Enthusiastic! Informative! Fun!
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The WhistleBlast Quartet is a passionate team of professional performers located in Ireland. We have all developed a huge interest and found great joy in working with young people in music education, of all abilities and backgrounds. We also offer a wide range of accessible musical experiences including performances and recitals for any occasion and workshop programmes for young people and adults.
Visit the schools section for more information about our Composition Programme and workshops.
And don’t forget to check out our calendar for upcoming events!
We’re delighted to be continuing our Composition Programme, multimedia performances, tours and Opera Project in 2024.
We love to hear from you, so send us a message if you have any questions!
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We work with primary schools, secondary schools, special needs schools, and youth orchestras from workshops to the more extensive Composition Programme.
All Quartet members are qualified to understand the different dynamics within different age groups and provide an accessible, mature and creative musical experience. Our workshops encourage young people to develop their interest in classical and creative music and increase their instrumental and/or singing skills.
Visit our schools section for more information. You will also find our fully online 2021 Composition Programme ‘Let’s Laugh’ here with short instructions videos about how to compose your own musical piece!
We have now added full Art and Music experiences by collaborating with the wonderful Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin in facilitating tours for mainstream and special needs nationwide students.
Here’s a link to some recent visits with students from Mercy Mounthawk, Tralee and Scoil Chiarain’s Special School, Dublin. See video here!
Looking forward to 2024 Composition Programme!
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We love performing! From recitals to fun concerts for the whole family at festivals and events. Our focus is to provide excellent, fun & interactive experiences of live music for everybody of all backgrounds.
Our repertoire is accessible and fun ranging from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite to James Bond’s Goldfinger.
Make sure to check out our calendar for upcoming events here!
WhistleBlast’s RTÉ New Year’s Eve Feature
WhistleBlast’s one hour 2023 New Year’s Eve feature on the Seán Rocks Show. The broadcast showcases some of our great repertoire, arranged by Ken Edge, plus interviews, focusing on our wide range of work!
Listen to our feature here! (1:05-1:51)
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This year’s Composition Programme Turn It Around! features up to 200 nationwide mainstream and students with additional needs in a finale performance in Black Box Theatre, Galway on Tuesday 21st May at 6pm.
There are also a number of local performances in each community.All performances are free. Booking is essential.
Please see details on our events page here.
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WhistleBlast Quartet in collaboration with That’s Life proudly presents
MR. PRESIDENT, a new operatic work with participants in leading roles from Galway’s special arts organization: That’s Life and Electric Dreams, also including young musicians from Ceol na Mara Youth Orchestra.
The performance of this unique opera will be held in Black Box Theatre, Galway on Friday June 21st at 7pm.See details about this wonderful collaboration on our events page here. Supporting partners: Irish National Opera, Town Hall Theatre, and the Arts Council of Ireland.
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This October, WhistleBlast will be returning with their unique multimedia performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka and a new musical arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. This new addition to the performance is enhanced by captivating visual accompaniments.
For more details and dates, see our events page here. -
Design your Outreach Programme: From Philosophy to Funding - January-December 2024
WhistleBlast is delighted to announce an exciting new module for Third Level Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) Students, specifically created to nurture a broad career interest and provide support for organisational, practical and funding skills. See details here.
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WhistleBlast’s Christmas Carol
An original retelling of Dickens's classic tale by WhistleBlast Quartet. Music from the past, present and future, including Ceremony of Carols, The Snowman, Vivaldi, Corelli, Slade, and much more! Suitable for everybody, of all ages. Come along and get yourself into the mood for a wonderful musical Christmas! Suitable for young families and primary schools.
For performance dates and venues see our events page here.
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WhistleBlast’s Petrushka, Peter and the Wolf and more For Secondary Schools galore!
By Igor Stravinsky
Arranged by Conor Linehan
Nationwide multimedia performance of a fantastic and famous symphonic classic plus other great repertoire, including Stravinsky’s Petruška plus Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Kurt Weill songs.
Púca Puppets has created a unique shadow puppet film to accompany WhistleBlast’s performance. See a video of our performance here.
Please download our new Education Pack for this concert here.
We have collaborated with the Head of Education of the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin Jessica O’Donnell and nationwide schools to create a full Art and Music experience tour of the gallery.
More dates in Axis, Ballymun Spring 2024.
Plus other performances of Petrushka alongside Gershwin’s wonderful Rhapsody in Blue -arranged by Kenneth Edge.
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WhistleBlast’s Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky
Here’s a link to our added tours with the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin linking Art and Music. See video here.
This unique WhistleBlast performance of Mussorgsky’s wonderful symphony Pictures at an Exhibition, musically arranged by the quartet’s own Dr. Kenneth Edge, is accompanied by a multimedia video of paintings relating to each movement. An accessible performance especially created to inspire young mainstream and special-needs secondary school students and anyone to enjoy a gripping, dramatic masterpiece through live music performance and visual art. Perfect for venues and festivals - for 12 year olds up to any age.
We have created an educational information document to accompany our Pictures at an Exhibition concert. Find out more about this exceptional composer and the works of his fellow artist Viktor Hartmann here.
More dates in 2024.
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If you go down to the Woods
Come down to the woods with the WhistleBlast Quartet and join us for a woodland adventure featuring some familiar characters and well-loved pieces of classical music. A sell out in the Quartet’s NCH Family Series!
Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel and Peter and the Wolf will all appear; but watch out for the Trolls from the Hall of the Mountain King.
See how music brings images and stories alive, with lots of opportunity for participation and interaction in this engaging concert for all the family.
More dates in 2024.
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Hi-Vis Summer Festival, Derry
WhistleBlast working with Stage Beyond and Lilliput Theatre Companies in The Playhouse Theatre creating a week-long series of composition workshops culminating in a finale Variety Show!
More information about the event here.
Watch the slideshow of the event here plus the workshops video by Brian Hasson here.
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WhistleBlast’s Inclusive Collaborative Programming
We are continuing our commitment to create musical platforms for
inter-generational participants with additional needs.Please contact us should your organization be interested in participating in an exciting and innovative musical programme.
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The Arts Council
More People. More Places. More Spaces.
Funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland, the Arts Council stimulates participation in the arts nationwide. Through empowering artists and providing more spaces to create, the Arts Council supports cultural growth, ensuring positive engagement with the arts in urban and rural communities across Ireland.
Reflecting the Arts Council’s policy on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, WhistleBlast Quartet strives to embody these objectives, designing dynamic musical programmes to nurture and empower intergenerational participants, and create a greater diversity of audiences.
We work to broaden the horizons of young people, local communities, and intergenerational disabled participants through the provision of exceptional multimedia live performances, highly-engaging peer-led programmes, and collaboration with first-class professional musicians.
WhistleBlast Quartet is proudly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
The music is so uplifting and professional yet relaxed. Great chemistry among the members of the quartet.
- Audience member In the Open/Faoin Speir
Thanks a million for this unexpected blessing of an open air concert on a lovely autumn afternoon.
- Audience member In the Open/Faoin Speir
It was super and so nice to get a sophisticated programme which was also accessible.
Well done everyone. I love your presentation style. The little ones really enjoyed it too.
Great atmosphere in park. My 9 year old daughter loved Baby Elephant Walk. Very enjoyable, great interaction!
- Audience member In the Open/Faoin Speir
