New Award For Irish Musicians
New Award Creates Exciting Opportunities for Irish Musicians of All Genres to Include Rock Musicians
Music Network has announced the introduction of an exciting new award, which will provide support and work for professional musicians in Ireland.
With funding from the Arts Council, the new Performance and Touring Award has been developed by Music Network, the national music development organisation, to assist Irish and Ireland-based musicians in realising performance opportunities.
With an initial award fund of €65,000, it is hoped the award will: offer increased employment opportunities to Irish musicians; develop the skills base of Irish artists in areas such as project planning and administration, self-promotion and self-management; and offer a new source of music programming to concert promoters, and in turn to audiences throughout Ireland
Welcoming the announcement of the Award, the Arts Council's Director, Mary Cloake commented: "This initiative is great news for Irish musicians. Performing is a crucial part of any musical career; however, opportunities can be limited and many musicians do not have the financial resources to plan and realise concerts themselves. This Award not only creates those opportunities but will also help musicians to acquire additional skills which will be of huge benefit to them professionally."
Commenting on the Award, Music Network Chief Executive, Deirdre McCrea stated: "Music Network has a long track record of working with and supporting professional musicians. We see the development and operation of this new Performance and Touring Award as a natural extension of our existing services to Irish artists and promoters."
The Award is open to musicians and ensembles of all genres who are of Irish nationality or resident in Ireland. It is hoped it will appeal to a wide range of artists and ensembles at different stages in their career.
Projects eligible for the Award will include tours, concert series and individual concerts to take place anywhere within the Republic of Ireland. The Award is also open to multidisciplinary projects with live music as a key element, and to collaborative projects involving other Irish or visiting international artists.
Music Network will provide musicians with guidelines and information sheets to assist them in planning their project prior to application. Musicians are also encouraged to liaise and co-plan with prospective promoters in all areas relating to their projects.
Further information and application packs are available from Music Network, Coach House, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2, 
Phone: 01 6719429, and is downloadable from www.musicnetwork.ie
