The Contemporary Music Centre, Temple Bar Outdoors and the Association of Irish Composers are very pleased to announce a programme of contemporary music events that will take place during May and June as part of the ReJoyce Dublin 2004 festival. It includes an indoor concert in the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, an outdoor concert in Temple Bar’s Meeting House Square as part of Diversions Temple Bar 2004, a seminar in the Contemporary Music Centre, and five commissions of new music.

Following an open call for submissions and consideration by a selection panel, these commissions have been awarded to Rob Canning, Ben Dwyer, Vincent Kennedy, Trevor Knight and Michael Holohan. The new pieces will be pre-recorded and the performances will take place over five days in conjunction with a series of outdoor film screenings in Meeting House Square, also part of Diversions Temple Bar 2004.

This collaboration between the Contemporary Music Centre, Temple Bar Outdoors and the Association of Irish Composers aims to explore the influence of James Joyce on Irish composers throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; to expose new audiences to contemporary music and the inspiration of Joyce on Irish composers; and to facilitate the coming together of different art forms: literature, music and film. The project is supported by funding from ReJoyce Dublin 2004.

The five-month festival lasting from 1 April to 31 August 2004 is planned to mark the centenary of James Joyce’s Ulysses, which immortalized 16 June 1904 as ‘Bloomsday’. The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr John O'Donoghue TD has appointed a committee to oversee and coordinate this celebration of one of the nation's great literary masters. Everyone from literary neophytes to Joyce scholars will find a range of programmes suited to their interests. In addition to a number of exhibitions and events, street theatre, music programmes, and family fun will fill the city for everyone to enjoy.