IRELAND’S POET-PATRIOTS
WASHINGTON, DC Performance Announced
December 30, 2016IRELAND’S POET-PATRIOTS
A TIMELESS MUSICAL TRIBUTE
“Ireland’s centuries-long struggle for independence is not only a vital part of her own history, it also vividly expresses the innate desire of all humans and all societies to be self-determining. As an American composer, IRELAND’S POET-PATRIOTS is an expression of my profound love for the Irish and their culture, as well as my attempt to grasp the historic context of 1916 through the poetic impulse that is so profoundly rooted in the Irish soul.” Richard B. Evans, Composer
Based on the stirring poems and writings of 12 of Ireland’s poet-patriots – Robert Emmet, Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, James Connolly, W. B. Yeats, Maud Gonne, Pádraic Pearse and more –IRELAND’S POET-PATRIOTS is a musical commemoration and reflection on the struggle for Irish freedom by bringing to life events in Irish history that led directly the 1916 “Proclamation of the Irish Republic.” Composer Richard B. Evans marries Irish traditional music with the expressive power of original classical crossover to pay tribute to the enduring spirit of Ireland’s people, music, history and literature.
Our mission for IRELAND’S POET-PATRIOTS, A Timeless Musical Tribute, is to honor the culture of Ireland and to educate audiences through music and Irish literature to many of the events and people who played critical roles in Ireland’s struggle for nationhood – and to celebrate Ireland’s luminous future. The concert is non-sectarian; the writers are Protestant and Catholic in equal numbers and the final choral number is a benediction based on a poem of reconciliation by the Irish mystic poet A.E. titled “Immortality.”