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The Arts Council has announced the successful commissions under the first round of assessments for 2003. The scheme, which operates on a cross-art form basis, aims ‘to foster the creation of new work and to encourage dynamic proposals for repertoire renewal. The scheme also endeavours to build artistic networks and relationships between artists and commissioners as well as promoting greater diversity in the opportunities available to artists’.
The Commissions scheme awards funding of up to 75% of the total cost of the commission fee to the artist. 67 applications were received for the present round for which a total budget of  100,000 was available. Following a panel assessment, 21 were awarded funding totaling 78,332 and the remaining funds will be carried forward to the second round, the closing date for which is 28 November 2003 (for commissions taking place in 2004).
Twelve music commissions (more than half of the total) were successful in the present round. No details of the projects are given but the awards are as follows:
- Foras na Gaeilge (Paul Brennan, 5,000);
- B Spoke Theatre Company (Ellen Cranitch, 3,000);
- Concorde (Rob Canning, 5,000);
- Red Kettle Theatre Company (Liam Meagher, 5,400);
- B Spoke Theatre Company (Tom Murphy, 4,000);
- Project Arts Centre (Eoghan McTigue, 3,000);
- Tall Tales Theatre Company (Deirdre Kinahan, 4,000);
- European Union Chamber Orchestra (Stephen Gardner, 2,550);
- Waterford New Music Week (Gráinne Mulvey, 5,000);
- LD Dance Trust (Adèle O’Dwyer, 1,700);
- Bradyworks (Judith Ring, 4,612);
- Crash Ensemble (Jürgen Simpson, 5,000);
- Pan Pan Theatre Company (Andrew Synnott, 3,000);
- Catherine Leonard (Ian Wilson, 6,270);
- Cantus Ensemble for New Music (Frank Corcoran, 4,500);
- Blue Raincoat Theatre Company (Michael Harding, 5,000);
- Gúna Nua Theatre Company (Paul Meade, 2,000);
- Gúna Nua Theatre Company (David Parnell, 2,000);
- Temple Bar Properties (T Wilcox, 3,400);
- Deirdre O’Leary (Roy Carroll, 3,000);
- Cork International Choral Festival (Gráinne Mulvey, 900).
Further information: Siân Cunningham, Arts Council. Email sian@artscouncil.ie or tel. 01-618 0209.
For a review of the current state of new music commissioning in Ireland see ‘The Competing Realities of Commissioning’ by Michael Dungan, May 2003.
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