From a residency in Heidelberg and a series of concerts as part of the Easter Rising commemorations to a “Magic of the Movies” tour featuring scores from Cinema Paradiso to the Psycho suite, it is set to be a busy spring for the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Which is why Irish Country Living was invited to Limerick to go behind the scenes to meet three of its key members and also to get a sneak preview of their new look, which is the result of a collaboration between stylist Cathy O’Connor, dress designer Patricia O’Toole and Irish alteration and tailoring specialists The Zip Yard.

Cathy’s brief was to create a wardrobe that was appropriate, on trend and would travel well but would not detract from the music.

“It was to revamp their look so that they would look really stylish and smart and unified on the one hand, and then, of course, on the other hand, these players have very specific needs,” Cathy explains.

“They need to be able to move and, also, because they’re on tour, it’s got to be fabric that can either be washed or turned around in a really quick time.”

At the beginning of the project, Cathy liaised directly with The Zip Yard for each member of the orchestra to be measured in their closest shop, most opting for the branch in Thomas St, Limerick.

Those measurements were then sent to Galway-based dress designer Patricia O’Toole, who came up with a design that fused style with practicality; for example, choosing a heavy jersey material that not only hangs beautifully, but will not crease, and opting for a sleeveless style that can be worn with inter-changeable “canopi” sheer sleeves, which can be easily removed and washed on their own.

Another feature of the dress was its flattering empire line to suit the variety of body shapes in the orchestra, but as this style also necessitated individual alterations to get to perfect fit, it was back to The Zip Yard.

Established in 2009 by Caroline Wallace and her father Don, The Zip Yard is a true recession success story, with 26 outlets, 150 people employed and an innovative approach to alterations, such as staff training in body consultation, a loyalty points system and an express same-day service.

“When Cathy heard that the Irish Chamber Orchestra were looking for outfits, what she felt was very important was that they had the dream fit,” says Caroline.

“It was very important that they would have movement and comfort when they were playing their instruments and she thought who better than The Zip Yard to tailor them,” Caroline adds.

Limerick branch manager Siobhan Quinn oversaw the individual alterations, which ranged from nipping in the waist and shoulder lines to achieving the perfect length for moving on stage and performing while seated.

And, as you can from the picture above, the results speak for themselves.

Katherine Hunka

As leader of the Irish Chamber Orchestra – or “Head of Atmosphere”, as she jokingly refers to her role – Katherine Hunka’s aim is to banish any snobbery that can surround classical music.

“When we come on stage, we don’t look like we’re at a funeral,” she laughs. “And we’re accessible – we speak to the audience, and the musicians like each other, so there’s a sense of fun on stage.”

Originally from London, Katherine lives in Killaloe with her husband, principal violist Joachim Roewer, who she met when she joined the Irish Chamber Orchestra. With two young boys, going on tour has its challenges, but, fortunately, all rehearsals take place nearby at the University of Limerick.

With 22 members in the orchestra, finding a new look was always going to be a challenge, but this one ticks all the boxes; including the practicalities of being on the road.

“Sometimes when we’re doing long tours, you just cannot take care of folding things up and you can’t press things,” she explains. “So it’s great to have something that looks good that you can just scrunch in a ball.”

Which leaves Katherine and her colleagues free to focus on what is really important.

“Classical music can be enormous fun and very engaging and entertaining as well, and I think that’s what we do,” says Katherine. “We take it off the page and bring it to life again.”

Diane Daly

Growing up in Monaghan, Diane Daly was raised on country music until her brother was offered a scholarship in Dublin after doing well in his piano exam.

“My parents did say that if they had known what it would entail then, they would have said no because, in the end, all three of us ended driving up to Dublin every Saturday – and we’re all professional violinists now,” she explains.

And it has led Diane not just to an exciting career – including performing with Paul McCartney, Rob Stewart and Bono – but also to love, having married Katherine’s brother Boris after he came to see them play.

“Best way to find a husband,” she laughs.

This season, Diane is looking forward to performing a new piece called The Hunt, composed by their artistic director Jorg Widmann.

“The music is just genius, but he pushes you to the absolute extremes of your technical ability and beyond,” she says. “It’s about eight minutes but it feels like hours.”

Which is why their new look had to be designed with their needs as musicians in mind.

“It’s very important that we’re not restrained in any way,” she explains. “There has to be movement in the material and it’s quite hard to find that in a ‘dressy’ dress sometimes.”

Not to mention their needs as busy mothers too.

“Trying to get three kids out to school in the morning, I’d just shove something into the bag, so this is a great opportunity to look glamorous without having to put in an awful lot of time,” she laughs.

Oonagh Keogh

As the daughter of actor Des Keogh and celebrated violinist Geraldine O’Grady, it’s not surprising that Oonagh Keogh was born to perform.

“It’s like going into the family business,” she explains.

And while Oonagh has also pursued her own music projects, such as running the Ceol Na Mara summer school in Connemara, she enjoys the versatility of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, whether it’s playing Mozart and Mendelssohn, performing with Ballet Ireland or accompanying singers like Sinead O’Connor.

“I think we’re hard to pigeonhole really,” she says. “We’re quite innovative in that we experiment with different styles and our manager Gerry Keenan is very good at just looking into different angles on how to present us to an audience.”

This spring, Oonagh is particularly looking forward to the orchestra’s tour of Heidelberg in Germany and debuting their elegant new style.

“It seemed like an impossible task because we thought: ‘How can we get something that’s going to suit somebody who’s 25 and somebody who is maybe 45, or different heights etc,’” she explains.

“But I think we’ve really hit on it.”

For further information on dates and tickets, visit www.irishchamberorchestra.com.

Shot on location in The Zip Yard, Thomas St, Limerick, and the five-star Savoy Hotel, Henry St, Limerick. Hair and make-up by Brenda Wall 087-694-2464.