Irish Baroque Orchestra: facing the future

Mark Duley, artistic director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra, explains how and why the Irish Baroque Orchestra has been reshaping itself

"Not long after IBO began life as Christ Church Baroque back in 1996, we received a letter from the Collector General's office addressed to Christ Church Barbecue. This splendid malapropism gives pause for thought on the challenges of establishing a baroque orchestra where hitherto none had existed.

"For instance, such lack of awareness makes marketing an unpropitious prospect and fund-raising a major difficulty, and because limited funds mean few performances, IBO cannot offer enough work to keep good Irish baroque specialists resident and/or available.

"This has resulted in inconsistent membership and has hindered consistent ensemble and corporate technique. Nor are we helped by the dearth of specialist baroque string tuition at third level, making the identification of potential new players for IBO very difficult.

"In order to meet such challenges, the orchestra has undergone a minor rebirth over the past two years, involving a revitalised marketing approach (including the name change to Irish Baroque Orchestra) and five new artistic strategies.

"We have undertaken an education initiative with DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. We have put in place a first-call list of players, with a healthy mix of locally-based musicians, specialist Irish players working abroad, and non-Irish players who enjoy working here.We have consolidated the artistic schedule into seasons, offering longer stretches of continuous work with the same group of players.

"We include in each season an intensive residential rehearsal period in a congenial environment. And finally, we appoint a violinist/pedagogue of proven world renown as director each season."