After falling into the Dublin music scene the past few weeks of study abroad, I’ve been lucky to hear live music at the bar and every day on the street. Unfortunately, one can only write about the realms of traditional Irish musicians and street performers so many times before she is forced to step outside the box.  With this in mind, I decided to buy a ticket to one of Dublin’s summertime lunchtime concerts.

 It happened to be the first lunchtime concert of the year, so although orchestra concerts are not something I frequent in the US, I was excited for this experience in Dublin. Before approaching the city’s National Concert Hall, I wondered what the crowd would be like. I assumed because it was a lunchtime concert series it would be a mix of business people, popping in on their lunch break. Once I got to the front steps of the hall, I immediately knew I was wrong.  My classmate and I reserved our seats and patiently waited in the foyer amongst many adorable, elderly men and women. We were eventually led to our seats and as we peered over the balcony to the full house below, we were certain that we were the youngest ones in the building.

RTE concert orchestra, one of only two paid orchestras in Dublin, soon walked on stage through large, beautiful side doors.  Just over fifty men and women were ready to play before the crowd, with the help of their handsome conductor.  The announcer came over the microphone, introduced those on stage, and told the crowd that the performance would be a compilation of great American composers.   I’ve heard American music done by many Irish musicians so I was a bit weary at first.  Since the songs chosen were so influential to the overall history of music, I didn’t let the fact that they were American hinder my experience. Who can complain about hearing Arlen’s “Somewhere over the Rainbow” or even Bernstein’s “I Feel Pretty?” It was brilliant!

The performed songs were well known and enjoyed by everyone in the audience. I believe this had to do with the fact that they combined tunes from some globally popular films including “Moon River,” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”  Because the audience was older and respectfully mature, the songs were played without interruption. The exquisite soprano of Franzita Whelan entranced the crowd with every note.  There wasn’t a sound in the hall until applause after each song.  

My hour spent at the lunchtime concert really made me think about the prevalence of live music in Ireland in comparison to America. I really wish it was this easy and inexpensive to step outside the boxes of Youtube and Spotify and into a hall of live music back home. Regardless of age or nationality, everyone appreciates a good show. Over the weeks Ireland has proven to me that if the world could agree on one thing, it’d be the power of live music.

Faith Scheerbaum