Anúna
Anúna, generally stylised as ANÚNA, is an Irish vocal ensemble founded in 1987 by composer Michael McGlynn, for whom it has served as the primary vehicle for the creation, performance, and recording of his choral music.
Originally known as An Uaithne, the group adopted the name ANÚNA in 1991 and has developed a distinctive sound-world centred on newly composed works alongside reimagined historical and vernacular material. The ensemble was associated with Riverdance from 1994 to 1996, which brought it wider international visibility, but it had already established an independent artistic identity prior to that period and has since maintained a sustained international touring and recording profile.
Its work has extended beyond conventional concert contexts to include collaborations in theatre, film, and other media.
History
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.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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
The group’s debut album, ANÚNA, 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.
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. 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.
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.
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.The Riverdance single spent eighteen weeks at number one on the Irish Singles Chart and reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart.
In 1996, ANÚNA soprano Eimear Quinn won the Eurovision Song Contest performing “The Voice”, representing Ireland.
During the mid-1990s, the ensemble expanded its recording catalogue alongside its growing public profile. Omnis was described by The Irish Times as presenting ANÚNA at the height of its collective powers, while Deep Dead Blue, 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.
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.
ANÚNA collaborated with The Chieftains on several recordings during the 1990s. In 1995, they performed with Sting on the track “Mo Ghile Mear ” from The Long Black Veil, which was later nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in 1996.
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.
ANÚNA also contributed vocals to “Never Give All the Heart” on Tears of Stone, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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.In January 2000, ANÚNA appeared at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, performing at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. 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. Subsequent releases included Winter Songs, alongside appearances at Proms in the Park in Belfast with the Ulster Orchestra. The New York Times reviewed Winter Songs later that year. The album was later issued in the United States under the title Christmas Songs on the Koch label.
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. 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.
In 2004, Anúna performed at official diplomatic receptions in both Argentina and Chile during a state visit by Irish President Mary McAleese. Sensation 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. By the later 2000s, the ensemble’s international activity included concert performances in Japan. A feature in Nikkei Premium Life characterised the group’s music as drawing on medieval sacred song and emphasising quiet, contemplative listening rather than spectacle.
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. 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. 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. The Celtic Origins recording featured guest violinist Linda Lampenius as a soloist on the project.
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. 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.
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. The decade concluded with the release of Sanctus, described by The Irish Times as marking a renewed emphasis on sacred repertoire, and the Japanese release of the DVD Invocations of Ireland.