A new arrangement of a work by Vincent Kennedy receives its premiere in France

The orchestral version of Vincent Kennedy’s work, Where the North Wind Blows, will be premiered at Opera House, Rennes, France on 10 April.

Performed by Uilleann Pipes soloist Mark Redmond and the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne and conductor Derek Gleeson, the work receives a second performance on 11 April at the Rennes Opera House before moving to L’Arcadie, Ploudalmézeau, Brittany on 12 April.

Where the North Wind Blows was originally commissioned under the Peace III initiative supported by the Ireland Fund and written for Scottish Highland Pipes, Brass, Wind and Percussion. Premiered in April 2011 by a cross community intergenerational group, it is dedicated to Vincent Kennedy’s mother Mary who died at that time. A version for solo Uilleann Pipes and Symphonic Wind Band was premiered in the National Concert Hall in November 2012.

Also on the programme is Gerard Victory’s 1970 work, Cyrano de Bergerac Overture and Kennedy’s solo violin and orchestra piece, Dreams with soloist Pascal Cocheril.