26K

For Immediate Release

Northern Irish Funding to CMC

Dublin, 7 April 2005

The Contemporary Music Centre is very pleased to report a successful outcome to two funding applications to support its work in Northern Ireland.

Under its Multi-Annual Programme, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland has agreed an award of Stg£40,000 (58,428) to cover a two-year period commencing on 01 April 2005.

The grant is a contribution towards CMC’s overall services to Northern Irish composers and will enable the Centre to maintain its longstanding policy of support for all composers active in the whole island of Ireland.

The second award to CMC is a Lottery grant from the Northern Ireland Awards for All fund. The sum of Stg£4,900 (7,157) has been agreed (from a maximum grant ceiling of Stg£5,000) towards the costs of the next promotional CD in the series, Contemporary Music from Ireland Volume 5. Composers from both sides of the border will be represented on the new CD, which will be promoted internationally.

The Contemporary Music Centre has since its inception operated on an all-Ireland basis and almost 20 per cent of all its work is in relation to, or on behalf of, the community in Northern Ireland. Of the composers represented by the Centre, 26 out of 108 who are currently active (or roughly a quarter) were born or are permanently domiciled in Northern Ireland.

CMC welcomes the restoration of funding from ACNI to support the important documentation and promotion services which feedback from clients has shown to be so highly valued. We look forward to developing further a relationship which has proved so fruitful over the years.