Brian Boydell Centenary Conference takes place from 23-24 June 2017

A conference celebrating the life and work of Brian Boydell will take place from 23-24 June 2017.  

Born in Dublin in 1917, Brian Boydell was one of Ireland’s major 20th century composers. As a musicologist, he published seminal research on music in 18th century Dublin. As a broadcaster, performer, adjudicator, public lecturer, an often outspoken agitator for music, singing teacher, Professor of Music at Trinity College Dublin, one of the founders of the Music Association of Ireland and long-time member of the Arts Council, his influence on music and music education in Ireland was significant. An honorary DMus of the National University of Ireland (1974) and Fellow of the Royal Irish Academy of Music (1990), he was elected to Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland, in 1984.
 
To mark his centenary, a celebratory conference will be held on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 June 2017 at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin, to re-evaluate his contributions to Irish musical, artistic and academic life, and their place within the wider contexts of musical, cultural and artistic developments in Ireland in the 20th century.
 
The conference address will be delivered by Prof Barra Boydell, followed by a video message from Dr Mary Robinson, current Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin. 
 
In addition to a number of conference paper sessions, a concert of Brian Boydell’s music by some of Ireland’s leading performers including ConTempo Quartet, Sylvia O’Brien, John Feeley, Bill Dowdall and Clíona Doris will take place on Friday 23 June in the Katherine Brennan Hall, RIAM at 8pm. Introduced by Dr Deborah Kelleher, the concert will include The Feather of Death, Three Yeats Songs, Three Pieces for Guitar, The Maiden and the Seven Devils, and String Quartet No.1. 
 
Two celebratory exhibitions will open to conference attendees including original paintings by Brian Boydell to complement the special lecture by Peter Murray, Director of Crawford Art Gallery Cork. The launch of two publications,  Brian Boydell's Confrontations in a Cathedral and Anne-Marie O'Farrell's The Lauding Ear, both for pedal harp, organ and percussion will also take place on Friday 23rd of June as part of the conference.  
 
A special screening of Anne Makower’s 1997 documentary All My Enthusiasms will close the event on Saturday evening.
 
Click to view the full conference programme:   brian_boydell_centenary_conference_programme.pdf
 
Further information, including registration details, is available here.