279K

For Immediate Release

The Contemporary Music Centre and the Irish Composers' Collective present Nights of New Music

28 January 2011

The Contemporary Music Centre and the Irish Composers' Collective have joined forces to present a Night of New Music in the Kevin Barry Room of the National Concert Hall on 23 February and 30 March 2011. Each night begins with The Contemporary Music Centre's new music::new Ireland salon series, followed by the Irish Composers' Collective monthly concert, with a special offer on wine and tapas in the National Concert Hall during the break.

The Contemporary Music Centre's new music::new Ireland salon, 6pm – 7pm, 23 February is entitled Ich ruf' zu DirIch ruf' zu Dir and curated by Ergodos, a music production company and record label. It features Cora Venus Lunny (violin), Kate Ellis (cello), David Bremner (piano), Michelle O'Rourke (mezzo-soprano) performing works by Irish composers, Benedict Schlepper Connolly, Garrett Scholdice and Jonathan Nangle.

The Ergodos' Ich ruf' zu Dir project involves new arrangements of J.S Bach's chorale prelude "Ich ruf' zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ", an elegiac harmonisation of a Lutheran hymn tune from Bach's Orgelbüchlein. These new arrangements are acts of homage to an important artistic ancestor as well as the perpetuation of the time-old practice of using the work of an ancestor as compositional material – a reminder of the very beginnings of music in improvised organum. These new works carry this metaphor to the next level – Sholdice with a solo piano work, Schlepper-Connolly with a set of two new arias, and Jonathan Nangle with a piano trio, all delicately tracing along Bach's outlines, all firmly rooted in the tradition of Baroque musical rhetoric, yet speaking in a resolutely modern tongue.

The new music::new Ireland salon series aims to encourage newcomers and enthusiasts alike to engage with the music of Irish Composers. Each performance takes place in an informal atmosphere with dialogue encouraged between composers, performers and audience. This is the Centre's eight series and this year to celebrate 25 years of the Contemporary Music Centre and as part of a series of events planned for 2011, the salons will take place across the year on the last Wednesday of each month, apart from the summer months. (June, July and August)

The Irish Composers' Collective concert, 830pm – 930pm, 23 February 2011, begins with a pre-concert talk at 8pm. It features soprano Elizabeth Hilliard and cellist Kate Ellis performing works by Irish composers Alyson Barbder, Joanna Heraty, Gráinne Mulvey, Natasa Paterson, Dylan Rynhart and Matthew Whiteside.

"The Contemporary Music Centre is delighted to partner with The Irish Composers' Collective on Nights of New Music, which is one of a number of audience development initiatives by the Centre. Each night is shaping up to be a truly special occasion of music, food and wine" says Karen Hennessy, Promotion Manager, The Contemporary Music Centre.

The Contemporary Music Centre is Ireland's national archive and resource centre for new music. The Centre is supported by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The Centre would like to thank the National Concert Hall for the use of the Kevin Barry Room for the salon series and the Irish Composers' Collective for their collaboration on Nights of New Music. The Centre is supported by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

The Irish Composers' Collective, founded in 2003, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing Irish composers with a community for information, education and the pooling of resources in order to create concerts of their music with professional musicians.

Ergodos is a music production company and record label based in Dublin. Composers Garrett Sholdice and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly founded Ergodos in 2006. Sholdice and Schlepper-Connolly's curation generally presents new and old music within the context of a single idea or theme, often constructing an event as a single continuous work. The company regularly commissions new compositions. www.ergodos.ie

Admission is free for the new music::new Ireland salon but booking is strongly recommended. To book please contact the National Concert Hall on tel: 01 4170000 or email: info@nch.ie. For further information on the performers and composers involved contact Karen Hennessy, Promotion Manager, The Contemporary Music Centre, 19 Fishamble Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 8, tel: 01-673 1922 or email: khennessy@cmc.ie

Admission to the Irish Composers' Collective concert costs €10 / €5. Tickets may be purchased from the National Concert Hall Box Office, www.nch.ie , in person, or tel: 01 4170000. For further information contact Eve Lalor, PR & Marketing, tel: 086 3387901 or email:press@irishcomposerscollective.com web site: www.irishcomposerscollective.com

Nights of New Music, 30 March 2011, Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall, features the Contemporary Music Centre's new music::new Ireland salon, 6pm – 7pm, with Therese Fahy, pianist and the Irish Composers' Collective monthly concert, Maunuela Meier, accordion and Nick Roth, saxophone, 830pm (pre-concert talk 8pm). Wine and tapas, €10, John Field Room, National Concert Hall, during the break.

Notes For Editors

Night of New Music

23rd February 2011, Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall, Dublin 2

6pm - 7pm The Contemporary Music Centre new music::new Ireland salon event

Cora Venus Lunny (violin), Kate Ellis (cello), David Bremner (piano), Michelle O'Rourke (mezzo-soprano)

• Johann Sebastian Bach – "Ich ruf' zu Dir", original organ arrangement transcribed by Garrett Sholdice for solo piano
• Jonathan Nangle – Ich ruf' zu Dir, a recomposition for piano trio
• Garrett Sholdice – Ich ruf' zu Dir, an arrangement for solo piano
• Benedict Schlepper-Connolly – Ich ruf' zu Dir / I call to you, two arias for mezzo soprano and piano trio

Admission Free
Booking Recommended
Tel: 01 4170000
Email: info@nch.ie
www.nch.ie

7pm – 8pm Wine and Tapas offer
John Field Room, National Concert Hall

Cost €10 (glass of wine and two tapas) (50% discount on normal price)
Pre-purchase recommended (pre-purchase available up to 6pm on 23 February 2011)
Tel: 01 4170000
Email: info@nch.ie

8.30pm – 930pm Irish Composers' Collective monthly concert (pre-concert talk at 8pm)

Elizabeth Hilliard (soprano) and Kate Ellis (cello)

• Alyson Barber - Boithre Bana
• Johanne Heraty - The Fall
• Gráinne Mulvey – The Gift of Freedom
• Natasa Paterson - Come slowly, Eden
• Dylan Rynhart - No I won't forget the score
• Matthew Whiteside - 4-11-11

Tickets €10 / €5 (conc.)
Tel: 01 4170000
Email: info@cmc.ie
www.nch.ie