Ensembles
Our vision is to make music a lifelong source of inspiration, confidence, and opportunity for children and young people, especially those facing barriers to accessing performance music education.
STRING ORCHESTRAS
Our String Orchestra programme takes place each Saturday during school term time at our hub in Dundalk . Led by our musician educators Davide Forti (cellist) and Francesca de Nardi (violinist), the programme provides members with high quality training as orchestral string players. Joining one of our orchestras is a fantastic way for young players to meet others, make friends and develop new musical skills.
Membership is open to all children and young people without audition.
We have three orchestra groups to cater for different levels of playing and ages; Senior Strings for teenagers and advanced players, Junior Strings for intermediate players up to 12 years of age and First Strings which provides a progression route from our schools’ strings programme.
Chamber Groups
Chamber group playing is a really effective way to develop as a musician. Young players learn to listen critically, balance and blend with others. It improves intonation, rhythm and tempo control so that group members can create a unified sound without a conductor.
Our musician educator Francesca De Nardi leads our chamber groups with weekly rehearsals taking place at our hub in Dundalk on Wednesday evenings. Groups cater for young musicians at both intermediate and advanced level.
Pop Choir
Our brand-new Pop Choir is the perfect place for children and young people to explore their voice, build confidence, and have fun through music they love.
Led by our professional musician and composer Paul Campbell, the Pop Choir offers a vibrant and inclusive space to sing popular songs, learn harmonies, and perform together—no auditions, just enthusiasm needed!
Whether your child is a budding soloist or just loves singing with friends, this is a great way to develop musical skills, make new friends, and experience the joy of group singing.
Weekly rehearsals take place at our Dundalk hub on Wednesday afternoons.
HARP ENSEMBLES
The Music Generation Louth Harp Ensemble Programme, under the direction of Deirdre Ní Bhuachalla, was formed in 2012 to bring young harpers of various musical backgrounds together to perform a repertoire of traditional Irish and popular music. Currently the programme comprises the Junior and Senior harp ensembles, who work independently as well as together for performance. Senior ensemble members collaborate regularly with ensembles from Music Generations Laois, Mayo and Waterford, and are known as the Music Generation Harp Collective.
NÓS NUA – Youth Folk Orchestra
Nós Nua Youth Folk Orchestra is a 60-strong ensemble that brings together young musicians to explore and perform traditional and contemporary Irish music.
Established in 2017, it is a collaboration between Music Generation Louth and the Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol (the regional centre for Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann)
Members come from across the Oriel region, including counties Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Cavan, and Armagh, as well as parts of Dublin and Northern Ireland.
It welcomes a wide range of instruments, including those from classical and other genres, to create unique folk arrangements. Over the years, the ensemble has worked with a wide range of prestigious artists including Ryan Molloy, Fergal Scahill, Mohsen Amini, Niamh Dunne, Zoë Conway, Lisa Canny, Dónal O Connor, Martin Power, Benedict Morris, Ryan Murphy, Éadaoin Ní Mhaicín & Alfi.
Performances include the Festival of Youth Orchestras in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, St. Patrick’s Festival Dublin, Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2018-2019 & 2022-2025. TV appearances include Fleadh TV 2018, 2019 & 2022, John Creedon’s Atlas of Ireland and more recently RTÉ’s Up for the Match with Lisa Canny in 2023.
In 2024, the orchestra launched their debut album, Causeway, composed in collaboration with award-winning Scottish musician Mohsen Amini.
Rehearsal Schedule: Rehearsals primarily take place during school holidays and occasionally on weekends in Dundalk.
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