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Ardú is a renowned six-piece vocal group known for their captivating performances and unique interpretations of a wide range of musical genres, including classical, contemporary, folk, and world music. Recognised as pioneers of contemporary a cappella, they perform original arrangements of popular songs using only their voices.Ardú is an internationally recognised ensemble: they have represented Ireland in festivals across Europe, including Tempere Vocal in Finland, the Edinburgh Fringe festival, vokal.total in Austria, as well as festivals in London, Italy and Slovenia. Ardu also have a strong connection to Croatia and will once again be visiting in July of this year with further tour plans in September where they will be performing at Belgium StemVork festival with concert dates in Holland.
As ambassadors of the a cappella genre in Ireland, in 2017 Ardú founded the Irish International A Cappella Festival, which hosted numerous international a cappella acts. However, Ardú are busiest at home, where they regularly perform at high-profile Irish festivals such as the City of Derry International Choir Festival (2020), MusicTown Festival (2020), K Fest (2019) and the Cork International Choral Festival (2018), and in 2019 they performed with the famous American a cappella group Straight No Chaser at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. They are no strangers to TV and radio, having performed at the Ray Darcy Show (RTÉ 1), Classical Connections (BBC Radio Ulster), Marty in The Morning (RTÉ Lyric FM) and the BBC Proms (2021) and have competed in the a cappella reality competition Sing: Ultimate A Cappella on Sky One in 2017. The ensemble has also won numerous awards, including the category National Vocal Ensemble & Popular Music at the Cork International Choral Festival in 2017, Lyric FM’s Choirs forChristmas in 2018, several awards at the City of Derry International Choral Festival in 2015, and the audience award at the vokal.total competition in 2019. They have released three full studio albums (Gravity in 2018, LIVE in 2020 and Songs from Here in 2022). Their latest album features all original arrangements by original member Ciarán Kelly, and was nominated as runner-up for Best European A Cappella Album in the 2023 Contemporary A Cappela Awards.
Alongside performing, competing and promoting the genre of a cappella, Ardú also works on developing educational partnerships and programmes in Ireland and regularly holds vocal workshops with various ensembles. In the past, they have partnered with the Dundalk Institute of Technology, Music Generation and Sing Ireland.
The current members have experience in just about every aspect of the Irish vocal scene from leading roles in musical theatre productions, Irish national opera, professional ensemble work with the city’s major cathedrals and choirs such as Anúna and Resurgam. Now, in its 10th year, the current line up featuring Victoria Warwick, Judith Lyons, Laura Shields, Filip Klubicka, Andy Dempsey and Michael McCartan bring a diverse array of vocal backgrounds. The group has garnered acclaim for their impeccable vocal blend, expressive performances, and innovative programming. With a commitment to artistic excellence and a passion for sharing the power of vocal music with audiences worldwide, Ardu continues to inspire and enchant listeners through their captivating performances.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street, Dublin, Ireland
