Festival of Voice: Iarla Ó Lionáird, Eimear Quinn, Tolü Makay with the NSO

Iarla Ó Lionáird, 
Eimear Quinn, 
Tolu Makay
National Symphony Orchestra
Conductor David Brophy

Festival of Voice is a weekend festival celebrating the power, beauty and universality of the human voice.

Taking Ireland’s sublime and mythic ancient songs sean-nos master Iarla Ó Lionáird of The Gloaming, acclaimed soprano Eimear Quinn and rising star Tolü Makay take us on a sublime Irish journey in song with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor David Brophy.

From his iconic early recording of Aisling Gheal as a young boy to his groundbreaking recordings with Crash Ensemble and New York’s Alarm Will Sound, Iarla Ó Lionáird has shown a unique breadth of artistic ambition. A twice Grammy nominated artist, he has performed and recorded with Peter Gabriel, Nick Cave, Robert Plant, Sinead O’Connor and many more. An accomplished broadcaster, his RTÉ Lyric FM radio series Vocal Chords won awards at the New York Radio Festival. His own film credits extend from The Gangs of New York to Hotel Rwanda and as featured singer in the film Brooklyn.

Eimear Quinn is one of the pre-eminent Irish voices of her generation. Occupying the space where Traditional meets Classical and Sacred, she is most noted for her interpretation of song allowing for a deep, almost spiritual connection with the audience. As a classically trained soprano with a background specialising in Early and Choral music, she made her international debut in 1996, when she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland with the haunting ballad ‘The Voice’ written by Brendan Graham.

Tolü Makay is an independent alternative pop-soul singer-songwriter, actor & performer from Ireland. Since her debut single 'Goodbye' in 2018 and EP 'Being' in 2020, Tolü’s music has amassed over one million streams. Her rendition of The Saw Doctors' ‘N17’ with the RTÉ National Orchestra topped Irish charts. In 2021, Tolü embarked on her sold-out nationwide tour, The Tolü Makay Experience. She has performed at major festivals including Electric Picnic (2022), Kaleidoscope, All Together Now, and The Great Escape, where her set was praised as a festival highlight. Her TV and radio appearances include The Late Late Show and RTÉ broadcasts.

Festival of Voice will include a series of pop-up events
· Morning Songs – a song to start the day
· Songs of the Liberties – a collective participative choir event celebrating the songs of the city
· Puccini in the Pub – Puccini over a pint…
We will announce details of pop-up events in the run-up to the festival

Presented by NCH and supported by IPUT Real Estate Dublin