‘FRANKIE GAVIN & DE DANNAN’ WILL COMMENCE A TOUR OF CHINA’S BIGGEST VENUES ON JULY 6TH WITH THE DUBLIN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA.
Traditional super group ‘Frankie Gavin & De Dannan’ has been invited to undergo a tour of China with the ‘Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra’ in early July, first stop is a performance at the official Shanghai Grand Theatre’s World Expo. In addition to performing in the cities of Shanghai, Suzhou and Changchun, the band & orchestra will open the Beijing Festival summer season with two concerts presented at the prestigious National Center for the Performing Arts at the Opera House. Each of these concerts will be broadcast to hundreds of millions of people via television on Beijing TV and China Central TV stations. Additionally the concerts will be broadcast "Live" via a variety of media, including radio and web portals, as well as on 102 giant screens in Beijing's shopping malls, squares and landmarks.
Leader of the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra, Derek Gleeson, explained the reasons for partnering with the band:
“I saw ‘Frankie Gavin & De Dannan’ perform in New York earlier this year and the reaction to the band was phenomenal. The level of musicianship was breathtaking and as I hadn’t seen Frankie with this particular line up before I instantly knew that these guys would go down a storm in China. To have a room of people in New York, which included the head of Fox TV and other major US & global corporations, on their feet within 10 minutes is no mean achievement and I thought to myself “imagine these guys with 70 other performers from the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra”, we got to talking and it’s happening in July.”
Frankie Gavin, speaking about the tour said: ‘Im very excited about this China tour and the opportunities it seems to be opening up for the band in that part of the world. We played in Singapore two weeks ago for a number of Asian concert promoters and they are all excited about seeing the band in China and we have a number of other offers in also for that part of the world which is great. This is the first time this present line up will perform in China but we will be back in China in September and a few months later again to perform at the Asian Games. Seemingly there spending 750 million Euro on that event, I don’t think its all going to the band though! So given our trips back and forth I suppose we best brush up on our Chinese!’
For many years ‘De Dannan’ were the forerunners in the Irish traditional music world but after 33 years, 14 albums and a number of changes in the line up, the group disbanded in 2003. The band at that point had been responsible for bringing singers Dolores Keane, Mary Black, Maura O Connell and Tommy Fleming, amongst many others, to international prominence. In August 2009, Frankie Gavin unleashed a new ‘De Dannan’ line up which in his own words "reflects a ‘De Dannan’ of the 21st century”.
In establishing the new ‘De Dannan’ in 2009, Frankie has assembled a group of fiercely talented performers who during the first performance as a band in the USA received a number of standing ovations at the 1500 seat Sander’s Theater at Harvard University, Boston-and the first was before the intermission! Rob Fabroni, Producer of the ‘Last Waltz’, who saw the band perform in the USA during their first tour in March 2009 summed up the thoughts of many in the hall: “this is the best incarnation of ‘De Dannan’ I have ever witnessed and I believe I have seen them all…sensational”.
‘Frankie Gavin & De Dannan’ also performed for US President Barrack Obama, US Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and many other dignitaries at a private function in the US during the same period. The current ‘De Dannan’ ensemble (now known as ‘Frankie Gavin & De Dannan’) is led by Frankie Gavin on fiddle, flutes & whistles with Damien Mullane on accordian, Eric Cunningham on percussion, flutes & whistles, Mike Galvin on bouzouki & guitars and Michelle Lally on vocals.
A new album featuring the most recent ‘De Dannan’ line up, entitled ‘Jigs, Reels & Rock ‘n’ Roll’, is due for release during the August bank holiday weekend to mark the establishment of the new band the same weekend one year before. The album includes a guest appearance by Ronnie Wood of the ‘Rolling Stones’.
‘Frankie Gavin & De Dannan’ along with the ‘Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra’ will play the following concerts in China:
Tuesday, July 6 – Shanghai Grand Theatre World Expo Program
Wednesday, July 7 – Suzhou Cultural Art Centre
Thursday, July 8 – Changchun Concert Hall
Saturday, July 10 – Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts
Sunday, July 11 – Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts
