connect 2018 • 11 Within just months pilot programmes are already up and running in five of those areas, creating fresh opportunities for hundreds more children and young people to access quality music tuition in their local communities. From a major six-county regional strings youth orchestra in the west, to whole-class singing programmes for participants in the south east, more and more music is catching on the breeze across the four corners of Ireland. ‘Symphonic Waves [an initiative of Music Generation Galway County in partnership with Galway 2020, European Capital of Culture] will be a wonderful asset, not just to the young musicians of Galway County and City, but to the wider regional community, and the generations to come...’ —Hannah Kiely, Chief Executive of Galway 2020 Last September Music Generation announced the nine new areas of Ireland selected for partici- pation in its second phase – a significant growth initiative enabled through the combined philanthropic support of U2, Bank of America and The Ireland Funds.