A rare public interview with composer Kevin Volans takes place at the Contemporary Music Centre on Wednesday, 8 December.

Volans, whose latest work, Four Guitars, is premiered by the Dublin Guitar Quartet on 3 December, will be interviewed by journalist and critic, Michael Dungan.

Kevin Volans was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. From 1973 to 1981 he lived in Cologne where he studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen and Mauricio Kagel, later becoming Stockhausen’s teaching assistant. He is now an Irish citizen and lives in Dublin.

In Germany during the mid-1970s, his work became known as part of the ‘New Simplicity’. Later, following several field recording trips to Africa, he embarked on a series of pieces based on African compositional techniques which quickly established him as a distinctive voice on the European new music circuit. Since the mid-1980s his work has been extensively performed at venues including the Lincoln Center, New York; the Pompidou Centre, Paris; the Vienna State Opera; the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; and the Royal Albert Hall, London for the BBC Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. Seventeen CDs featuring his music have been released to date.

The CMC public interview with Kevin Volans takes place at 6.30 pm on Wednesday, 8 December 2004 at the Contemporary Music Centre, 19 Fishamble Street, Dublin 8.

Admission is free but due to limited seating prior booking is recommended. Contact Karen Hennessy, CMC Promotion Manager, khennessy@cmc.ie or tel. 01-673 1922.