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Tag: Contemporary Music Centre

CMC and Centre Culturel Irlandais Announce Composer Residency 2015-2016 Recipients

Caffrey_GregThe Centre Culturel Irlandais and the Contemporary Music Centre have just announced the recipients of their 2015-2016 Composer Residency. The composer’s residency initiative is part of a 30th anniversary programme of the Contemporary Music Centre, which will take place across 2016.

Four Irish composers have been selected to take part in the residency – Greg Caffrey, Rhob Cunningham, Benjamin Dwyer and Lioba Petrie.

Twenty-two artists across the spectrum of artistic backgrounds will spend from one month to three months in Paris to develop their proposed projects.

This year sees CCI partnering three Irish arts organisations for the first time in the awarding of a design residency (Design Crafts Council of Ireland – DCCoI), a music residency (Music Network) and a composer’s residency (Contemporary Music Centre).

CMC’s Salon Series to Highlight New Irish Music

CMCThe Contemporary Music Centre continues its Spring 2015 Salon Series with an exciting programme at the Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall, 6pm, Tuesday, 28 April 2015. Éamonn Cagney, Niwel Tsumbu and Martin Tourish, a trio of musicians who perform regularly together invite Roger Doyle to accompany them in this new music salon programme. They will perform Water journey by Éamonn Cagney; Kind of Sean Nós by Niwel Tsumbu and The Lodge by Martin Tourish.

The Contemporary Music Centre’s Salon Series aims to encourage newcomers and enthusiasts alike to engage with the music of Irish composers. Each performance takes place in an informal atmosphere with dialogue encouraged between composers, performers and audience.

Éamonn Cagney is a percussionist and composer.  Water Journey, based on Gaelic slipjig and West African 9-8 rhythms, is opened with a solo percussion piece by Éamonn, followed by an ensemble piece with Niwel Tsumbu, Martin Tourish and Roger Doyle. It is inspired by Éamonn’s ancestral folklore of sea voyages and night time maritime atmosphere.

Niwel Tsumbu is a guitarist, vocalist, performer and composer. His composition, currently entitled Kind of Sean Nós takes it’s inspiration from the singing of Iarla Ó Lionáird and Congolese church music from Niwel’s maternal ancestry. The piece explores the fluidity and adaptability of these musical forms in the context of Ireland today.

Martin Tourish is a piano accordionist and performer – composer. His piece The Lodge is inspired by new emerging dance music forms in the traditional Irish idiom. It evokes the tradition while integrating African hand drum rhythms and exploring the concept of Irish improvised music, that is improvisation in the traditional idiom.

Admission is free for the Salon series but booking is strongly recommended. To book please contact the National Concert Hall on tel: 01 417 0000  www.nch.ie.

 

Young Musicians Set to Premiere “The Wicklow Ways” by Vincent Kennedy

Wicklow Ways“The Wicklow Ways” is a newly written work for orchestra by Irish composer, Vincent Kennedy, and comprises 73 young Wicklow musicians performing on violin, recorder, ukulele, guitar, piano and a whole host of drums and tuned percussion instruments. The piece will receive its world premiere this Sunday, 22nd March in the Mermaid Arts Centre in two concerts at 3pm and 4:30pm.

Vincent Kennedy was commissioned by Wicklow County Council under the Per Cent for Art Scheme and on behalf of Music Generation Wicklow to engage with four schools across County Wicklow to create the piece. Four workshops have taken place in each school – Scoil Chaoimhin Naofa, Gleann da Loch, Co. Chill Mhantain; St Laurences National School, Kindlestown, Greystones, Co. Wicklow; Lacken National School, Blessington, Co.Wicklow; St Cronans National School, Vevay Road, Bray, Co.Wicklow – since September 2014 , engaging the young musicians in fun and challenging ways, inspiring them to perform to the best of their abilities and reach new heights in their musical development.

Speaking of the project, Vincent said: “Wicklow, the Garden of Ireland, has always had a special place in my life and heart. Therefore receiving the commission to write The Wicklow Ways presented me with an opportunity to write music that celebrates the beauty and loveliness of the place and its people and also some of what it means and has meant to me. This experience has also been very important to me because as a seven year old in CBS Westland Row I got the chance to take up music and it changed my life. To be involved with these wonderful young people at the beginning of their music education is tremendous. To experience their enthusiasm, their sense of fun in learning, their kindnesses, their beautiful smiles and laughs, and to see how they have grown musically through the process has been inspiring.”

He added: “I have also experienced some of why they are doing so well and that is down to their brilliant and enthusiastic music teachers, their class teachers and assistants, the support and enthusiasm of the school principals and their dedicated staff and the support of their families and Wicklow Music Generation.”

Along with the children of the WOW Orchestra (Wonderful Orchestra of Wicklow) Aisling Seery plays “Rain, Water, Life” on Piccolo, Descant and Treble Recorders, Eamon Sweeney performs “Glendalough” on classical guitar, Sinéad Finegan premiers “Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh” on Violin with Svetlana Rudenko on piano, Terry Clancy gives the first performance of “Sea and Sky Blues” on Alto Saxophone, Rama Block beating his drums leads us on “A Night on Sugar Loaf Mountain” and James Dunne takes us on a journey by “Steam Train from Greystones to Bray” up and down his Xylophone.

The Wicklow Ways by Vincent Kennedy from Contemporary Music Centre on Vimeo.

The Wicklow Ways is one of four new music works commissioned by Wicklow County Council and produced by the Contemporary Music Centre under the Per Cent for Art Scheme on behalf of Music Generation Wicklow. These commissions have involved some 300 children and young people between the ages of 6 and 16 across County Wicklow.

Tickets are €6 (single ticket) and €12 (family of four). Bookings online via Mermaid Arts Centre or by phone 01 272 4030.

CMC & Walled City Music Festival to Host Concerts & Composer Opportunities in Derry

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The Contemporary Music Centre is once again collaborating with Walled City Music on a number of new music events throughout the Walled City Music

Festival (WCMF), Derry. The festival runs from 19 to 26 July and CMC will be in attendance at new music events across 21 and 22 July.

Irish composer Frank Lyons’ new work, The River Still Sings, is performed by the Fidelio Trio, 7:30pm, 21 July. As part of this concert, CMC will host an interval discussion with Frank Lyons, Paul Moore, who collaborated with the composer on the sound design and visuals, and Mary Dullea of the Fidelio Trio. The River Still Sings is a multimedia project that features text by Derry writer Seamus Deane, narration by actor James Nesbitt, sound design and visuals by Paul Moore and a score to be performed by the Fidelio Trio. It was commissioned by the City of London Festival with the Walled City Music

Festival, part of the Derry-Londonderry City of Culture 2013, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of links between the two cities. Admission is free to the interval discussion for concert ticket holders. The event takes place in The Great Hall, University of Ulster, Magee Campus.

The Contemporary Music Centre in conjunction with Walled City Music is also offering a unique opportunity to work with composer Brian Irvine and leading new music ensemble Fidelio Trio, producing new music for piano trio in a two-day residency in Derry. Six places are available for composers to write a 3-5 minute piece from scratch on Sunday, 21 July. Pieces will be based upon the news, using a newspaper from that particular morning.

All materials will be work-shopped with the Fidelio Trio on Monday afternoon, 22 July and performed at a special concert that evening, which is open to the public and has free admission. This residency will take place in the Foyle Arts Building, Magee Campus, University of Ulster, Derry. Facilities and overnight accommodation on 21 July are kindly provided by the University of Ulster. The closing date for applications from composers is 16 July. Applications should be sent to Yulin Zheng atyzheng@nullcmc.ie, c/o The Contemporary Music Centre, 19 Fishamble Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 8. Further details can be found on www.cmc.ie/opportunities

The Contemporary Music Centre at the Walled City Music Festival
7:30pm, 21 July 2013
Great Hall, University of Ulster, Magee Campus
Fidelio Trio
Darragh Morgan (violin), Mary Dullea (piano) Robin Michael (cello)
with James Nesbit narrator

Frank Lyons The River still Runs
Osborne The Piano Turner
Ravel Piano Trio

Interval Discussion | Chaired by Evonne Ferguson, Director, The Contemporary Music Centre with panellists Frank Lyons, Paul Moore and Mary Dullea

Booking Recommended | www.walledcitymusic.com

First Edition/News Today
Foyle Arts Building, Magee Campus, University of Ulster, Derry.

21 July

First Edition/News Today composer workshops

Six selected composers work with composer Brian Irvine on 3 – 5 minute pieces

22 July

First Edition/News Today performer workshop with composers

Six composers and Brian Irvine work with Fidelio Trio on the newly created 3 – 5 minute pieces

First Edition/ News Today concert
6pm, Foyle Arts Building
Open to the public. Free Admission. No booking required
Concert featuring the new work from the performer and composer workshops led by Brian Irvine and facilitated by the Fidelio Trio

 

Hilltown New Music Festival Launch

Hilltown New Music FestivalThe launch of the Hilltown New Music Festival will be held in the Contemporary Music Centre on 13th June at 6pm. The Hiltown New Music Festival takes place later in the summer on 20th and 21st July in Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath.

The Dublin launch will feature performances by Elizabeth Hilliard performing composer Gráinne Mulvey’s The Seafarer for soprano and electronics and Anthony Kelly and David Stalling with members of the Dublin Laptop Orchestra, as well as a programme of fixed medium sound works. The evening will be presented by RTÉ lyricfm Nova presenter, Bernard Clarke. Admission is free and all are welcome to come along.

Now in its sixth edition, the Hilltown New Music Festival continues to showcase Irish and international contemporary music and sonic art by presenting innovative new work to audiences and providing a sustainable place for contemporary arts in the Midlands.

The 2013 Festival takes place 20 and 21 of July, and will be based around an exciting series of concerts, performances and installations by *AR (Autumn Richardson & Richard Skelton), Barbara Lüneburg, Dublin Laptop Orchestra, Yonit Kosovske, The Open Rehearsals, Ruth Clinton and Niamh Moriarty, Katie O’Looney, Harry Moore, Anthony Kelly and David Stalling, Uwe Storch, Liz Hilliard, David Bremner, and many more.

As was done for the previous festivals, there are two open calls for works, one for scores by Irish based composers to be performed by the Hilltown ensemble-in-residence, and one international call for fixed medium audio works, which will be presented in a special listening room during the festival. Further details on the open calls for works available on www.hilltown.ie.

Aspiring Composers Awarded in West Cork Chamber Music Festival

The winners of this year’s West Cork Chamber Music Festival / Cork County Council Young Composers Bursary Scheme 2013 have been announced, as follows:  Seán Doherty, Retreat; Solfa Carlile, Fables; Timothy Cape, Collectors Item and Patrick Egan, Then Til Now.  The selected works will be premiered at the 2013 West Cork Chamber Music Festival, which runs from Friday 28 June to Saturday 6 July, as well as being presented at the Festival’s Young Composers Forum, directed by Ian Wilson, on Saturday 29 June. The composer of each selected composition will be awarded a Cork County Council Bursary of €500.

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Seán Doherty (b. 1987) played the fiddle music of his native Derry and Donegal before reading music at St John’s College, University of Cambridge, and completing his PhD at Trinity College, University of Dublin, where he now lectures in counterpoint and Baroque music history. Solfa Carlile (b.1995) is a graduate of the Royal College of Music, London. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate at Oxford with support from the Arts Council and the Seary Trust. Her music has received performances by the BBC Singers, Okeanos, Chroma Ensemble and the Orchestra of St. Paul’s Covent Garden, of which she is composer-in-residence. Timothy Cape (b. 1991) is currently studying at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London; originally from Donegal, Cape is a composer whose influences range from Progressive Rock, Jazz, and Contemporary music to Literature, Theatre and Dance.  Patrick Egan (b. 1987) completed his undergraduate studies in composition at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in 2012 and has since continued at the Conservatory, now working towards his Master’s degree.

The West Cork Chamber Music Festival in partnership with the Contemporary Music Centre has held a competition for young Irish composers for the last four years. Each year, works for chamber ensembles have been selected to be performed in concert during the Festival and as part of the Festival’s public workshop programme.  The competition has been a valuable opportunity for young composers to work with professional performers, to receive guidance from a leading composer and to hear their works performed.

To mark Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, the 2013 West Cork Chamber Music Young Composers Bursary Awards is expanded through special programme support from the Arts Council and Cork County Council under the Cultural Programme of the EU Presidency, with additional support from IMRO. The scheme is organised in partnership with the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland, Music Information Centre, Austria, the Arts Office of Cork County Council and CIT Cork School of Music.

 

CMC Present “Musical Tales” to Celebrate One City, One Book

CMC

The Contemporary Music Centre is presenting two concerts in Dublin City Libraries this month as part of One City, One Book. This year, James Plunkett’s “Strumpet City” has been selected for Dublin City Council’s One City, One Book initiative, a project which encourages everyone to read a book connected with the capital city during the month of April each year. To celebrate this, CMC have programmed two concerts celebrating the influence of Dublin City, which is at the heart of Plunkett’s novel, on Irish composers.

Curated by Irish Composer Benjamin Dwyer, the concert programme will be performed by Miriam Kaczor (flute), Evelina Ndlova (electric piano), Vincent Kennedy (trumpet), alongside a choir of eight singers (Robyn Richardson, Sarah McCourt, Zosia Kucyńska, Heather Fogarty, Richard Bridge, Richard Shaffrey, Robbie Blake, Pascal Kennedy) conducted by Maragaret Bridge.

The two concerts, which have FREE ADMISSION, take place between 1pm and 2pm, in the Central Library (Ilac Centre) on 24 April, and Rathmines Library on 25 April.

The concert programme features works by Irish composers: John Buckley, Hamilton Harty, Michael Holohan, Donal Sarsfield and Vincent Kennedy.  Harty’s In Ireland (1918) was written in the same decade as the Dublin lockouts and reflects a flavour of the music written at this time. Buckley and Sarsfield present their versions of popular tunes. Holohan with a strong affinity to Dublin celebrates his city with two works adapted for these concerts. Kennedy who recently completed an orchestral work Dublin – An Overture to my City writes a new piece especially for these concerts entitled s-Trumpet City, in which he will perform solo Trumpet.

All concerts are FREE admission but booking is essential.

Please contact the relevant library to book.

 

1pm – 2pm, Wednesday, 24 April

Central Library – Music Library Dublin 1

T | 01 873 4333 E | musiclibrary@nulldublincity.ie

 

1pm – 2pm, Thursday, 25 April

Rathmines Library, Dublin 6

T | 01 497 3539 E | rathmineslibrary@nulldublincity.ie

 

CMC Hosts New Music Marathon

CMCCMC’s annual New Music Marathon takes place on Friday 1 March in the Kevin Barry Room of the National Concert Hall as part of the inaugural New Music Dublin festival.

This year’s event is held in collaboration with the Music Composition Centre of Trinity College Dublin and has been programmed by its Director Dr Evangelia Rigaki.

Now in its eighth year, the CMC New Music Marathon is a showcase for student composers from around Ireland, providing them with the opportunity to perform their work and hear each other’s music.  Composition and performance students from Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology, NUI Maynooth, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Waterford Institute of Technology, the University of Limerick and the University of Ulster will take part.

Performances will take place from 11.00am to 12.45pm and 2.30pm to 5.30pm.  The event is open to the public throughout the day.  Admission is free – tickets are available from the box office of the National Concert Hall on arrival.

New Music Dublin is a major new festival that gives voice to a broad range of musical creativity from our time and takes place at the National Concert Hall on 1-3 March 2013.  It is a new partnership initiative of The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, The National Concert Hall, RTÉ Orchestras and the Contemporary Music Centre and is the first event arising from a planned five-year partnership. The Arts Council is providing significant funding to New Music Dublin.  The festival forms part of Ireland’s EU Presidency Cultural Programme.  www.newmusicdublin.ie

 

Celebration of New Music in Waterford This Week

Waterford New Music Week 2013Various performances, discussions and workshops are taking place this week in Waterford as part of Waterford New Music Week. The theme of this year’s festival, run by the Department of Creative and Performing Arts at Waterford Institute of Technology in association with Garter Lane Arts Centre, is “New Music – New Audiences” and new works by over 30 composers will be performed throughout the week.

As part of the festival, the Contemporary Music Centre are hosting a free lunchtime concert of new Irish music featuring Paul Roe (clarinet) and Kate Ellis (cello) in the Central Library, Lady Lane from 1-2pm on Wednesday 6th February. The programme will include solos and duos by Linda Buckley, Deirdre McKay, Emma O’Halloran and Eric Sweeney.

The festival takes place with support from the Arts Council and Waterford City Council. For a full brochure listing all events taking place see http://www.wit.ie/news/details/events/new_music_week_2013

 

New Festival to Showcase the Work of Irish and European Composers

New Music DublinNew Music Dublin is a major new festival that gives voice to a broad range of musical creativity from our time by showcasing the work of major international and Irish figures to the public, and through the involvement of many Irish artists.

NMD is a new partnership initiative of The Arts Council, The National Concert Hall, RTÉ Orchestras and the Contemporary Music Centre. It will take place in the NCH on March 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2013 and is the first event arising from a planned five-year partnership. The Arts Council is providing significant funding to New Music Dublin (see below for further background information regarding each of the partner organisations).

NMD offers audiences the opportunity to immerse themselves in many different types of new music. The 2013 Festival includes the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, directed by virtuoso trombonist Christian Lindberg in the world premiere of Lindberg’s new work ‘Kundraan and the Arctic Light’; the RTÉ Concert Orchestra performing the Irish premieres of Arvo Pärt’s ‘Symphony Number 4’ and Louis Andriessen’s ‘De Staat’; Garth Knox bringing his ECM project ‘Saltarello’ to Dublin; the serene voices of the Hilliard Ensemble paired with the haunting music of Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannson; Crash Ensemble with European voices new to Ireland including Heiner Goebbels and Michel van der Aa; Callino Quartet with a world premiere by Kevin Volans; late night events including the cosmopolitan duo A Winged Victory For The Sullen and more.

In addition to the programme of concerts taking place over the festival weekend, NMD has a busy schedule of workshops, masterclasses and other events. The festival forms part of Ireland’s EU Presidency Cultural Programme, and at a time when our relationship with Europe is undergoing much discussion, is an opportunity to celebrate the diverse creative nature of the current generation of European and Irish artists.

For further information on the festival schedule and updates see www.newmusicdublin.ie

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