Month: March 2016

The Irish music industry has long been made up of a succession of sub-cultures, many of which cross over at some point. Of late, it has been the ever growing hip-hop scene that has garnered attention – especially given the success of Rusangano Family and Hare Squead. Yet these acts are just the tip of the iceberg, with musicians across the country making beats, writing rhymes and creating their own visions.

From this has come the Word Up Collective, a collection of like minded souls working – not only in hip-hop – but in a number of related styles: the soulful RnB styled AikJ, the fiery disco and funk influenced pop of Katie Laffan, Belfast’s Craft Work and his mix of spoken word with classical and world music samples, trip-hop vocalist Soulé, and the alternative rap of Anti-One and MC Axiom. They are joined by some of the most exciting young hip-hop artists working in the county today – the art and comic book influenced Young Phantom, seventeen year old MC Sam Ojo, performer and producer Damola, the RnB and rap duo Stay Gold, the devilishly dark Dyramid and video director and music maker Steven Beatsmith. Discover more about the Word Up roster here.

And that’s just the start. With behind the scenes support from Annette and Phil Udell (State.ie, BIMM, WholeWorldBand), the project is set to search out new talent across Ireland – offering young musicians a helping hand, the opportunity to perform at their regular live nights both in Dublin and around the country access to workshops and a route to the Irish music industry and beyond.

With a number of stand alone gigs already under their belts, the entire complement will come together for the first time at Word Up Collective #1, a live launch at the Bello Bar that will also feature special guest Roll Blunt, the UK producer who has found a home at Detroit’s Black Day In July alongside Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Bronze Nazareth, Salute Da Kidd, June Megalodon and more.

Irish composers Nick Roth and Anna Murray will perform a very special event in Seoul of their own work, including the world premiere of Roth’s Seed II and improvisations for saxophone and electronics. The concert is presented by the Embassy of Ireland in South Korea, and Pernod-Ricard Korea.

Composers Murray and Roth are visiting Korea to take part in the International Society for Contemporary Music’s World Music Days Festival. World Music Days is an annual festival taking place in a different location across the world each year, showcasing the music of the ISCM’s member countries.

This year’s festival takes place in Tongyeong, South Korea from 27 Mar – 1 April, and the chosen Irish work is Nick Roth’s Woodland Heights, which will be performed by the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble on the 30 March at the Tongyeong Concert Hall. The Association of Irish Composers is the Irish section of the ISCM: composer and AIC Secretary Anna Murray will attend the festival and General Assembly as the Irish delegate on behalf of the AIC.
For more about the ISCM see www.iscm.org, and for more about the Association of Irish Composers, see www.composers.ie. This project is supported by Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland in Korea. The Association of Irish Composers is supported by IMRO.

About Seed II
Seed II is a study of plant genetics. Stemming from earlier works Woodland Heights for Orchestra (2014) and Little Woodland Heights for Children’s Ensemble (2015), the work strives to develop musical analogues for embryonic and rhizomic growth structures in its treatment of composed, recorded and improvised materials, whilst exploring the philosophical implications of their juxtaposition.
Nick Roth
Dublin, February 2016
About Woodland Heights
Woodland Heights is a study of forest canopy ecology. More specifically, the work is an illustration of the premise that “species composition and tree size distributions become more diverse with increasing stand age” and that “with increasing age stochastic processes play increasingly important roles in creating structural complexity”.

Mapping the growth of a model forest stand over a 720-year period, a crotchet in the score is equal to one year in ecological time. Data from the projected interaction of seven genera is translated into musical elements: maximal height, average lifespan and reproductive cycle. These form gestures expressing the statistical distribution of harmonics from seven individual fundamentals, with phyllotaxic elements shaping motivic structure and adaptive qualities delineating the formal architecture of the piece.

This piece is dedicated to the trees of “Woodland Heights”, Greenhills Close, Chorleywood – to the laurel, oak, birch, rowan, beech, holly…and the wild apple.

Paris, March 2014

Nick Roth is a saxophonist, composer, producer and educator. His work explores the liberation of improvisation from composition, the impact of nature on technology and a contemporary interpretation of traditional music.

A fascination with pattern, cycle and structure has led to ongoing conversations with mathematical biologists, forest canopy ecologists and hydrologists, seeking a conception of music as translative epistemology.

Simultaneously subsumed by an insatiable appetite for literature, his compositions investigate the philosophical impact of poetry and the symbiotic resonance of words as sound and text.
A curious predisposition and a steadfast refusal to accept the existence of boundaries between the real and the imaginary has led to collaborations with an array of international performers, composers, choreographers, directors, visual artists, festivals, poets and ensembles.

Nick is artistic director of Yurodny, a founding member of the Water Project and a partner at Diatribe Records, Ireland’s leading independent record label for new music.
www.nickrothmusic.com

A mixed-media composer with a particular interest in text-based music and collaborative processes, Anna Murray’s work as a composer is informed by her interest in non-musical artforms and non-standard concert contexts. Through her composition work, Anna’s focus is to seek out the points of connection, both technical and expressive, between music and other arts, including visual arts, film and literature.

She holds an MPhil in Music and Media Technologies from Trinity College Dublin, where her specialisation was mixed-media composition. Her thesis, The Echoes: A Composition Exploring Text-Setting Techniques through Structural Rhythm, was the beginning of what was to be the guiding principles behind her compositional work: the search for an approach to setting texts which allows for a cohesive expression of shared meaning and intent. This has developed and grown into an approach toward composition that celebrates the many ways in which the listener can hear and explore sound.

Anna regularly performs with electronics and visuals and is the co-director of multimedia production company Fractal Music Dublin.
www.soundcloud.com/annamurraymusic

With the world’s guitarists at your fingertips, Ards and North Down Borough Council is delighted to announce the welcome return of Ards International Guitar Festival. The festival is back with an eclectic mix for every taste. Celebrating all that is brilliant locally with a clever mix of international artists.

From the 6 -10 April Newtownards will be alive with the sound of blues, folk and flamenco. Every genre is covered. Whether you play yourself or just love music there will be a gig for you. Check out the full festival programme at www.ardsguitarfestival.co.uk

Highlights this year include Martin Carthy, Antoine Dufour, Wiktoria Szubelak, No Oil Paintings, Grainne Duffy, The Emerald Armada to name a few.

This is a real opportunity to hear world renowned musicians such as Antoine Dufour. The Montreal guitarist combines jaw-dropping guitar playing skills and artistic soul to craft instrumental compositions that reflect ambient and progressive music that transcends global cultures.

Martin Carthy has for more than 40 years been one of folk music’s greatest innovators. He is a ballad singer and a ground-breaking guitarist. Most significantly, his settings of traditional songs have influenced a generation of artists, including Bob Dylan and Paul Simon

Wiktoria Szubelak is one of Poland’s most talented young classical guitarists. She has performed throughout Europe to outstanding reviews. Her consert repertoire contains solo works by Bach, Giuliani, Barrios, Lobos and others.

Tours of the Avalon guitar factory will provide visitors with an insight into the production line of the handcrafted guitar. While guitar clinics will allow the visitor to learn guitar techniques and also the practical skill of building a pedal. This is a fantastic opportunity to get hands-on with industry professionals.

There are a number of free events for you to come along and enjoy such as Belfast Guitar Orchestra with Colin Reid.

Ards International Guitar Festival is a must for the music enthusiast. For ticket details or to view the full programme please visit the website or alternatively call Ards Arts Centre on 028 9181 0803

24 March, 6.30pm
Roasted Brown Café, Filmbase, Temple Bar
Free entry

The first in a new series of monthly talk events on topics around contemporary music. Part of the Irish Composers on Irish Music series, supported by Arts Council Ireland.

In Conversation is a new series of events by the Association of Irish Composers, as part of their dedication to creating new channels for the discussion and presentation of new music. In Conversation provides opportunities for composers, performers, presenters and the public to get together to discuss aspects of new music openly over a decent coffee. Events will include talks and presentations by guest composers and performers, panel discussions, listening sessions and opportunities for students and researchers in new music to present their work.

This inaugural In Conversation event will be a panel discussion on the Evolving Contemporary Culture, covering questions about how we present new music. Does the environment and culture of a concert hall best reflect the current interests of composers, performers and audiences today? Is the practise of programming classical music alongside other genres outside the concert hall merely a fad, or a gimmick?

Taking part in this discussion will be Sebastian Adams (RTÉ Composer in Residence, founder/director Kirkos Ensemble) and composer Raymond Deane and the AIC’s Peter Moran. All audience members are welcome to join the debate. The panel discussion will last c45-50minutes, and the café will stay open until 8pm, so stick around for Roasted Brown’s great coffee and a chat.