The Irish Examiner December 2002 Written by Christy Parker _______________________________________ What if Michael McGlynn had been asked 15 years ago what he envisaged he would be doing in 2002? "I'd have said: 'I'll probably be in the front room of a rented flat in Rathmines taking piano lessons,"' he says. "Probably", like an approaching postman, doesn't always deliver. So McGlynn lives in his own house in...Dublin, with Lucy, his wife, and he just does not have the time to even play the piano never mind give lessons. The founder of choral legends Anúna finds his creative input compromised by the daily chores of managerial duty. "For some reason. the philosophy in, Ireland is to regard choral music as quintessentially amateur and so we get no funding. This despite us not representing ourselves but promoting music and song very unique to Irish culture; There is also the assumption that fame equals wealth. That’s far from the truth" In UCD [University College Dublin], McGlynn "fell in love with the old literature of Ireland, in translation and original form. It's very obscure and inspiring and I think it important that people understand the mindset of the people who wrote them. He formed Anúna in 1987 to promote his vision. In 1994, they were part of the dawning of Riverdance, setting their own sun on that tangent two years later when simultaneous commitments abroad rendered it impossible to linger. The ensuing rebirth grew into a very successful child, seeing them release seven more albums and performing in venues as diverse as Kilmainham jail [sic] and a sultan's palace in Morocco. Elvis Costello and the late American rock genius Jeff Buckley have shared their stage. "Originally, I thought we could lead choral music in new directions, away from the amateur mindset. It didn't happen but former members have gone their own way to spread the influence of Anúna. I’ll settle for that" he philosophises. McGlynn most cherishes their being the first Irish group to perform at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall in 1999, before 3,000 peers. "I was so proud. And we got nominated for a Brit award afterwards," he says, in the nearest tone to a telephone blush. To write about Anúna is to Write about Michael McGlynn. "All of myself is personified in Anúna," he confirms. That gives us a choral group with influences from "punk rock, David Bowie, late '70s/ early '80s electronic pop and Bjork." Not to mention 14th century French composer Machaut, all of which inspire and concern this 38-year-old contemporary composer. His work is his search. "I have spent my life trying to understand how music – all music – exerts such influence on people." That's all a bit more exciting than piano lessons in Rathmines. Abridged