1992 The Belfast Harpers’ Bicentenary:

1992 was the Bicentenary year of the Belfast Harpers’ Assembly and a year of celebrations was organised. Janet with Jimmy Hawthorne, chairman of the Community Relations Committee, and Maurice Hayes, the ex.chairman of the Civil Service, constituted the company “The Belfast Harper’s Bicentenary Ltd”.
Janet also constituted the Belfast Harp Orchestra and the celebrations were set. The most prominent event was a World Harp Festival taking place in Belfast over ten days in May, directed by Janet, and consequently fixed to feature performances by the Belfast Harp Orchestra for the first half of the two concerts featuring firstly, The Chieftains and secondly, Breton legend, Alain Stivel. The Orchestra was triumphal.

Brittany:

Shortly after the festival, the Orchestra took off on a concert tour to Brittany where they featured at the Festival Internationale de l’Harpe Celtique at Dinan.

London and "The Chieftains" :

On their return home, the Chieftains commanded us to the National Concert Hall in Dublin for a joint concert and a recording. On August 1st, the Orchestra accompanied the Chieftains to London for another concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London. The resulting recordings were to be released under the title of “The Celtic Harp” (on the RCA Victor label)

USA with the Chieftains:

Almost immediately on our return from London, the Orchestra took off again for the USA to feature at America’s largest Irish festival: Milwaukee Irish Fest. We released our first album there and came home after a dizzy spell of stardom!

Autumn onwards Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Centre:

More concerts followed at various festivals at home and the Chieftains invited us to join them in the US for their St Patrick’s Week Tour and the release of the “Celtic Harp”. Despite the challenge of St.Patrick’s hurricane on the West coast, the Orchestra joined the Chieftains for concerts in the Boston Symphony Hall; the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC; The New Brunswick Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall. Due to the storms, the Boston concert was cancelled, but at the Kennedy Centre, the Chieftains who travelled by airplane, didn’t arrive until the second half of the concert. We who had travelled 14 hours by bus performed the first half, had a phenomenal reception with long standing ovation.

1994 GRAMMY Award with the Chieftains:

Our “Celtic Harp” album with the Chieftains won a Grammy Award for the top Folk Music album of 1993.

Album No.2:

The Orchestra continued to give spectacular concerts with new programmes of music each season, and a second Orchestra album was recorded at Down Cathedral’s 1500th anniversary commemoration St.Patrick’s birth. (He is buried in the Cathedral cemetry). Concert tours through Scotland and England (with a top feature at the Edinburgh Harp Festival) and performances at all of Ireland’s top festivals followed.

Christmas - Cantata:

In December1994, Janet’s Christmas Cantata receives its premiere at Fisherwick Church in Belfast, Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin, Ballintubber Abbey in Co. Mayo, St. Bartholomews Cathedral in Galway and in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick. In the course of the Summer, the Orchestra is invited to Germany as guests of the German government to perform at Bonn Somerfest.

Peace in NI – The BHO expands - Awards:

On September 1st, peace is declared and the Orchestra is invited to tour Great Britain again. This time, we have taken on considerably more exciting forces of Lambeg Drums and Bodhrans, Scottish Bagpipes and Uilleann Pipes, Fiddles, Flutes, Concertinas and Dancers. Janet composes the “Ulster Symphony” which embraces the most extreme elements of our political music tradition and we forge our own solution to “the troubles”.In June, Janet was presented with the “Reverence for Difference” award in recognition of her work in bringing people from both sides of the cultural divide in Northern Ireland together through harping and the celebration of Cultural Heritage. We move our office into Brookfield Mill on the Crumlin Road sandwiched between the Ardoyne and the Shankill….

CD Carillon - London’s West End:

In November 1995, we launch our third album “Carillon”, this time in CD as well as cassette form, at Belfast City Hall. The event was televised by both TV channels and that evening, we set sail again for Great Britain taking in Leeds, Liverpool, and London’s west end for a sensational concert at St.James Church, Piccadilly. This tour caused a media frenzy and lead to a number of British Booking Agents fighting
to represent us! We signed up with Roy Hastings and planned a nationwide tour for March and April 1996. Tickets sell like hot-cakes until:

1995 – February:

The bombs go off in Canary Wharf and Lewisham and ticket sales stop almost immediately. Then, we are dropped for three planned BBC TV appearances: the concert tour went ahead, but things Northern Irish were obviously treated with suspicion and derision on the British mainland. By this time, Janet had left her position at the Ulster Folk Museum to devote her time to the Harp Orchestra, composing, performing solo and teaching – but the future looked bleak with our political situation worsening. We considered everything, including a change of name, but in the meantime, we concentrated on other aspects of our work, such as our new professional group: “The Irish National Harp Ensemble” which went on tour for 4½ months with the successful stage production “Spirit of the Dance”.

Belfast’s Waterfront Hall opens and we launch:

Belfast City Council opens the Waterfront Hall, its own international concert hall and conference centre, and in the Opening Festival we presented the concert on the 5th night of opening. With the world champions, the Fieldmarshall Montgomery Pipe Band and folk-singer Tommy Sands with his friend Vedran Smylovitch, the cellist of Sarajevo, the Orchestra filled the concert hall.

Blue Peter:

We continue to be featured on top TV programmes including the famous “Blue Peter”. This filming in March is actually featured again in “The Best of Blue Peter” at the end of the year.

St.Columba and CD:

But, the big feature of 1997 is Janet’s original work commemorating the 1400th anniversary of the death of St.Columba (or Colmcille). The premiere of “The Columban Suite” was presented on St.Columba’s birthday and the work was performed in 22 concert venues throughout Ireland and Scotland with community choirs from both Catholic and Protestant traditions. The final concert in Belfast Waterfront Hall was spectacularly performed with a massed choir of all the choirs participating in the year’s concert. A CD of the work was also launched.

BBC Young Musician:

The new year opened with a special film feature of the Belfast Harp Orchestra for the interval film of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition which this yearwas held in the Belfast Waterfront Hall.

Polygram “Celtic Harpestry” :

Another film and CD recording took place for Polygram Records. The album “Celtic Harpestry” was recorded in Belfast in June, and the film made at the magical Lismore Castle, Co. Waterford in August. The video was also intended for Public Broadcast (PBS) throughout the USA and our email averages soured!

Aras an Uachtarain:

Also in mid Summer, 12th of July, the BHO was invited by President Mary McAleese to perform in a 12th Day Celebration at Aras an Uachtarain, Dublin. Happening during a time of major political stress, because of the threatened closure of the border at that time, we ended up having a 3-day stay in Dublin and, despite the horror of the situation, the break was wonderful!

Brittany:

Another busy year with local concerts and in July, the Belfast Harp Orchestra toured again to Brittany to participate a second time at the Festival Internationale de l’Harpe Celtique at Dinan. That night, we sold out of our entire stock of CDs and Tshirts!

Another album with the CHIEFTAINS:

Recording again with the Chieftains in Glenarriff for a Chieftains retrospective and another album. We contribute one track: “Planxty George Brabazon” – and you should know that despite what’s on the credits, Janet was entirely responsible for the Orchestra arrangements.

Munich Philharmonic Hall:

A group of 12 senior players from the Harp Orchestra toured to Munich to perform “An Irish Christmas Concert” at the Philharmonic Hall. It was sold out three weeks in advance and so successful was the venture for us, that Janet decided to create a new orchestra from graduate members of the Belfast Harp Orchestra…….the Irish Harp Orchestra.

LOTS OF TV FEATURES IN YEAR 2000!

Millennium with Brian Kennedy:

Our last great engagement of the old millennium was featuring with pop star Brian Kennedy at Belfast City Hall for the BBC millennium programme from Northern Ireland going UK wide on millennium eve night.

Millennial St.Patrick:

The Belfast Harp Orchestra had a very busy millennial St. Patrick’s Feast! In the morning-time, they were invited by Bishop Millar to perform at the St.Patrick’s Day service at Down Cathedral, Downpatrick where over 300 of the world’s most eminent Anglican clergy were present. In the afternoon, the BHO performed at the Gilford Fairy Folklore Festival at Gilford Castle, March 17 (also the following afternoon) and on St.Patrick’s evening, the BHO featured in a special BBC TV programme, including a starring performance with renowned singer Peter Corry, filmed from Carrickfergus Castle celebrating St.Patrick and Ireland’s cultural heritage.

Blue Peter BBC Wales& NHk Japan:

Our second feature on Blue Peter was filmed from the Belfast Waterfront Hall in the BBC Millennium “Live Music Now” show broadcast in May; and in June, the Belfast Harp Orchestra filmed for “Frank Hennessy’s Ireland”, a BBC Wales production. And our appeal is now filtering to the far east with a special feature on the BHO for a Japanese film company NHk which was filmed in September.

“Best of the BHO” :

October 10: Release of “The Best of the Belfast Harp Orchestra” compilation album in Germany on the Laika Records label.

Back to Munich – On to Milan and Magenta Spring ‘01:

After our success in the Munich Philharmonic Hall in December 1999, our German agent invited us back again to give 4 concerts in Munich, Dreieich and Rosenheim in Southern Germany. These were just as wonderful as last year, and for 2001, we are booked for a 3 week tour. December 22-24: We took off for concerts in the Basilica di San Martino, Magenta, Italy after which most of our members were marooned in Heathrow airport over Christmas thanks to a snowstorm. Ooops!

Spring ’01:

Unfortunately the Foot and Mouth disease outbreak causes the cancellation of our St.Patrick’s day concerts in Downpatrick, and our tour to the Scottish Highlands in Easter week – so Janet enjoyed something of a breathing space to take stock of the frenetic activity of the previous years. But the Irish Harp Orchestra was about to take off!

Amsterdam in April – Milan in June:

After the concert in Munich in December 1999, our agent in Germany booked us for no less than 4 concert tours to Europe in 2000. The first was to Amsterdam with a company of 34 artistes where we performed 3 concerts marking the opening of the prestigious three and a half thousand seater Heineken Music Hall. Next, our Italian agent took us back to Northern Italy for a 10 day tour of Milan, Bergamo and Venice with a small orchestra of 8 players. From July to September, Janet was touring a good deal alone in Europe and Iceland, but her trip to the USA was cancelled after the September 11th tragedy in New York and Washington.

Big new developments – Irish Harp Centre in Limerick:

Once again, our summer schools were badly affected by the political unrest in Northern Ireland in the early weeks of the summer – and a large number of our overseas harp students cancelled their bookings. At this time we are running summer festivals in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland as well as in Northern Ireland and these Summer schools are flourishing – so a radical decision was taken and we decided to move our plans for developing a permanent harp centre to Limerick in the mid south of the Republic of Ireland, close to Shannon Airport through which all Irish-American flights are channelled, and exceptionally convenient to all the major Irish music venues in county Clare, the Cliffs of Moher, the Lakes of Killarney and the Slieve Luachra mountains famous for Irish dancing.

In August 2002, we moved to Castleconnell,Co Limerick to establish the Irish Harp Centre in the former Village School (where in 1870 Granny Jane – Janet’s Great Grandmother taught.)
With the move to Limerick a new and exciting era has begun for both Janet and the Orchestras. To date we are planning a new album for the autumn, Janet and a small group of harpers and other musicians and dancers performed for the King of Malaysia . The Harpers from the Irish Harp Orchestra joined the Chieftains and many other notable musicians and entertainers in two concerts one in Dublin and the other in Belfast in a memorial to Janet’s mentor the late Derek Bell. Janet performed for the Austrian Ambassador and the Austrian Special Olympics team at a welcome reception at The University of Limerick, the Presidents of Germany & Chile and the Emperor & Empress of Japan..
 

With the move to Limerick a new and exciting era has begun for both Janet and the Orchestras. To date we are planning a new album for the autumn, Janet and a small group of harpers and other musicians and dancers performed for the King of Malaysia in June. The Harpers from the Irish Harp Orchestra joined the Chieftains and many other notable musicians and entertainers in two concerts one in Dublin and the other in Belfast in a memorial to Janet’s mentor the late Derek Bell. Janet performed for the Austrian Ambassador and the Austrian Special Olympics team at a welcome reception at The University of Limerick.