As an up-and-coming composer it can be difficult to secure a performance of one's work and even more difficult to interact with the artists involved. In a valuable initiative during last winter, which it is to be hoped will be repeated, the National Concert Hall Education Programme offered an opportunity for young composers to work with pianist and composer Rolf Hind, generally regarded as a leading exponent of contemporary music.

Participating students Linda Buckley, Paul McGough, Brian Bolger, David Flynn and Judith Ring from Trinity College Dublin and the Dublin Institute of Technology Conservatory of Music worked intensively with Hind in Dublin on three occasions between November 2001 and February 2002. This included the possibility of employing electro-acoustic and prepared piano techniques.

The project concluded with a performance of the student works by Rolf Hind in the National Concert Hall. An important element was to develop the students' communication skills by having them talk to the audience about their work, so an interview between Rolf and the five students took place on stage at the beginning of the concert. Overall, the interaction between the students and the pianist proved to be a great benefit and made for an interesting and productive outcome: five Irish premieres and a unique experience.