Anúna

Early development (1987–1994)

Michael McGlynn formed the vocal ensemble An Uaithne in 1987, following his involvement with collegiate choirs at TCD and University College Dublin and his early experience within Irish choral performance and direction. From its inception, the ensemble pursued a repertoire combining medieval sacred music, Irish-language texts, traditional material, and newly composed or arranged works by McGlynn, an approach that differed from prevailing Irish and British choral traditions.^[8][9]

Early performances under the name An Uaithne attracted critical attention in Dublin. Reviewing a concert at the House of Lords in 1990, The Irish Times noted the ensemble’s presentation of early Irish and English repertoire, including medieval plainsong fragments, traditional songs, and Renaissance music, performed with voices and period and traditional instruments.^[10]

In September 1990, An Uaithne took part in the premiere of The Children of Lir by Patrick Cassidy at the National Concert Hall, with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.^[11]

A subsequent recital at Trinity College Dublin in 1991 was described as ranging from twelfth- to twentieth-century religious music and characterised by a distinctive sound shaped by the interaction of plainchant-derived melodic material and contemporary harmonic language in McGlynn’s own compositions.^[12] Later the same year the ensemble adopted the shortened name Anúna. Contemporary commentary in The Irish Times observed that medieval chant, early sacred repertoire, and traditional Irish texts were being treated as living performance material rather than historical reconstruction, with particular emphasis on vocal colour, resonance, and spatial awareness.^[13]

In April 1992, An Uaithne gave a concert at Trinity College Dublin Chapel with Nóirín Ní Riain as guest soloist, performing a programme of Irish vocal music spanning medieval to contemporary works.^[14]

The group’s debut album, ANÚNA (Danú 001), was released in spring 1993 and consisted largely of works composed or arranged by McGlynn. Reviewing the album, The Irish Times highlighted the ensemble’s handling of medieval chant and sacred sources and praised the atmospheric qualities achieved through acoustic setting and vocal treatment, while expressing reservations about several arrangements of traditional songs.^[15]

A second album, Invocation, recorded in 1994, was reviewed later that year as fulfilling and extending the promise of the group’s early work, describing Anúna as having developed into one of Ireland’s most innovative choral ensembles.^[16] That year Anúna performed the choral parts on the soundtrack to Thumbelina, the Don Bluth animated film with music by Barry Manilow, with Michael McGlynn as chorus master.^[17]

By the end of 1994, The Irish Times characterised Anúna as having established a distinct position within Irish musical life, noting that while the group drew on medieval and traditional sources, its performances avoided both academic reconstruction and commercial pastiche, instead emphasising sound, space, and atmosphere.^[18]

Riverdance, recordings, and international recognition (1995–1999)

From 1994 to 1996, Anúna were involved in Riverdance from its initial presentation at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin through its development into a full stage production, appearing as part of the touring ensemble during the show’s early international run, including performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York; the ensemble sang the opening section, known as “Cloudsong”, with soloist Katie McMahon. ^[19][20]The Riverdance single spent eighteen weeks at number one on the Irish Singles Chart and reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart. ^[21][22]

In 1996, Anúna soprano Eimear Quinn won the Eurovision Song Contest performing “The Voice”, representing Ireland.^[23][24] During the mid-1990s, the ensemble expanded its recording catalogue alongside its growing public profile. Omnis (1995) was described by The Irish Times as presenting Anúna at the height of its collective powers, while Deep Dead Blue (1996), later released internationally in 1999 following the group’s signing to the specialist vocal label Gimell, home to The Tallis Scholars, was characterised by Billboard as the group’s most accomplished work to date, noting its distinctive approach to choral sound and performance. In August 1999, Deep Dead Blue entered the UK Classical Specialist chart at number three.^{[25] [26][27]}

In 1997, Anúna released Behind the Closed Eye, a collaboration with the Ulster Orchestra that marked a departure from the ensemble’s predominantly a cappella work and expanded its sound into an orchestral context.^[28][29]

Anúna collaborated with The Chieftains on several recordings during the 1990s. In 1995, they performed with Sting on the track “Mo Ghile Mear (Our Hero)” from The Long Black Veil, which was later nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in 1996.^[30][31] In 1998, Anúna appeared as guest performers on the track “Long Journey Home”, recorded with Elvis Costello, which served as the theme for the PBS documentary series The Irish in America: Long Journey Home. The accompanying album The Long Journey Home won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999.^[32][33] Anúna also contributed vocals to “Never Give All the Heart” on Tears of Stone (1999), which featured spoken narration by Brenda Fricker and won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2000.^[34][35]

Media and broadcast activity during the late 1990s included an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland on BBC Two in December 1996, and collaboration with Secret Garden on the album Dawn of a New Century, with The Washington Post noting the role of Anúna’s choral textures. ^[36][37]

Anúna performed at the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco in 1998, an appearance covered in the Moroccan press and noted internationally as part of the festival’s diverse programme of sacred and traditional music.^[38][39]

Anúna performed as part of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, an appearance highlighted by Elvis Costello as his “Hot Ticket” of the 1999 London Proms.^[40][41]

Recordings and international activity (2000–2009)

Entering the 2000s, the ensemble continued to develop a repertoire centred on medieval and sacred source material alongside newly composed works. Reviewing Cynara (2000), The Irish Times emphasised the album’s atmospheric focus and tonal control, while Télérama situated the recording at the intersection of ancient and contemporary practice, drawing attention to its use of early texts and its contemplative, non-theatrical character.^[42][43]

In January 2000, Anúna appeared at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, performing at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.^[44] In 2003, the ensemble performed at the Tampere Vocal Music Festival in Finland, where Michael McGlynn also served as a juror for the festival’s choral review.^[45] Subsequent releases included Winter Songs (2002), alongside appearances at Proms in the Park in Belfast with the Ulster Orchestra.^[46] The New York Times reviewed Winter Songs later that year.^[47] The album was later issued in the United States under the title Christmas Songs on the Koch label.^[48]

Released internationally on the Universal Classics label in 2002, the compilation album Essential Anúna entered the UK Classical Artist chart at number six in February 2003.^[49][50] This album was presented in The Irish Times as a representative survey of the ensemble’s work to date, encompassing early sacred material, traditional song, and contemporary settings.^[51]

In 2004, Anúna performed at official diplomatic receptions in both Argentina and Chile during a state visit by Irish President Mary McAleese.^[52] Sensation (2006) marked a further stylistic development and was reviewed as darker and more inward-looking than earlier releases, incorporating literary text settings and spoken narration as part of an expanded studio palette. The album’s title track featured spoken narration by Gilles Servat.^[53][54] By the later 2000s, the ensemble’s international activity included concert performances in Japan. A feature in Nikkei Premium Life (December 2007) characterised the group’s music as drawing on medieval sacred song and emphasising quiet, contemplative listening rather than spectacle.^[55]

In 2007, Anúna released the concert CD and DVD Anúna: Celtic Origins, recorded at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, and broadcast nationally on PBS. Billboard reported that the release and accompanying PBS broadcast formed the centrepiece of the ensemble’s expanded North American touring activity during this period.^[56] Billboard described this combination of broadcast exposure, touring, and retail distribution as a coordinated North American expansion rather than a series of isolated releases or appearances.^[57] In autumn 2007, in support of Anúna: Celtic Origins, the group undertook a tour of the United States, with in-store performances at Borders stores and concert appearances across the country, following the album’s success as a top-selling title for the retailer.^[58] The Celtic Origins recording featured guest violinist Linda Lampenius as a soloist on the project.^[59]

In 2008, Christmas Memories was produced as a PBS television special, recorded at Maryland Public Television, broadcast nationally, and released on DVD alongside the accompanying CD.^[60] The album Christmas Memories entered the Billboard World Music chart at number six in November 2008 and remained in the top twenty for ten weeks, alongside an exclusive U.S. retail release partnership with Borders.^[61][62]

In July 2009, Anúna performed with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, in a concert presented as a celebration of the music of Michael McGlynn.^[63][64] The decade concluded with the release of Sanctus (2009), described by The Irish Times as marking a renewed emphasis on sacred repertoire, and the Japanese release of the DVD Invocations of Ireland.^[65][66]

Global collaborations, media projects, and international activity (2010–2019)

From the early 2010s onwards, Anúna’s activity increasingly encompassed international collaborations, media projects, and non-traditional performance contexts. In March 2012, The New York Times referred to the ensemble as “Anúna, Ireland’s National Choir” in coverage of broadcast performances and collaborations.^[67] In 2011, Anúna inaugurated the Anúna International Choral Summer School at the National Concert Hall in Dublin.^[68] The summer school was subsequently held at various venues across Dublin during the 2010s and continued through the end of the decade.^{[69][70][71][72]} The initial summer schools included international choral facilitators such as Charles Bruffy and Dr Stacie Lee Rossow.^[73][74]

In July 2010, Anúna performed with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, with Finnish violinist Linda Lampenius as featured soloist, in a programme that included new works and arrangements by Michael McGlynn, notably the extended fantasia "The Last Rose", based on songs by Thomas Moore.^[75]

In January 2011, the ensemble joined Clannad in concert at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin as part of Temple Bar TradFest.^[76] That year also saw Anúna contribute vocal performances to the Christmas album It’s Always Christmas With You! by The Wiggles, released in both CD and DVD formats,^[77][78] and late in the year, Christmas Memories entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at number 95.^[79] Anúna visited Japan at the end of 2011 for a tour that included concerts and educational workshops. As part of this visit, the ensemble travelled to the Tōhoku region and worked with children from areas affected by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, contributing to cultural outreach initiatives focused on recovery and community support.^[80]

In April 2012, Anúna participated in the premiere of Philip Hammond’s Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast as part of the centenary commemorations of the sinking of the Titanic. The large-scale choral work involved multiple choirs and performers and formed part of a programme of public events marking the anniversary.^[81] Also that year, the group featured on the soundtrack to the video game Diablo III, the score of which was later nominated for a BAFTA award in the Original Music category. Composer Russell Brower stated that Anúna was selected for its distinctive choral sound and non-classical vocal character suited to the game’s darker spiritual atmosphere.^[82][83] The ensemble also released Illumination in 2012 as part of its twenty-fifth anniversary output, with a substantially revised version later issued as Illuminations and becoming the version in general distribution.^[84][85]

Anúna appeared at the London A Cappella Festival at Kings Place in 2015, a programme curated by the Swingle Singers, where critics noted the ensemble’s contrasting approach to a cappella performance, characterised by stillness, resonance, and an emphasis on atmosphere rather than rhythmic display.^[86] They performed at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on 21 August 2015.^[87] Reviewing Revelation, released in 2015, The Irish Times noted the album’s emphasis on original material by McGlynn alongside early Christian texts and Japanese-influenced works, describing it as one of the ensemble’s more texturally rich recordings.^[88]

In March 2017, Anúna marked its thirtieth anniversary with a concert at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, which was attended by Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland.^[89][90] Later collaborations included participation in the soundtrack to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017), contributing choral performances to four tracks composed by Yasunori Mitsuda.^[91] That work was recognised with the Outstanding Ensemble award at the Annual Game Music Awards in 2017.^[92] Related media activity included a promotional performance video of “Shadow of the Lowlands”, released in connection with Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which was filmed and directed by Michael McGlynn.^[93][94]

In 2017, Anúna participated in Takahime, a full-scale Noh theatre production presented at Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo. The work was a Celtic Noh adaptation of At the Hawk’s Well by W. B. Yeats, staged to mark the centenary of Yeats’s play and longstanding cultural exchange between Ireland and Japan. Anúna provided the choral music for the production, which was composed and directed by Michael McGlynn in collaboration with Noh master Umewaka Genshō of the Kanze school. Coverage in The Japan Times situated the project within the established Noh repertoire, describing it as an integration of Irish choral music within a traditional theatrical framework, while the specialist journal Music Magazine treated the production as a critically significant contemporary engagement between Noh and non-Japanese musical traditions, emphasising the structural role of Anúna’s vocal writing within the stage work.^[95][96]

International concert activity during this period included appearances in Japan, such as the Xenogears 20th Anniversary Concert in 2018, with recordings subsequently released as part of the official anniversary audio project, and television appearances on Nippon Television’s music programme のどじまんTHEワールド！～令和元年～ in 2019.^[97][98][99]

Activity during and after the COVID-19 period (2020–2025)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anúna adapted its activity towards filmed performance, online presentation, and broadcast projects. ANÚNA: On a Cold Winter’s Night is a 50-minute filmed Christmas concert recorded by candlelight in St Bartholomew’s Church, Dublin. The programme was first broadcast by Ireland’s Irish-language public service broadcaster TG4 on Christmas Eve 2020 as part of its seasonal schedule, and was rebroadcast during TG4’s Christmas music programming in 2021. It was also broadcast internationally by Sweden’s public service broadcaster SVT under the title Julkonsert från Irland.^{[100][101][102]}

In 2020, Anúna participated in VOCES8 Live from London, a large-scale online choral series that gained international visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the series, Michael McGlynn created and directed a filmed programme titled ANÚNA: A Whisper of Paradise, recorded in St Bartholomew’s Church. Reviewing the Live from London Christmas festival, The Arts Desk drew attention to the programme’s integration of choral performance with visual imagery and its use of space within the church setting, while Seen and Heard International emphasised the ensemble’s unconducted performance practice and the relationship between music, architecture, and filmed presentation. The programme was later broadcast in Ireland on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2025 by TG4 as part of its Christmas schedule.^{[103][104][105]} A studio album and downloadable film version of the programme was released on CD and digital platforms in November 2025.^[106]

In November 2022, it was reported in specialist choral coverage that Anúna’s performances at St Bartholomew’s Church, Dublin on 3 December would be the ensemble’s final public concerts in Ireland.^[107] In its own statement at the time, the ensemble indicated that it would continue to perform outside the Republic of Ireland, including in Northern Ireland, and would maintain its international touring and recording activity following these concerts.^[108] In a subsequent review of the album Otherworld, The Irish Times critic Tony Clayton-Lea referred to the announcement and its reception, noting that McGlynn had stated a year earlier that Anúna would no longer perform in Ireland and observing that the announcement attracted little public response.^[109]

Subsequent broadcast activity included Anúna’s performance at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast on 15 March 2024 as part of Belfast TradFest and the city’s St Patrick’s Weekend programme. The concert was recorded and later broadcast in March 2024 by BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle under the title Anúna Live in Concert.^[110][111]

The studio album Otherworld was released in 2023 and described by The Irish Times as resisting easy categorisation and continuing the ensemble’s long-standing artistic independence rather than pursuing accessibility or convention.^[112]

In December 2024, Anúna presented a one-off programme titled Yuki Onna (雪女) at Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo as part of the ensemble’s first Japan tour in ten years. Based on the short story of the same name by Lafcadio Hearn, the programme was presented as a special performance within a nationwide tour of nine venues across Japan. The programme combined choral music with elements of Noh theatre and featured guest performers Reijiro Tsumura (Noh), Tamami Tono (shō), and Mitsuhiro Kakihara (ōtsuzumi). The music was composed and arranged, and the programme directed, by Michael McGlynn, with production by Keiko Kawashima. Japanese media described the work as part of Anúna’s continuing engagement with Japanese culture and Noh-related collaborations, rather than as a standalone concert event.^{[113][114][115]}

In 2025, Anúna released the studio album Eilífð, recorded from 2022 to 2025 in Ireland, Iceland, and the United States, featuring eight original compositions and two arrangements by Michael McGlynn. The album emerged by revisiting material from the 2023 release Otherworld, with several tracks replaced, remixed, and re-recorded to form a distinct recording; all original music on Eilífð was composed by McGlynn, with production and editing by McGlynn and Brian Masterson. Reviewing the album, The Arts Desk described Eilífð as a “re-working of Otherworld” that blends vocal traditions and takes listeners on a “carefully-plotted journey” culminating in the finale “Earth Song / Maalaulu”, highlighting the eclecticism and harmonic complexity of pieces such as “Ēarendel”. Irish Music Magazine also noted the album’s atmospheric and harmonic character.^{[116][117][118]} The title track, “Eilífð”, brings together all three constituent ensembles of the ANÚNA Collective, Anúna, M’ANAM, and Systir, within a single vocal work.^[119]

Alongside Eilífð, Anúna released several further recordings in 2025, including Sanctum, Tochairm, Transcendence, A Whisper of Paradise, and the EP Ever Come to an End. Sanctum was issued as a digital-only release, while Tochairm, Transcendence, and A Whisper of Paradise were released on CD in addition to digital platforms. Ever Come to an End, a four-track EP released to digital platforms in June 2025, features music composed by Yasunori Mitsuda for the video game Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Writing about the release, Mitsuda stated that the song “Ever Come to an End” represents “people enduring in a lightless cloud sea, starting to walk towards a sunlit sky”, and that the vocal performance added “new dimensions and meanings” to the music.^{[120][121][122][123][124]}

Studio albums

• 1993 – ANÚNA; Billboard Top World Music Albums peak 11^[162]
• 1994 – Invocation^[163]
• 1995 – Omnis^[164]
• 1996 – Deep Dead Blue; UK Classical Artist Albums Chart peak 3^[165]
• 1996 – Omnis (second recording)^[166]
• 1997 – Behind the Closed Eye^[167][168]
• 2000 – Cynara^[169][170]
• 2002 – ANÚNA 2002 (re-recording of 1993 album)^[171][172]
• 2002 – Invocation (re-recording of 1994 album)^[173][174]
• 2006 – Sensation^[175][176]
• 2012 – Illumination^[177]
• 2014 – Illuminations (remixed version of Illumination)^[178]
• 2015 – Revelation^[179]
• 2023 – Otherworld^[180]
• 2025 – Eilífð^{[181][182][183]}

Live albums

• 2005 – Live at Annedal (Zebra Art Records)^[184]
• 2007 – Celtic Origins (Elevation); released as CD and DVD; PBS broadcast^[185][186]
• 2008 – Christmas Memories (Elevation); released as CD and DVD; PBS broadcast; Billboard Top World Music Albums peak 6; Billboard 200 peak 95; single "Ding Dong Merrily on High" peak 26 Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks^{[187][188][189]}
• 2025 – A Whisper of Paradise; released as film; broadcast TG4 Ireland, Christmas 2025^{[190][191][192]}

Compilations

• 2002 – Winter Songs; US edition released as Christmas Songs^[193]
• 2002 – Essential ANÚNA (Universal Classics & Jazz, UK/Ireland); UK Classical Artist Albums Chart peak 6^[194][195]
• 2008 – Invocations of Ireland (DVD); released in Japan on Columbia Music Entertainment^[196]
• 2025 – Sanctum^[197]
• 2025 – Transcendence^[198]
• 2025 – Tochairm; reimagining of earlier material^[199][200]

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Recorded collaborations

• With Barry Manilow – Thumbelina (1993)<sup>[201]</sup>
• With The Chieftains and Sting – "Mo Ghile Mear" from the album The Long Black Veil (1994)<sup>[202][203]</sup>
• With the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Davy Spillane (Uilleann pipes), Kenneth Edge (saxophone), Máire Breathnach (violin), Noel Eccles (percussion) – Riverdance (1994)<sup>[204][205][206]</sup>
• Riverdance: Music from the Show (1995)<sup>[207]</sup>
• With the Ulster Orchestra – Behind the Closed Eye (1997)<sup>[208][209]</sup>
• With The Chieftains and Elvis Costello – "Long Journey Home", title track of the album Long Journey Home (1998)<sup>[210][211]</sup>
• With The Chieftains and Dadawa – "Tear Lake" from Tears of Stone (1999), Japan only<sup>[212]</sup>
• With The Chieftains and Brenda Fricker – "Never Give All The Heart" from Tears of Stone (1999)<sup>[213][214]</sup>
• With Secret Garden – "I Know a Rose Tree": also available on their albums: Dawn of a New Century (1999), Once in a Red Moon (2002) and the DVD A Night with Secret Garden (2000)<sup>[215]</sup>
• With Ashley MacIsaac – "The Wedding Funeral" from the album Ashley MacIsaac (2002)<sup>[216]</sup>
• With Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club – "Be Yourself", "True Friends", "Bob & God" from the album Be Yourself (2002)<sup>[217]</sup>
• With Moya Brennan and Iarla Ó Lionaird – "Is Mise 'N Gaoth" from the CD Music of Ireland: Welcome Home (2010)<sup>[218]</sup>
• With Órla Fallon – "Away in a Manger" from Orla Fallon's Celtic Christmas (2010)<sup>[219]</sup>
• With The Wiggles – "The Cherry Tree Carol", "The Little Drummer Boy", "Ding Dong Merrily on High" & "We Three Kings" from the CD and DVD It's Always Christmas With You! (2011).<sup>[220][221]</sup>
• With Yasunori Mitsuda – Xenogears Original Soundtrack Revival Disc –the first and the last– (2018).<sup>[222][223]</sup>