Sounds from a Safe Harbour Festival

A new arts festival called Sounds from a Safe Harbour begins this week in Cork. Billed as a festival of art, music and conversation, it is curated by the Bryce Dessner, best known as the guitarist of The National as well as a prominent composer (his recent work Music for Wood and Strings was performed by So Percussion at David Lang's What?...Wow Festival in Dublin earlier this year).

On the bill for the festival are a number of contemporary Irish acts, as well as international performers and artists. The festival's theme is that of waves and water, inspiring a number of special commissions and projects, such as Passages, a visual music installation from Irene Buckley, Linda Buckley and Ailbhe Ní Bhríain exploring the history of the warehouses on Custom House Quay.

Crash Ensemble perform a concert featuring the work of Icelandic composer Valgeir Sigurroson and arrangements of American folk songs by Sam Amidon. Cellist Kate Ellis will be joined by violinist Yuki Numata Resnick and violist Nadia Sirota to perform a new specially-created work by Donnacha Dennehy. Alex Petcu and the Bangers and Crash Percussion ensemble perform a programme titled WoodMetalWater, with music by Reich, Andriessen and Dennehy. The festival also features a number of collaborative events that brings together different performers from across the entire line-up, such as the Eat My Noise conceptual concert about Ireland's worst storm and the story of Aenaes and Juno.

Sounds From A Safe Harbour takes place 17–20 Sept in venues across Cork: they have a limited number of festival tickets available for €175. Tickets and full line-up can be found at soundsfromasafeharbour.com