The Contemporary Music Centre has facilitated a major donation of Irish music to the Wuhan Conservatory of Music in China.

On Thursday 27 April 2006 a large selection of scores and recordings copied from the CMC collection was formally presented to the Wuhan Conservatory of Music. The four vice-presidents of the school were in attendance, and an official letter from the Irish Embassy in Beijing was read as part of the ceremony.

Singer and contemporary music specialist Aylish Kerrigan, who is currently working with the conservatory, was the catalyst. It is through her continuous efforts that this collection of Irish contemporary music has been established, the first of its kind in China. She gave a concert in the conservatory on Friday 23 April, with performances of works by Seóirse Bodley, Aloys Fleischmann and James Wilson among others.

The Wuhan Conservatory of Music is famous throughout China for its composition department, and Vice President Peng Zhi Min is the authority on contemporary music in the country. This acquisition has been made possible by the financial assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Irish Embassy in China.

Posted: 7 May 2006