the baton of conductor Nicolas McGegan, directed by Tom Creed.

For more information, please call Emma in the Box Office on +353 (0) 87 407 9250, email: boxoffice@blackwatervalleyopera.ie or visit the BVOF website via the link below.

BVOF Website

Irish Baroque Orchestra

Irish Heritage has had two very successful collaborations with the Irish Baroque Orchestra – Youth Players. Both occasions were part of the Irish Heritage ‘Christmas by Candlelight' events held at the famed St George’s (Handel’s) Church in Hanover Square in London’s West End. These two productions, with performances from Irish Heritage’s own players, were very well received and future gatherings are planned.

The Olivier Award-winning Irish Baroque Orchestra is celebrated as Ireland's flagship period instrument orchestra and delivers world-class historically-informed performances across Ireland and abroad. Under the artistic direction of Peter Whelan, scholarship and musical excellence converge in a unique way through the IBO’s work, creating an original offering like no other organisation on the Irish classical music scene. Through this integration of research and practice the very idea of an orchestra is defined afresh, providing an unusual and enriching experience for today’s audiences.

IBO Website

The Royal Dublin Society (RDS)

The Royal Dublin Society is one of the world’s oldest philanthropic organisations. Founded in 1731, the aim of the RDS is the same now as it was then: to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. The Society works across the areas of the arts, agriculture, business, equestrianism and science in order to realise this aim.

Continuing to work in these areas, the RDS celebrates indigenous success, showcases excellence and rewards innovation and new thinking. It believes that investing in people, in the future generations, is an investment in the future success of Ireland.

Showcasing and supporting new talent in Irish classical music is one of the objectives of the RDS Arts Programme. It does this through the RDS Rising Stars Concert series as well as its annual RDS Music Bursary, which in addition to the cash prize of €15,000, includes two performance engagements for the winner courtesy of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin and Irish Heritage in London.

RDS Website