Benjamin Dwyer launches Constellations: The Life and Music of John Buckley
The Royal Academy of Music, Dublin hosted the launch of the eagerly awaited Constellations: The Life and Music of John Buckley by the composer Benjamin Dwyer on Monday 9th of May. An acknowledgement of the esteem in which their composer peers and the broader music community on the island hold John Buckley and Benjamin Dwyer was the large crowd of well-wishers who assembled for the launch. This colourful book launch included a live performance of numerous works by Buckley and RIAM Director Deborah Kelleher, who hosted the evening, was warm in her praise of Benjamin Dwyer, current staff member at the Academy and John Buckley, alumni. The evening was a unique and special celebration of the life and works of one of Ireland's most established and renowned composers and of Dwyer's commitment to documenting that for the benefit of future generations.
'The launch was a great success...as Deborah Kelleher (Director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music) said; it took her ten minutes to walk through the crowds! The performances were great too - William Dowdall (flute), John Feeley (guitar), Cormac Ó hAodáin (horn) and Kathrine Barnecutt (viola) all gave brilliant performances, and the interview between Evonne Ferguson (Director of CMC) and John Buckley brought a real sense of occasion to the evening…I couldn’t have asked for more!’
Benjamin Dwyer.
There was warm praise of the book from writer Mary Costello,
"...A great insight into John Buckley, and his origins, and the Irish scene in those decades- I knew nothing of this. It's beautifully written, clean and concise- so readable, even for non-musicos like me. And poetry plays such a big part, it makes it so accessible. A great lay-out too: the analyses at the end of the chapters work so well... and I love that the footnotes are on the page as I'm reading. Congrats, a great achievement.'
Constellations: The Life and Music of John Buckley is available from Carysfort Press: