An Artistic Director, Curator and Educator – Ian was a member of Anúna from 2002 to 2012. He was a part of the first Tours to Japan and China, part of the Irish presidential visits to Argentina and Chile, recorded numerous albums and participated in extensive tours of Europe and the United States. He is currently Head of Gallery of VCUarts, Qatar.

“I moved to Dublin when I was 18. Growing up in Richmond, Virginia in the US, I often heard people talk about Ireland as the ‘Land of a Thousand Welcomes.’ Never more was this true than the day I auditioned and joined Anúna. Within weeks, I was welcomed into the heart of the group and whisked away to sing at a choral festival in Belgium in front of thousands. Being a foreign student, I always struggled with finding a place where I fit in. I cherished the Wednesday evening rehearsals above Walton’s Music on George’s Street. Michael McGlynn and the singers of Anúna took me in and accepted me despite my trouble learning and pronouncing the Irish. When we were singing, I could hear my voice become one with theirs, and for that moment, I felt I had a home.

Anúna, for me, was often about place. One part of this was John McGlynn’s notes about architecture during our dress rehearsals in churches and concert halls around the world. I learned about how buildings live and breathe, and how the way we place ourselves in them can bring them to life in wondrous ways.

The other part about place was Michael McGlynn’s incredible sensitivity to culture and history. The profound thing I learned from him was how significant a simple shift in thinking about ‘Irish music’ to ‘music from Ireland’ could be. It opens music and culture to much more fluid, inclusive and diverse understandings. Through his compositions and leadership, I learned that place is something we compose together and that art and music can be truly transcendent when we open up to the fullness of humanity.

I believe you can feel this in his compositions. There’s a dignity and integrity afforded place in how he weaves together the diverse voices. I will never forget how deeply this resonated with audiences in Japan and China who would come up in the hundreds after performances to talk, ask for autographs and photos with anyone from the group. There was a genuine feeling of connection between their home and ours through the music.

Michael’s fierce commitment to helping singers unlearn bad habits from training also helped me learn how to be true to my own voice. This helped me be present to the music in new and fuller ways and also hold space for the diversity of voices around me. Michael’s holistic approach to singing taught me to be physically and mentally present whenever I show up for anything in life.

Stage experiences singing with Anúna and speaking in front of thousands around the world gave me confidence to stand up and share my voice whether it was advocating for artists as a curator, facilitating organizational development as a consultant or working to inspire the next generation as a university lecturer. I’ve tried to pass on what I've learned from Anúna about being present with others by teaching public speaking in high school summer programs at Brown University. I believe Michael would agree with the sentiment that the world would be so much better if we all were warmly welcomed and offered the support to develop the confidence to use our voices and be heard."

More information about Ian and his work can be found here: https://ianaldenrussell.com/