The Luminosa String Orchestra
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Galway's first professional orchestra...
The Luminosa string orchestra was launched in November 2018, the brainchild of Lucy Hayward O’Leary, now, the executive director and Nicola Geddes, cellist with Luminosa, and has performed stunning concerts ever since in Galway and Cork. The word Luminosa means brilliant light in Italian, and the title was inspired by the presence of the brilliant professional musicians, now living and working in Galway.
Luminosa has been delighting audiences ever since, with high-quality concerts created with an innovative and original curatorial approach. Their concerts feature lesser known works and many Irish composers, alongside pillars of classical string repertoire, all brought back into the light and performed with freshness and verve. They commission new Irish classical works regularly and seek to curate music programmes with a theme or connection which resonates with new and existing audiences alike, bringing together many eras of music, with real meaning; a balm for the soul through the times we live in.
Their performances are compelling, powerful and heart-rending. Their musicians are highly skilled and equally seasoned classical, romantic or early music practitioners and delight in playing a wide variety of music on modern instruments. Led by Paul Ezergailis, concertmaster of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra; the orchestra’s section leaders comprise the members of the renowned ConTempo quartet, and also featuring many noteworthy string players on the Irish stage. Coming to a Luminosa concert means coming to witness a passionate manifestation of live music making by world-class musicians and we are proud to be based in Galway.
Our mission is to give Galway City its first professional permanent orchestra. We want to shine a light on the outstanding musicians who join the Luminosa String Orchestra for distinction in performance, organization, innovation and community engagement. Members of our orchestra will reach their full potential in Galway and in an environment of musical excellence, professionalism, integrity, artistic diversity and trust supported by a company with strong financial acumen, a transparent business ethos and passion for success. This company is run by an experienced cultural producer and founder. The musicians in the orchestra are of the very highest calibre and all members of the orchestra and company will be paid according to national pay scales which are reviewed annually. The community will benefit from our forward-thinking and exemplary orchestra and it brings a new element of high-quality performance, cultural entrepreneurship and music education to the city.
Our vision is that this orchestra becomes a permanent professional ensemble of national importance and world-class calibre, representing the west of Ireland, based in Galway and having collaborations with local companies as sponsors, partners and collaborators.
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Our constitution and charity purpose states that the main object for which Luminosa Music CLG is established is the promotion of culture and the arts by providing an innovative concert series in Galway city, for the education and benefit of the widest possible public, and for the development of high calibre classical music performance and facilitation of a city orchestra based in the west of Ireland.
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Luminosa Music is a registered charity No. 20205430
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