RTÉ Performing Groups was a group, operating over many years, of five classical ensembles, part of the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

broadcaster

Raidió Teilifís Éireann Raidi (; ; also written Ragdi; born August, 1938) is a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 2003 to 2008, and the highest ranking Tibeta ...

(RTÉ). All but the string quartet (originally the Vanbrugh Quartet, the ConTempo Quartet from 2013) are based in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

(the ConTempo had a Galway base, Vanbrugh

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

). In 2022 three of the group were moved from RTÉ to aegis of the

National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...

by the Irish government. RTÉ continues to host the

RTÉ Concert Orchestra The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full-time professional radio orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestr ...

Structure

The ''RTÉ Performing Groups'' were made up of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, a string quartet (under contract the ConTempo Quartet, previously the Vanbrugh Quartet), the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and the children's choir, RTÉ Cór na nÓg, until January 2022. The five groups presented over 250 events annually, including live performances and work in education. The groups were largely funded by

licence fee A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts, or the possession of a television set where some broadcasts are funded in full or in part by the licence f ...

revenue and reported a 2018 income of €15 million. In 2018, the two orchestras celebrated 70 years in existence. Between the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, a total of 134 professional musicians are employed. The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and the children's choiry, RTÉ Cór na nÓg, are for singers at an amateur level. Presently, approximately 200 adults and children are incorporated in the choirs. RTÉ Concert Orchestra Image

The five groups play approximately two concerts a week, a number which can increase at certain times of year, and present up to 250 events every year, most of these being live concerts. Most of these performances take place in

, mostly in the

but some in The Helix and the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

. There is a variety of high-end classical music with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet to RTÉ Concert Orchestra concerts in the fields of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

, classical crossover,

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

Irish traditional music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

, multimedia events, family concerts and more. High-profile

and international artists who have appeared with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra include

Han-Na Chang Han-Na Chang (Korean: 장한나, Hanja: 張漢娜, ; born December 23, 1982) is a South Korean conductor and cellist. Born in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, Chang began studying piano at age 3, and cello at age 6. In 1993, her family moved to ...

Louis Lortie Louis Lortie, OC, CQ (born 27 April 1959) is a Canadian ( Québécois) pianist. Education Born in Montreal, Lortie made his debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at the age of thirteen and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra three years l ...

and

Ann Murray Ann Murray, (born 27 August 1949) is an Irish mezzo-soprano. Life and career Murray was born in Dublin. Having won a number of prizes at the Feis Ceoil, she studied singing at the College of Music (now the DIT Conservatory of Music and Dram ...

, while acclaimed guests in the orchestra's history included

Sir John Barbirolli Sir John Barbirolli ( Giovanni Battista Barbirolli; 2 December 189929 July 1970) was a British conductor and cellist. He is remembered above all as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, which he helped save from dissolution in 194 ...

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...

Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s. She possessed ...

and

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...

. RTÉ Concert Orchestra guests have included

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Spanish operatic tenor who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, he made his de ...

and

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

, and more recently

Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock; 28 October 1927)John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...

Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...

Ute Lemper Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Velm ...

and

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Maria Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.stamp Stamp or Stamps or Stamping may refer to: Official documents and related impressions * Postage stamp, used to indicate prepayment of fees for public mail * Ration stamp, indicating the right to rationed goods * Revenue stamp, used on documents to ...

. One million stamps were printed.

Groups with RTÉ

RTÉ Concert Orchestra

The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is the other of the two full-time professional orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, has grown from a small studio-based recording group to become an active 45-strong orchestra performing over eighty concerts annually.

Groups now with the NCH

National Symphony Orchestra

The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra is the concert music orchestra of Radio Telefís Éireann. It has been considered one of Europe's major symphony orchestras. It is the primary symphony orchestra of Dublin and, is the leading orchestra of the Ireland.

Jaime Martín Jaime Martín (born 1 September 1965) is a Spanish conductor and flautist. Biography Born in Santander, Spain, Martín began his music studies on the flute at age 8, and became a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Spain at age 13. He was ...

is the Chief Conductor.

RTÉ Philharmonic Choir

The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir is RTÉ's main choir. The Choir has been at the centre of choral music in Ireland since its foundation by

Colin Mawby Colin Mawby KSG (9 May 1936 – 24 November 2019) was an English organist, choral conductor and composer. From 1961 he was Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, then from 1981 he was the choral director at Radio Telefís Éireann. He co ...

in 1985 following the introduction of new choral policy. This 140 strong choir is the country's premier symphonic choral ensemble and has performed more than 52 of the major choral works since its foundation, mostly in conjunction with the RTÉ orchestras. Its conductor is Mark Hindley.

RTÉ Cór na nÓg

The RTÉ Cór na nÓg was founded in 1987 and consists of 65 specially-selected children between the ages of 9 and 14 directed by conductor Máire Mannion. Regular performances are made in Dublin (such as the National Concert Hall) and in other counties.

Other groups

RTÉ ConTempo Quartet

RTÉ ConTempo Quartet (Bogdan Sofei, Ingrid Nicola - violins; Andreea Banciu - viola; Adrian Mantu - cello) was the resident string quartet to RTÉ from 2013 to 2022, and are Ensemble in residence to The Galway Music Residency since 2003, and former the Quartet in Residence to Royal Academy of Music London. The RTÉ ConTempo Quartet won a world record of 14 International Prizes including London International String Quartet Competition and is one of Europe's most successful quartets, internationally recognised for its beauty of sound, clarity of texture and integrity of interpretation within an unusually wide and varied range of repertoire.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:RTE Performing Groups