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For Immediate Release

Salon Event with Festival Focus

Dublin, 21 January 2005

CMC's February Salon is linked to the upcoming RTÉ Living Music Festival.

Taking place on 12 February, it features Rachel Holstead and Fergus Johnston, two of the Irish composers commissioned for this year's RTÉ Living Music Festival. In addition to speaking about and playing midi samples of their new pieces for the Festival, existing works by both composers will be heard.

Fergus Johnston's Rashad's Words (1999) will be performed by percussionist Peadar Townsend. Peadar Townsend, a freelance percussionist, performs regularly with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the Irish Film Orchestra. He is currently Associate Percussion (no 2) with the Army No 1 Band, Dublin. Rashad's Words is dedicated to Norman Rashad Parker, a Florida Death Row prisoner with whom the composer corresponds regularly. This work commissioned by the 1999 'Sonorities' festival, has been supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Also on the programme are The Boydell Singers from Trinity College Dublin who will perform songs from Rachel Holstead's collection, Around the Corner: Souvenirs of a day on Rathlin (2003), together with a preview of a new work of Rachels which is to be premiered by the choir on 2 March 2005 in Trinity College Chapel. The Boydell Singers are the first all-female choral group in Trinity, and were established coincidentally in the same year as the Women's Centenary 2004. The singers are all students in Trinity, from a whole host of different disciplines. The choir is conducted by Sheila Frost and Sheila's father, Robert Frost, will accompany the choir on viol for one of the songs during the salon event.

The Salon takes place in Project Arts Centre on Saturday, 12 February from 1.00-2.00pm. Discussions continue informally afterwards and admission is free.

CMC's Salon performances are made possible by the support of the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon. CMC would like to acknowledge the support of Project Arts Centre in making the venue available.

For further information contact Karen Hennessy, Promotion Manager, Contemporary Music Centre, tel: 01 673 1922 email: khennessy@cmc.ie