NEWS
Press Release via AS Written
MARIA’S MUSICAL MUSE HELPS UKRAINE AND MORE
Singer/songwriter MARIA BUTTERLY is leading the way in demonstrating the helping and healing power of music.
The Meath based artist was the driving force behind a hugely successful fundraising concert in Drogheda’s TLT in recent weeks, and has also just launched a new songwriting workshop which has wellbeing as its focus.
Maria’s Mothers of Ukraine Charity Concert on April 13th saw a glittering parade of entertainers share their talent and time by banding together to raise funds for UNICEF and its work relating to the war-torn country. Maria has since been able to present a cheque for €10, 028.25 to UNICEF representative Amy Maher, funds sure to go a long way in providing help to those most in need of it right now.
The concert – which was in association with Pat Egan Management – featured performances from Sean Keane, Donal Lunny and Paddy Glackin, violinist Vladimir Jablokov, St. Peter’s Male Voice Choir with MD Edward Holly, the powerhouse Ukrainian singer Maryna Odelksa, and Maria herself. That stellar line-up was backed by an equally heavenly backing band with the steady hand of the great Bill Shanley (who also produces many of Maria’s songs and albums, including her recent single Hero) leading James Blennerhasset on bass, and Jason Duffy on drums throughout the night, while LMFM presenter Sinead Brassil orchestrated proceedings as event MC.
Reflecting on the concert – which saw Counsellor Ms. Olena Shalopu, Deputy Head of Mission for Ukraine, join Drogheda Town Mayor James Byrne among those in attendance – Maria remarked that every artist had treated the audience to performances “from the heart”. While it was almost impossible for her to stand one moment apart from the next, Maria noted that several moments had struck a chord with large numbers of those who enjoyed the TLT event…
“The consensus among people who have been in touch with me since is that Sean Keane really set the crowd alight in opening the show. Likewise, the beautiful renditions of classic songs with their eloquent harmonies as performed by St Peters Male Voice Choir & MC Edward Holly will live long in the memory. Donal Lunny and Paddy Glackin – as you’d expect – raised the roof, and Vladimir Jablokov wooed all before him with pieces like ‘Libertango’, ‘Radetsky March’, and the famous piece from ‘Schindler’s List’, too.”
“And in what was a very special moment for me personally”, Maria added, “Vladimir also beautifully performed an Irish tune I wrote, one titled ‘Tonn na hEireann’, which means ‘Irish Wave’.”
While Maria was very much to the fore in bringing the Mothers of Ukraine concert from the good idea phase to reality, she readily acknowledges how that journey would have been incredibly difficult without the support that poured in from so many directions…
“There wasn’t one single instance where I asked someone to help in some particular way, and where that didn’t happen. That’s a reflection of how willing so many people were to do whatever they could, and I honestly can’t express enough my gratitude or appreciation for every single person and organisation who came on-board. I’d like to send a special thank you, though, to Drogheda Credit Union in particular, for their immediate and very generous support as one of our prominent sponsors. I’ve been a member of the Credit Union since I was just ten years old, and it was through them that I was able to purchase my first car. They were the first local business to come on board and support this event in the very early stages.”
A full list of Maria’s thank-you’s is available on her official website, www.mariabutterly.com
Maria also composes music for film and TV, and runs a recording studio which has just opened to the public in Meath (for more information on Maria’s studio contact mariabutterlymusic@gmail.com).
Given that Maria is so involved in the music world in so many ways, and with the vast depth of her musical experience, it’s hardly surprising that she has decided to pass on some of her knowledge in a way that has the potential to be of huge benefit to others.
To that end, she has recently launched a Songwriting Workshop with a focus on wellbeing, designed to cater for post-primary students and adults of all ages and levels, from beginners right up to those of a more advanced skillset. The workshop, which is in association with Exit Entry / IBM and Windmill Lane Recording Studio, will see students learn to compose hit melodies and lyrical hooks, how to record their songs, what they need to set up a home studio, and, of course, the all-important business side of songwriting too.
~ You can find more information about Maria’s Songwriting Workshop on her official website, www.mariabutterly.com
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