Anúna
Encyclopedia
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
choral group. In 1987 Dublin composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Michael McGlynn
Michael McGlynn
Michael McGlynn is an Irish composer, producer, director and founder of Anúna, Ireland's National Choir.-Career:...
founded An Uaithne, a name which describes the three ancient types of Celtic music, Suantraí (lullaby), Geantraí (happy song) and Goltraí (lament). One of the group's stated aims is to explore and redefine this music. An Uaithne became Anúna in 1991 and in 2010 adopted the name "Anúna, Ireland's National Choir". Most of the material they perform is written or arranged specifically for the group by Michael McGlynn. He also has reconstructed and arranged a substantial amount of early Irish music, which has been recorded by the group. McGlynn's choral arrangements are written specifically for their combination of classically trained singers and untrained voices. Anúna do not work with a conductor in performance, and move throughout the venue at different points in concert. Their standard line-up is twelve to fourteen singers.
An Uaithne 1987 to 1991
McGlynn formed the choir An Uaithne in 1987, with their earliest concerts featuring medieval Irish and European music, contemporary choral pieces by Irish composers and Irish folk arrangements. He has stated "My interest in traditional song stemmed from my schooldays in Ring College in Dungarvan, and I also felt a need to explore and communicate my enthusiasm for medieval music, most particularly Irish medieval music, to the general public. The eclectic repertoire that characterises the music of Anúna was born in this way". McGlynn re-set and rearranged historical texts and reconstructions of medieval Irish music. These included the 12th century pieces "Dicant Nunc" and "Cormacus Scripsit", both of which come from Irish manuscripts and featured in the repertoire of An Uaithne. Other reconstructions including "Miserere Miseris" from the Dublin Troper and "Quem Queritis" from The Dublin Play continue to feature in the repertoire of Anúna. McGlynn has said "I think that one of the purposes of Anúna has been to open the door of obscurity to some of the many medieval pieces that we've recorded".An Uaithne featured a number of traditional music arrangements done by McGlynn as part of their repertoire. He has stated "One of the misapprehensions about my music is that I am not actually concerned with saving Irish traditional music; I am not a traditionalist. The only exposure I had [to traditional Irish song] was during my year at Coláiste na Rinne in Dún Garbhán. The songs that I set are not from a specific collection; they are more impressions of the songs I remembered." McGlynn also created new compositions that could be perceived as arrangements of Irish songs but were, in fact, new melodies composed to traditional texts. These works are not arrangements and they became a feature of An Uaithne's repertoire and continue to be part of the Anúna canon. McGlynn has stated "People just assume that I have just found a “living” version. In fact I have done what has made solo traditional music so viable: I have created a new version. I take the songs and reinterpret them in a new way. My priority is always to create a choral version that works."
The genesis of the choir's vocal sound derives from a number of different sources including Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir is an internationally renowned World Music ensemble that blends traditional six-part a cappella repertoire with modern arrangements. It is most recognized under their contribution to Marcel Cellier's Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares project...
, although he has stated that Anúna are not an expression of their culture in the same way as the Bulgarian choir because, when creating Anúna, there was no point in his pretending that there had been a culture of part-singing in Ireland. McGlynn has stated :
"What I have done is to try to always create an accessibility using the concept of fragility in the voice to allow the audience to access music that otherwise they might find overtly and harmonically complex or technically demanding to listen to."
Anúna 1992 to 1996
In 1991, An Uaithne officially became Anúna. Once a group of classically trained singers, Anúna morphed into a choir of less trained, but still gifted, singers who could produce the earthy, raw tone that McGlynn was seeking. “This is the ‘Anúna’ sound – powerful and fragile, immediate and human. When I developed it, it was almost as a protest against the artificial nature of choral groups I had been part of, where singers appeared to sing for themselves, never as a genuine unit and never for the audience.” In 1993 they released their disc "ANÚNA", a sixteen-track CD followed in 1994 by the album "Invocation". Both albums were licensed by the Irish label Celtic Heartbeat and released in 1995 The album "Anúna" achieved a modest BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
World Music chart placing at number 11 in 1995. Both albums were licensed by the Irish label Celtic Heartbeat and released in 1995.
Anúna became associated with Riverdance
Riverdance
Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. It originated as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, a moment that is still considered a significant...
from 1994 until 1996. They gave the first performance of the piece at the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, spending 18 weeks at number 1 in the Irish single's chart and reaching number 9 in the U.K. Singles Chart. They featured on the CD and DVD "Riverdance" and "Riverdance: the Show". They sang the opening choral section entitled "Cloudsong" with a solo by soprano Katie McMahon
Katie McMahon
Katie McMahon is an Irish singer. She was a soloist with the original Riverdance troupe. Her recordings have largely featured traditional Irish songs, occasionally in the Irish language....
Anúna won an Irish National Entertainment Award for Classical music in 1994. In 1995 they released "Omnis" and in 1996 "Deep Dead Blue". The latter album gained an international release on the Gimell/Polygram label in 1999. and was nominated for a Classical Brit Award in 2000. The group left Riverdance in 1996. Anúna soprano Eimear Quinn
Eimear Quinn
Eimear Quinn is an Irish singer. Dublin born Eimear joined her first choir at four years of age and at fifteen she started formal vocal training at the College of Music under the tutelage of Jody Beggan. Eimear later graduated with a degree in Music from National University of Ireland Maynooth...
won the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in the same year in Oslo.
Anúna 1997 to date
In 1997 Anúna released the CD "Behind the Closed Eye", an orchestral collaboration with the Ulster OrchestraUlster Orchestra
The Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall...
, Northern Ireland's leading symphony orchestra. The choir appeared at the World Sacred Music Festival
World Sacred Music Festival
The World Festival of Sacred Music brings together performers from every corner of our planet for a week of artistic show in Fes, Morocco's ancient holy city. It was first held in 1994.-Los Angeles:...
in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
in 1998 returning in 2002. In 1999 Anúna performed at the first ever Irish Prom at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. 2000 saw the release of "Cynara" followed by "Winter Songs" (U.S. Release title "Christmas Songs") in 2002. The same year the group appeared at the "Proms in the Park" in Belfast, an open-air concert featuring The Ulster Orchestra in the grounds of Belfast's City Hall.
Their album Sensation
Sensation (album)
Sensation, an album by Anúna, was released in 2006 on the Danú label. All music featured on the disc is original, written by the Irish composer Michael McGlynn.-Track listing:# "O Ignis Spiritus" – 5.59# "Brezairola" – 3:32# "Sensation" – 5.03...
, released in April 2006, was an eclectic collection, with settings by McGlynn of texts by Cardinal Henry Newman, Arthur Rimbaud
Arthur Rimbaud
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet. Born in Charleville, Ardennes, he produced his best known works while still in his late teens—Victor Hugo described him at the time as "an infant Shakespeare"—and he gave up creative writing altogether before the age of 21. As part of the decadent...
and Hildegard von Bingen. The title track featured a spoken recitation of the Rimbaud poem "Sensation" by the Breton singer Gilles Servat
Gilles Servat
Gilles Servat is a French singer, born in Tarbes in southern France in 1945, into a family whose roots lay in the Nantes region of Brittany.He spent his early childhood around Nantes and Cholet. His music evoques the Isle of Groix, off the coast of Morbihan.His music was originally inspired by the...
. In January 2007, Anúna recorded a series of live performances in Cleveland which have been broadcast extensively on PBS across the USA. The group undertook a two-month tour of the USA in Autumn 2007. The album "Anúna: Celtic Origins" was released in the same year. It was the number one selling album in the World Music category of Nielsen Soundscan in August of that year. November 2008 saw the release in the USA of "Christmas Memories", a CD and DVD release coupled with PBS Broadcasts nationally in November and December. The album entered the Billboard World Music Charts at number 6 on first week of release and spent 10 weeks in the Billboard World Music top 20 albums. The single "Ding Dong Merrily on High" reached number number 26 on the Billboard "Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks" chart in December 2008.
In June 2009, Anúna released the CD "Sanctus" and DVD "Invocations of Ireland". "Sanctus" featured four previously released tracks that have been remastered and in the case of one track, "Nobilis Humilis", have had parts re-recorded and added to the original song. Also featured are McGlynn's "Agnus Dei", Miserere mei, Deus
Miserere (Allegri)
Miserere, full name "Miserere mei, Deus" by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri, is a setting of Psalm 51 composed during the reign of Pope Urban VIII, probably during the 1630s, for use in the Sistine Chapel during matins, as part of the exclusive Tenebrae service on Wednesday and Friday of Holy...
by Gregorio Allegri
Gregorio Allegri
Gregorio Allegri was an Italian composer of the Roman School and brother of Domenico Allegri; he was also a priest and a singer. He lived mainly in Rome, where he would later die.-Life:...
and Crucifixus by Antonio Lotti
Antonio Lotti
Antonio Lotti was an Italian composer of classical music.Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was Kapellmeister at Hanover at the time. In 1682, Lotti began studying with Lodovico Fuga and Giovanni Legrenzi, both of whom were employed at St Mark's Basilica, Venice's principal church...
."Invocations of Ireland" was a 56 minute DVD filmed throughout Ireland by Michael McGlynn, and featured the music of Anúna sung in the Irish landscape. The DVD was released on Columbia in Japan and was broadcast extensively on the Ovation Channel in Australia and New Zealand.
In July 2009, Anúna gave the first performance of "Behind the Closed Eye" in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
at Dublin's National Concert Hall
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall is a concert hall located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, Ireland, close to St. Stephen's Green, and is the principal national venue for classical music concerts in Ireland....
with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. The group performed again with the orchestra in July 2010, with Finnish violinist Linda Lampenius. The programme included a number of new pieces and arrangements including the nine minute McGlynn fantasia based on the songs of Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
"The Last Rose".
In June 2010, Anúna collaborated on a new CD and DVD project with The Wiggles
The Wiggles
The Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...
scheduled for release in 2011. In September 2010, Anúna recorded an arrangement by Michael McGlynn of "Away in a Manger" with ex-Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female musical ensemble conceived and assembled by Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance...
soloist Órla Fallon
Órla Fallon
Órlagh Fallon , professionally known as Órla Fallon, is an Irish soloist, songwriter and former member of the group Celtic Woman and the chamber choir Anúna.- Life and career :...
for her Christmas PBS special, which also featured David Archuleta
David Archuleta
David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
and another ex-Anúna and Celtic Woman soloist Méav Ní Mhaolchatha
Méav Ní Mhaolchatha
Méav Ní Mhaolchatha is an Irish singer and recording artist specializing in the traditional music of her homeland. She was one of the original soloists in the musical ensemble Celtic Woman. She sings in multiple languages: English, Gaelic, French and Latin....
. The special was filmed in Dublin, Ireland. No fewer than four of the soloists who have been featured on Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female musical ensemble conceived and assembled by Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance...
since 2005 (Órla Fallon
Órla Fallon
Órlagh Fallon , professionally known as Órla Fallon, is an Irish soloist, songwriter and former member of the group Celtic Woman and the chamber choir Anúna.- Life and career :...
, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha
Méav Ní Mhaolchatha
Méav Ní Mhaolchatha is an Irish singer and recording artist specializing in the traditional music of her homeland. She was one of the original soloists in the musical ensemble Celtic Woman. She sings in multiple languages: English, Gaelic, French and Latin....
, Lynn Hilary
Lynn Hilary
Lynn Hilary is an Irish singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She also has performed as a featured soprano soloist in the all-female ensemble Celtic Woman.- Career :...
and Deirdre Shannon
Deirdre Shannon
Deirdre Gilsenan is an Irish singer who has toured with a variety of Celtic music groups, such as Anúna, the Celtic Tenors and Celtic Woman...
) have been members of Anúna.
On January 27–29, 2011, Anúna joined Irish musical pioneers Clannad
Clannad
Clannad are an Irish musical group, from Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. Their music has been variously described as bordering on folk and folk rock, Irish, Celtic and New Age, often incorporating elements of an even broader spectrum of smooth jazz and Gregorian chant...
for three concerts at Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral for the Donegal group's fortieth anniversary celebrations. They collaborated together on five tracks, "Dúlamán", "Caislean Óir", "Theme from Harry's Game", "In a Lifetime" and "I Will Find You". Anúna also performed a version of "Media Vita" as they came onstage, integrating musical elements of "Caislean Óir".
Anúna made their Chinese debut in June 2011. Cities visited included Chengdu, Wuhan and Hangzhou. In Beijing they performed at the Beijing Poly Theater and in Shanghai at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. In July 2011 the National Concert Hall in Dublin presented the first Anúna International Summer School. The event took place between July 5 and 9, and featured a team of international facilitators including Matthew Oltman, then musical director of Chanticleer
Chanticleer (ensemble)
Based in San Francisco, California, Chanticleer is a full-time classical vocal ensemble in the United States. Over the last three decades, it has developed a major reputation for its interpretations of Renaissance music, but it also performs a wide repertoire of jazz, gospel, and other venturesome...
. In September their album "Christmas Memories" débuted at 95 in The Billboard 200
Notable Performances
Anúna have performed all over the world including Poland, Morocco, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Chile, Argentina, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, France, the U.K., the U.S.A. and Germany.- 1987 : Debut performance, Trinity College Dublin Chapel.
- 1991 : First performance of McGlynn's "Celtic Mass", Dublin.
- 1994 : Eurovision Song Contest from Dublin. Performed the opening "Cloudsong" from RiverdanceRiverdanceRiverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. It originated as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, a moment that is still considered a significant...
. - 1994 : Performed Riverdance in The Royal Variety Show from London.
- 1995 : Performed at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Meltdown Festival. The group were invited to participate by Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
. - 1996 : Premiére performance of excerpts of "Behind the Closed Eye" with The Ulster Orchestra at The Ulster Hall, Northern Ireland. Participated in the opening ceremonies for Ireland adopting the EU Presidency in Dublin.
- 1998 : The first Irish performing group to take part in the World Sacred Music FestivalWorld Sacred Music FestivalThe World Festival of Sacred Music brings together performers from every corner of our planet for a week of artistic show in Fes, Morocco's ancient holy city. It was first held in 1994.-Los Angeles:...
at Fés. The group were invited back in 2002. - 1999 : Recorded a live PBS TV special in Lillehammer, Norway as guests of Secret GardenSecret Garden (duo)Secret Garden is an award-winning Irish-Norwegian duo playing New Instrumental Music, also sometimes erroneously known as Neo-classical music.Secret Garden features the Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and the Norwegian composer/pianist Rolf Løvland...
. BBC2 Television film a full performance of "Behind the Closed Eye" at Belfast's Waterfront HallWaterfront HallThe Waterfront Hall is a multi-purpose facility, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....
. They opened the State of the World Symposium at the same venue in May. In August Anúna performed at the Royal Albert HallRoyal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in London at the BBC Proms as part of the first-ever Irish Prom. - 2000 : First solo performance at Dublin's National Concert Hall.
- 2002 : Performed with The Ulster Orchestra to 14,000 people in Belfast as part of the BBC Proms.
- 2004 : Travel to Argentina and Chile with the President of Ireland Mary McAleese.
- 2005 : The group tour Chile and Argentina as guests of President Mary McAleeseMary McAleeseMary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
, President of Ireland. - 2007 : Artists in residence at Festival 500Festival 500Festival 500:Sharing the Voices is an international biennial non-competitive choral music festival held in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.-History:...
, Newfoundland, Canada. First Japanese tour included a performance in Tokyo's Sumida Hall. Live recording of TV special "ANÚNA - Celtic Origins" in Cleveland USA for PBS TV with Elevation Group. The programme was carried by in excess of 220 PBS Channels, and this was followed by a nine week tour of the full group, with guest violinist Linda Lampenius, of the USA in Autumn of that year. Venues included New York City Town Hall and Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis. - 2008 : The group debut in Amsterdam with a solo performance in the famous ConcertgebouwConcertgebouwThe Concertgebouw is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" literally translates into English as "concert building"...
. - 2009 : Anúna give their first performance with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland at the NCH Dublin in a concert of Michael's work. In 2010 there was a repeat performance with the orchestra. The group embark on their first Irish tour.
- 2010 : Anúna adopt the name "Anúna, Ireland's National Choir" as their official title and inaugurate an Education and Outreach programme. They appear as a guest on the Orla FallonÓrla FallonÓrlagh Fallon , professionally known as Órla Fallon, is an Irish soloist, songwriter and former member of the group Celtic Woman and the chamber choir Anúna.- Life and career :...
PBS Special, also appearing on the DVD and CD "Orla Fallon's Celtic Christmas". - 2011 : Collaborate with Australian super-group The WigglesThe WigglesThe Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...
on a Christmas DVD Special and CD release for 2011. The group tour China for the first time.
Selected Members
Over its lifetime Anúna has had many singers pass through its ranks. A selection of past and current members is presented below.John McGlynn
John McGlynn is a tenor with Anúna and an Irish singer-songwriter. He is also Michael's identical twin brother. His distinctive guitar style features on many of Anúna's albums. Originally an architect by trade, he currently acts as a director of the choir, touring in that capacity throughout Europe and the USA. He released his solo album Songs For A Fallen Angel in 2000 and has formed a trio entitled Sweet June. His arrangements and original songs appear on a number of Anúna releases. "If All She Has Is You" appears on the Celtic Origins album and concert DVD and has been covered by Celtic WomanCeltic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female musical ensemble conceived and assembled by Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance...
soloist Lynn Hilary
Lynn Hilary
Lynn Hilary is an Irish singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She also has performed as a featured soprano soloist in the all-female ensemble Celtic Woman.- Career :...
on her debut solo album. Other arrangements and original pieces include "The Fisher King", "Buachaill ón Éirne", "Siúil a Rúin" and "O Come All Ye Faithful". He features as a soloist on the albums Christmas Songs, Invocation
Invocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
, Anúna, Deep Dead Blue
Deep Dead Blue
Deep Dead Blue is a live album by Elvis Costello with Bill Frisell recorded at the Meltdown Festival in 1995. The Allmusic review by Steve Huey states "It's no real surprise that the two work well together, given the musical affinity demonstrated on Frisell's masterful reinterpretations of Painted...
, Christmas Memories
Christmas Memories
Christmas Memories is the second Christmas album and 57th album by singer Barbra Streisand, released in 2001. The album reached Number 15 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and has been certified as Platinum, her 28th platinum disk in America...
, Celtic Origins and Cynara
Cynara
Cynara is a genus of about 10 species of thistle-like perennial plants in the family Asteraceae, originally from the Mediterranean region, northwestern Africa, and the Canary Islands....
. He appears as a soloist on the DVDs Invocations of Ireland and Celtic Origins and Christmas Memories
Christmas Memories
Christmas Memories is the second Christmas album and 57th album by singer Barbra Streisand, released in 2001. The album reached Number 15 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and has been certified as Platinum, her 28th platinum disk in America...
.
Lucy Champion
Lucy Champion is an English singer, and is a current member and soprano soloist with Anúna. She features as a soloist on the albums Christmas Songs, InvocationInvocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
, Sensation
Sensation (album)
Sensation, an album by Anúna, was released in 2006 on the Danú label. All music featured on the disc is original, written by the Irish composer Michael McGlynn.-Track listing:# "O Ignis Spiritus" – 5.59# "Brezairola" – 3:32# "Sensation" – 5.03...
, Anúna, Sanctus
Sanctus
The Sanctus is a hymn from Christian liturgy, forming part of the Order of Mass. In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine...
, Cynara
Cynara
Cynara is a genus of about 10 species of thistle-like perennial plants in the family Asteraceae, originally from the Mediterranean region, northwestern Africa, and the Canary Islands....
, Deep Dead Blue
Deep Dead Blue
Deep Dead Blue is a live album by Elvis Costello with Bill Frisell recorded at the Meltdown Festival in 1995. The Allmusic review by Steve Huey states "It's no real surprise that the two work well together, given the musical affinity demonstrated on Frisell's masterful reinterpretations of Painted...
, Christmas Memories
Christmas Memories
Christmas Memories is the second Christmas album and 57th album by singer Barbra Streisand, released in 2001. The album reached Number 15 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and has been certified as Platinum, her 28th platinum disk in America...
, Celtic Origins and Behind the Closed Eye. She appears as a soloist on the DVDs Invocations of Ireland and Celtic Origins. She was Concerts and Events Manager for The Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, Administrator and Education Manager for the Wren Orchestra in London, Education Manager with the National Concert Hall
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall is a concert hall located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, Ireland, close to St. Stephen's Green, and is the principal national venue for classical music concerts in Ireland....
in Dublin and is currently a choral clinician and educator, most recently giving a series of workshops at Dublin's National Concert Hall
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall is a concert hall located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, Ireland, close to St. Stephen's Green, and is the principal national venue for classical music concerts in Ireland....
in 2009/2010.
Miriam Blennerhassett
Miriam Blennerhassett is an Irish mezzo-soprano, and is the current Chorus Master of Anúna, also featuring as a soloist on CD, DVD and in performance. She features as a soloist on the albums OmnisOMNIS
OMNIS is the Malagasy government organisation, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy, responsible for:...
, Invocation
Invocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
, Sensation
Sensation (album)
Sensation, an album by Anúna, was released in 2006 on the Danú label. All music featured on the disc is original, written by the Irish composer Michael McGlynn.-Track listing:# "O Ignis Spiritus" – 5.59# "Brezairola" – 3:32# "Sensation" – 5.03...
, Deep Dead Blue
Deep Dead Blue
Deep Dead Blue is a live album by Elvis Costello with Bill Frisell recorded at the Meltdown Festival in 1995. The Allmusic review by Steve Huey states "It's no real surprise that the two work well together, given the musical affinity demonstrated on Frisell's masterful reinterpretations of Painted...
, Celtic Origins and Behind the Closed Eye. She appears as a soloist on the DVDs Invocations of Ireland and Celtic Origins. Miriam is a founder member of Anúna.
Ian King
Ian King is a British song writer working in the English Folk music genre. His debut album, Panic Grass and Fever Few gained him four-star reviews in the Guardian and Observer newspapers in the U.K. and he was featured on the 2009 thirtieth anniversary cover of the influential fRoots magazine. Ian was a tenor with Anúna from 1996 to 1997.Julie Feeney
Julie FeeneyJulie Feeney
Julie Feeney, award-winning Irish composer, song-writer, singer and music producer.-Overview:Feeney is an award-winning and critically acclaimed Irish composer, singer, record producer, musician, songwriter, theatre artist and educator. She composes both instrumental and electronic music, and...
has become successful as a solo artist. Her self-produced debut album, 13 songs, won her the Choice Music Prize
Choice Music Prize
-Establishment:It was established by journalist Jim Carroll and manager Dave Reid in 2005. as an alternative to the industry-dominated Meteor Music Awards. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the Mercury Prize which is awarded each year to the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...
in 2006 and she subsequently signed with major label, Sony BMG. She released her second self-produced album pages in Ireland in 2009. She sang alto with Anúna from 1997 to 2001.
Órla Fallon
Órla FallonÓrla Fallon
Órlagh Fallon , professionally known as Órla Fallon, is an Irish soloist, songwriter and former member of the group Celtic Woman and the chamber choir Anúna.- Life and career :...
is a solo recording artist traditional music who was a member of Anúna in 1996. She was one of the original soloists in the musical ensemble Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female musical ensemble conceived and assembled by Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance...
. In 2010, her PBS Christmas Special "Orla Fallon's Celtic Christmas", also released as a CD and DVD, features Anúna on the track "Away in a Manger" performing with her.
Méav Ní Mhaolchatha
Méav Ní MhaolchathaMéav Ní Mhaolchatha
Méav Ní Mhaolchatha is an Irish singer and recording artist specializing in the traditional music of her homeland. She was one of the original soloists in the musical ensemble Celtic Woman. She sings in multiple languages: English, Gaelic, French and Latin....
is a soprano recording artist specializing in the traditional music of her homeland. She was one of the original soloists in the musical ensemble Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female musical ensemble conceived and assembled by Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance...
. Between 1994 and 1998, Méav was a member of Anúna. She has recorded numerous solos with the choir, including "Midnight", "The Lass of Glenshee", "Geantraí", "When I was in My Prime" and "The Mermaid". She appears on the albums Omnis
OMNIS
OMNIS is the Malagasy government organisation, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy, responsible for:...
, Deep Dead Blue
Deep Dead Blue
Deep Dead Blue is a live album by Elvis Costello with Bill Frisell recorded at the Meltdown Festival in 1995. The Allmusic review by Steve Huey states "It's no real surprise that the two work well together, given the musical affinity demonstrated on Frisell's masterful reinterpretations of Painted...
and Behind the Closed Eye.
Lynn Hilary
Lynn HilaryLynn Hilary
Lynn Hilary is an Irish singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She also has performed as a featured soprano soloist in the all-female ensemble Celtic Woman.- Career :...
was a soprano soloist in the musical ensemble Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female musical ensemble conceived and assembled by Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance...
. Between 2000 and 2007 Lynn was a member of Anúna. She has recorded numerous solos with the choir, including "Midnight", "Codhlaím go Suan", "The Last Rose", "The Road of Passage" and "Annaghdown". She appears on the albums Christmas Songs, Invocation
Invocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
, Sensation
Sensation (album)
Sensation, an album by Anúna, was released in 2006 on the Danú label. All music featured on the disc is original, written by the Irish composer Michael McGlynn.-Track listing:# "O Ignis Spiritus" – 5.59# "Brezairola" – 3:32# "Sensation" – 5.03...
and Behind the Closed Eye.
Eimear Quinn
Eimear QuinnEimear Quinn
Eimear Quinn is an Irish singer. Dublin born Eimear joined her first choir at four years of age and at fifteen she started formal vocal training at the College of Music under the tutelage of Jody Beggan. Eimear later graduated with a degree in Music from National University of Ireland Maynooth...
is a soprano, and won the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in 1996 while she was a member of the group. She was part of Anúna from 1995 to 1996. She has recorded numerous solos with the choir, including "The Mermaid", "Diwanit Bugale", "The Green Laurel", "Gaudete" and "Salve Rex Gloriae". She appears on the albums Omnis and Deep Dead Blue.
Albums and DVD releases
The group has released several albums and DVDs:- 1991 – An Uaithne (cassette only)
- 1993 – ANÚNA (re-recorded 2005)
- 1994 – Invocation (re-recorded 2002)
- 1995 – Omnis (Irish edition)+
- 1996 – Omnis (entirely re-recorded international version of the 1995 release)+
- 1996 – Deep Dead Blue (remaster 2004)
- 1997 – Behind the Closed Eye (remaster 2003)
- 2000 – Cynara
- 2002 – Winter Songs [released as Christmas Songs on Koch Records in 2004]++
- 2003 – Essential Anúna (UK only release on Universal Records)++
- 2005 – The Best of Anúna (European edition, different track listing to Essential)++
- 2005 – Essential Anúna (US only on Koch Records)++
- 2006 – SensationSensation (album)Sensation, an album by Anúna, was released in 2006 on the Danú label. All music featured on the disc is original, written by the Irish composer Michael McGlynn.-Track listing:# "O Ignis Spiritus" – 5.59# "Brezairola" – 3:32# "Sensation" – 5.03...
- 2006 – "Celtic Dreams" : Méav Ní Mhaolchatha with Anúna Valley EntertainmentValley EntertainmentValley Entertainment is a United States music distributor and independent record label based in New York City. The company was founded in 1996 by Barney Cohen, president and CEO. In 2001, they acquired the prestigious back catalogue of space, ambient, and New Age music from Hearts of Space Records...
- 2007 – Celtic Origins [CD and DVD]
- 2008 – Christmas Memories [CD and DVD]
- 2009 – Invocations of Ireland [DVD]
- 2009 – Sanctus
- 2010 – The Best of Anúna (New Edition)++
- 2010 – Christmas with Anúna
+ Both albums amalgamated into a single remastered release in 2003.
++ Indicates compilation
Recorded Collaborations
- With Barry ManilowBarry ManilowBarry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
"Thumbelina" (1993) - With The ChieftainsThe ChieftainsThe Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
and Sting "Mo Ghille Mear" from the album The Long Black Veil (1994) - With the RTÉ Concert OrchestraRTÉ Concert OrchestraThe RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full time professional 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 Orchestra, has grown from a small studio-based recording group to...
, Davy SpillaneDavy SpillaneDavy Spillane is a songwriter and a player of uilleann pipes and low whistle.early yearsDavy was born in Dublin in 1959 . At the age of 12 he started playing the uilleann pipes. His father encouraged him and inspired him with his love of all music genres...
(Uileann Pipes), Kenneth Edge (Saxophone), Máire BreathnachMaire BreathnachMaire Breathnach, is an Irish actress.Breathnach plays the part of Mo Gilmartin on the Irish language drama, Ros na Rún.She is a native of Cnoc Leitirmullen, and won the County football final with her local team...
(violin), Noel Eccles (percussion) "Riverdance" (1994) - With the Ulster OrchestraUlster OrchestraThe Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall...
"Behind the Closed Eye" (1997) - With The Chieftains and Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
"The Long Journey Home", title track (1998) - With The Chieftains and DadawaDadawaDadawa is the artist name of Zhu Zheqin , a singer/songwriter/indie producer, who is well-known for her vocalization. She was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Dadawa is sometimes referred as the "Chinese Enya" by fans...
"Tear Lake" from "Tears of Stone" (1999), Japan only - With The Chieftains and Brenda FrickerBrenda FrickerBrenda Fricker is an Irish actress of theatre, film and television. She had appeared in more than 30 films and television roles...
"Never Give All The Heart" "Tears of Stone" (1999) - With Secret GardenSecret Garden (duo)Secret Garden is an award-winning Irish-Norwegian duo playing New Instrumental Music, also sometimes erroneously known as Neo-classical music.Secret Garden features the Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and the Norwegian composer/pianist Rolf Løvland...
, track "I Know a Rose Tree". Also appear on their albums Dawn of a New Century (1999), Once in a Red Moon (2002) and the DVD "A Night with Secret Garden" (2000) - With Ashley MacIsaacAshley MacIsaacAshley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
, "The Wedding Funeral" from the album "Ashley MacIsaac" (2002) - With Jerry Fish and the Mudbug ClubJerry Fish and the Mudbug ClubAn Emotional Fish is an alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland. An Emotional Fish were formed in 1988, and consisted of Gerard Whelan , Martin Murphy , David Frew , and Enda Wyatt . Their musical influences include David Bowie, Iggy Pop, T...
, "Be Yourself", "True Friends". "Bob & God" from the album "Be Yourself" (2002) - With Moya BrennanMoya BrennanMoya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin , also known as Máire Brennan , is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist who began performing professionally in 1970, when her family formed the band Clannad, and is now widely considered as the "First Lady of Celtic Music"...
and Iarla Ó LionairdIarla Ó LionáirdIarla Ó Lionáird is an Irish singer and producer well known for his involvement with the Afro Celt Sound System. He is one of the most prominent artists of the Irish Sean nós singing tradition, and has released three solo albums through Real World Records, the third being Invisible Fields,...
"Is Mise 'N Gaoth" (2010) from the CD "Music of Ireland : Welcome home" - With Órla FallonÓrla FallonÓrlagh Fallon , professionally known as Órla Fallon, is an Irish soloist, songwriter and former member of the group Celtic Woman and the chamber choir Anúna.- Life and career :...
"Away in a Manger" from "Orla Fallon's Celtic Christmas" (2010) - With The WigglesThe WigglesThe Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...
"The Cherry Tree Carol", "The Little Drummer Boy", "Ding Dong Merrily on High" & "We Three Kings" for release on CD and DVD (2011)