The Listening Crowd Schedule

10.30 Registration

11:00 - Welcome and Official Conference Opening

11:10 - Keynote

Kevin Volans (composer) - "If you need an audience, we DON'T need YOU!" 

11.30 - 12.30 - Session 1: Why listen?

Exploring why audiences need to listen and engage with music, and what motivates promoters when it comes to programming.

Chair - Evonne Ferguson, Director, Contemporary Music Centre

Lunch

13:15 - 14:30 - Session 2: Who's listening?

How well do we know our audience and what can we do to find out more about who's listening? A session presenting a number of case studies from new music presenters with an overview of recent research on audiences

  • Heather Maitland (Arts Consultant) - Who's listening - and who's not?
  • Adrian Mantu (cellist, founder of ConTempo Quartet) - New Music / New Audiences, Young Music / Young Audiences
  • Neva Elliott (Crash Ensemble) - Niches running amok
  • Jane O'Leary (composer and director of Concorde ensemble) - "Who Cares if you Listen?"
  • David Pay (Music on Main, Canada) - Creating our own weather: Exposure & Intrinsic Impact

Chair - Heather Maitland

Panel presented in association with Creative Europe 

14:30 - 15:30 - Session 3: How are we listening?

With the increased role of the Internet and digital technologies in our lives, is this affecting how we listen and engage with audiences? The panel will discuss this and other themes relating to the ever-changing digital landscape and what it means for both creators and consumers of new music.

  • Bernard Clarke (RTÉ lyric fm broadcaster and sound artist) - The Listener: magical being or unnerving spectre?
  • Peter Moran (composer, concert curator - Association of Irish Composers) - Is the concert hall the best place to hear new music?
  • Jennifer Walshe (composer) - Bots, AI, Emojis & Memes: Composition After the Internet

Chair - Karlin Lillington, Irish Times Technology Journalist

Coffee

15:45 - 16:45 - Session 4: What helps us listen?

How can we make best use of networks to develop and grow audiences for new music? Is there a role for international and national networks to help foster and advocate for better infrastructure for audiences and promoters? The final panel will explore these and other points related to helping audiences listen.

Panel discussion to include Susanna Eastburn (Sound and Music, UK and IAMIC President), Marcus Gammell (Chair, Ars Acoustica), Ed Harsh (President and CEO, New Music USA), Kenneth Kileen (Improvised Music Company)

16:45 - 17:00 - Closing remarks
 

17:00-18:00 - Live Music Trail

Curated by Jane O'Leary on NUI Galway Campus featuring works by Ed Bennett, Deirdre McKay, Dave Flynn and Jane O’Leary.