Ronan Guilfoyle is one of Ireland’s best known jazz musicians. He studied bass and improvisation with Dave Holland in Banff, Canada, and as a bass player he has performed extensively in Europe, Asia and the USA. He is director of the jazz department at Newpark Music Centre in Dublin and has taught extensively in many schools in Ireland and abroad and lectured on improvisation for the International Music Council of UNESCO. As a composer he has written music for theatre, television, film and numerous jazz ensembles as well as for orchestra and chamber groups. Awards include the Julius Hemphill Composition Award in 1997 for Devsirme.
Ronan Guilfoyle was elected to Aosdána, Ireland’s state-sponsored academy of creative artists, in 2003.
Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland
As a jazz musician I find the process of improvisation a fascinating one. The prospect of writing a piece that will be different every time it is performed is irresistible.