Carnegie Hall concert is a ‘dream come true’ for young Enfield musician

A young musician from Enfield says getting the chance to take part in a special St Patrick's Day concert in Carnegie Hall in New York as part of the Cross Border Orchestra would be a "dream come true."

Fourteen year old Asha Szlachta only joined the CBO in August but was chosen for the once in a life time opportunity of playing in one of the world's most prestigious music venues.

Currently studying for Grade Eight in the violin the talented youngster says she has loved music for as long as she can remember.

"I started playing the violin when I was six, I just loved it straight away," she said. I was so happy when I got accepted into the Cross Border Orchestra. We practice every Sunday and it's the thing I look forward to the most every week.

"I had to send a video of me playing the violin in as part of the application, I sent two exam videos in and I got the news that I was accepted."

Asha and her family has set up a fundraising page to help with the cost of her time in New York. The Enfield Community College student who is a former member of Dublin Youth Orchestra says getting the chance of playing in Carnegie Hall still feels unreal.

"I can't imagine it happening, it would be a dream come true," she said.

The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, founded in 1995, performed in Limerick last weekend and will next take to Dublin's RDS where 21 schools across Meath will join the orchestra at the RDS on 4th and 5th February for the Peace Proms.

Concerts will also take place in Belfast and Waterford before the orchestra flies to New York for a landmark concert at the world’s most iconic music Mecca, Carnegie Hall, on St Patrick’s Day, March 17th.

The concert series celebrates their work and achievements in promoting peace, unity and tolerance on the island of Ireland since their foundation in 1995. Significantly, the concerts will also mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

The CBOI is now composed of over 130 exceptionally talented young musicians from all over Ireland and Northern Ireland, including 17 from Meath.

The musicians from Meath in the orchestra are: Hazel Lattimore (Cello), Anna Maria Mills (flute), Laura Ann Rothwell (flute), Grace Anna Cunningham (harp), Orla Marie Cunningham (harp), Aodhamair Reilly (harp), Lara Villing (harp), Conor Meehan (trombone), Liam McDonnell (trombone), Bence Zele (trumpet), Christopher Zele (trumpet), Aisling Meehan (violin), Laura-Kate Gaughan (violin), Aoife McLoone (violin), Asha Szlachta (violin), Erica Moran (violin), Alex Slattery (violin).

Members travel to Coláiste Chu Chulainn, Dundalk for weekly rehearsals. A further 200 children and teens receive free music tuition through the CBOI’s extraordinary music education programmes. CBOI recently won a ‘National Rural Impact Award’ for their work.

A staggering 35,000 primary school children from almost 700 schools in Ireland and Northern Ireland form their Children’s Peace Choirs and perform with the orchestra at concerts held across the island in January through March.

Asha's mum Dorota says she is "extremely proud" of her daughter, she added:

"At the start the orchestra was saying no newcomers are going to New York because they wouldn't know what level they were at but when she got the results from the audition, she was told straight away that she was invited.

"When you have private lessons you don't have comparison to others, I don't think she realised how good she was!”