The RTÉ NSO Horizons series begins on 22 January 2013

Featuring composers Linda Buckley, Raymond Deane, Jonathan Nangle and Ann Cleare, the series will include four free lunchtime concerts performed by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra.

The first concert on 22 January is a showcase of the work of RTÉ Composer-in-Residence Linda Buckley, including the RTÉ-commissioned Surge and chiyo, both premiered earlier this year. Also on the programme is the Irish premiere of turn, a work inspired by thirteenth century Persian poet Rumi, and Fall Approaches for string orchestra and electronics. The composer's sister Irene Buckley also features, with a performance of her work Stórr.

On 29 January, the featured composer will be Jonathan Nangle, in a concert exploring the states of day and night. The concert includes the RTÉ commission Now is the night come quietly, an evocation for orchestra of diminishing daylight’s diminuendo into darkness, a new arrangement of his 2010 work Then falls thy Shadow, and the world premiere of Damaging my Calm. Also on the programme is Donal Sarsfield's Between wood and water, and  Nangle's installation Trip the Light Fantastic, which uses solar activity to generate sound.

The third concert on 5 February in the series is a look back at the work of Raymond Deane, who celebrates his 60th birthday in 2013. Opening with American composer Carl Ruggles' Portals, the orchestra will perform Deane's Epitomes and his 1999 RTÉ commission, Ripieno.

Ann Cleare is the fourth and final composer of the series on 12 February, in a programme that is built around 'the idea of light travelling through a space'. Cleare's own recent works phôsphors...(of ether) and to another of that other will both receive their world premieres, with the RTÉ NSO being joined by soloists from the Australian ELISION ensemble for the latter. Also on the programme is Xenakis' Dämmerschein (Rays of Twilight).

The concerts take place at the National Concert Hall at 1.05pm, and admission is free, though booking is advised. All of the concerts will be preceded by a talk at 12.30pm between the featured composer and CMC Director Evonne Ferguson, presented in association with CMC.