大象传媒

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Down In The River to Pray听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Trad. arr. J Ireland

Maurice Leyden talks about Belfast Street Songs illustrated by:

Barnbrack

Belfast听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Words & Music Alex Quinn

Cavehill Community Choir

The Doffing Mistress听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Traditional

The Brave Queen鈥檚 Island Boys听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Traditional

Van Morrison

Cyprus Avenue听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Words & Music Van Morrison

Cavehill Community Choir

The Lord Mayor and his Coachman听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Traditional

My Aunt Jane听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Richard Hayward

I鈥檒l Tell Me Ma听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听Traditional

Carrickfergus Grammar School Choir

Nouse Lauluni听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Soila Sariola

Mary Nelson

Gloria (from Gloria)听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Handel

Domine Deus (from Gloria)听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Poulenc

Amen (from Gloria)听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Handel

Amor hai Vinto听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Vivaldi

Somewhere Over The Rainbow听听听听听听听听

Alleluia (from Exsultate Jubilate)听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Mozart

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Maurice Leyden is a folk-song collector, singer, broadcaster and writer with a passion for Ulster folk-song. Originally from Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, his first book 鈥楤elfast, City of Song鈥� (Brandon) explores the traditional songs of the city which has been his home for many years.听 It was published to celebrate the centenary of Belfast becoming a city. His research for the Belfast book revealed a wealth of children鈥檚 songs and street lore and Maurice鈥檚 second book 鈥楤oys and Girls Come out to Play鈥� (Appletree) presents a rich collection children鈥檚 singing games. Both books were complemented by recordings of selected songs.

The publication of the children's book led to an unexpected development in his singing career: he was invited by many Primary schools across the political and social divide in Northern Ireland to come and teach these traditional street games to children. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland commissioned Maurice and his wife Jane Cassidy to visit primary schools throughout the province to inculcate these traditional songs and games into the children. This continued for almost ten years.

Maurice has completed a third book on the social history of the Ulster linen industry using the songs of the workers to tell their story.听 It is currently with a publisher.

Maurice is much in demand as a 鈥榮inging鈥� lecturer and authority on local folk-song and contributed to 鈥楾he Companion to Irish Traditional Music鈥� Editor Fintan Vallely (Cork University Press) and 鈥業rish People Irish Linen鈥� by Kathleen Curtis Wilson (Ohio University Press). In 2008 Maurice was invited to give a lecture on his collection of Linen songs at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.

A familiar voice on the airwaves, Maurice presented a weekly folk-music programme 鈥楩olkal Point鈥� for 14 years on Downtown Radio. He is a regular performer at folk concerts and festivals, collaborating with his wife Jane Cassidy to present shows combining local history and folk-song.

He teaches a traditional singing class weekly under the auspices of the Belfast Traditional Music and Dance Society.听 He is currently recording a solo CD of folksongs from around the Province.听 The Tern and the Swallow will be released in the Autumn.听 Maurice will be singing songs at 鈥淟ife in 1932 鈥� a cultural exploration鈥� in the Linenhall Library on 3rd May 5.30-6.45.

听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听

鈥楤est of all, however, was Mary Nelson as the drover鈥檚 nymphet daughter, spinning out the lines of her brief, but difficult aria with a flawless purity of tone and exquisite ease- a moment of genuine Straussian radiance鈥� The Guardian and Opera Magazine

鈥楤est of its members was Mary Nelson, whose Susanna had an easy charm, rising to a shapely account of Deh vieni non tardar.鈥�The Telegraph听听 The Marriage of Figaro听听 ENO听

鈥楳ary Nelson gave a mammoth performance. Her ability to support her high notes over long phrases, and the plain joy one feels when listening to her, is miraculous.鈥� Albert Hall Messiah (RPO) musicOHM.com听听

Born in Northern Ireland, Mary is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music where she originally studied.

She was subsequently appointed as a company principal with English National Opera. Her roles included 鈥楽usanna鈥� in The Marriage of Figaro, 鈥楶amina鈥� in The Magic Flute, 鈥楧alinda鈥� in Ariodante, 鈥楢talanta鈥� in Xerxes, 鈥楾rash鈥� in The Fairy Queen (including performances in the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona), and 鈥楲ucia鈥� in the David McVicar production of The Rape of Lucretia for ENO and the Aldeburgh Festival, which was also broadcast on 大象传媒 2. Other roles include 鈥業smene鈥� in Mitridate for the Classical Opera Comapany, Piacere in Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno for The Early Opera Company, 鈥楪ilda鈥� in Rigoletto and 鈥楳icaela鈥� in Carmen for Castleward Opera and 鈥楥arolina鈥� in The Secret Marriage for Opera North.

An experienced oratorio and concert soloist, Mary has performed with the City of London Sinfonia, The King鈥檚 Consort, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, The Halle, The Academy of Ancient Music, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, The Prague Philharmonic, the Israel Camerata, the Music of the Baroque in Chicago, the Dutch Radio Symphony Orchestra and Hansel and Gretel and Mendelssohn鈥檚 A Midsummer Nights Dream for the 大象传媒 Proms and recitals at the Wigmore Hall. Conductors she has worked with include Nicholas McGegan, Thierry Fischer, Christian Curnyn, Jane Glover, Richard Hickox, Takuo Yuasa, Paul Daniel, Harry Christophers, Harry Bicket and John Nelson.

Mary is currently a professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music.

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