Tradition Now, the festival presented by the National Concert Hall (NCH) and the Arts Council, running from the 1st to 6th October, has today announced the full line-up for the week-long celebration of traditional music. The festival celebrates the most innovative traditional music of today, taking a unique look at traditional music in a modern-day Ireland and also honours past greats.
The festival has added four new acts to the 2019 Tradition Now line-up: Liam O’Flynn award recipient and composer, harper and sound engineer Úna Monaghan; prolific composer Barry Kerr and inimitable composer/producer Steve Cooney; the unique and diverse trio Catherine Ennis, Paddy Glackin and Niall Martin; and finally the rare duet of Irish harp and Uilleann pipes with Laoise Kelly and Tiarnan O Duinnchinn. This talented line-up of Irish performers will join the previously announced performances by renowned artists Lisa O’Neill, Ye Vagabonds and Brighde Chaimbeul, and Sam Amidon, Niall Vallely, Karan Casey and Harriet Tubman.
Tickets to the additional Tradition Now shows are now on sale.
Speaking to the new shows added to the Tradition Now festival, Simon Taylor, CEO of the National Concert Hall, said: “We are really excited to add these new artists and shows to our Tradition Now Festival. This festival shows off the best in contemporary traditional music while honouring the great pioneers of this genre. This is just one new addition to the our latest programme of concerts and events for 2019/2020 which is our most ambitious to date, fulfilling our vision to develop and diversify our offerings across musical genres.”
Orlaith McBride, Director of the Arts Council, said: ‘The Arts Council is delighted to see so many excellent artists at different stages in their artistic journeys presenting their work on the national stage. The Arts Council is committed to improving the visibility and career success of traditional artists and to enabling the enjoyment of their incredible work by a wide audience. We really value our partnership with the National Concert Hall as an important way to present traditional musicians in an internationalised programme across all the stages of the National Concert Hall. As well as being highly creative, traditional musicians in Ireland are dedicated to the transmission of practice.’
Full details for the festival are:
Oct 1 – The Studio
UNA MONAGHAN
Composer, harper, sound engineer and Liam O’Flynn Award recipient, Úna Monaghan presents a concert of her compositions for harp and electronics, which fuse experimental and Irish traditional music with soundscape, electronics and improvisation. Úna released an album of her compositions for harp and electronics, named “For” in 2018.
Her work has combined traditional music with bronze sculpture, sound art and movement sensors. Úna has held artist residencies at the Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris, the Institute for the Public Life of Arts and Ideas Montréal, and the Future Music Lab at the Atlantic Music Festival, USA. Úna also works as a sound engineer specialising in traditional music, and experimental, live electronic and multichannel music. The resultant sound is a merging of melodies, field recordings and life stories. This concert marks the beginning of her residency at the NCH as part of the Liam O’Flynn award.
Úna wlll perform the first part of the work emerging from her Liam O’Flynn Award new works in November.
Oct 2 - The Studio
BARRY KERR & STEVE COONEY
An innovative exploration of Barry Kerr’s original compositions in collaboration with Steve Cooney. Kerr and Cooney will bring the audience on an evocative journey, conjuring emotion with story, song and music deeply rooted in the Irish tradition.
BARRY KERR
Originally from the southern shores of Lough Neagh in County Armagh but now living and working in Dublin, Barry Kerr is one of Ireland’s most accomplished artists. As a highly regarded flute player, uilleann piper, songwriter and painter he is extremely prolific in his creative output. His songs and compositions have been recorded internationally by renowned artists Karan Casey, Flook, Beoga, Brian Finnegan, Damian O’Kane & Kate Rusby, to name but a few. Barry is also a painter and has become an important figure in contemporary Irish art, exhibiting at home and abroad to high critical acclaim. His recent work has explored the concept of relating visual art with musical performance and composition, as seen in his latest exhibition/performance ‘Continuum’.
STEVE COONEY
Steve was born in Melbourne, Australia and in 1981 he bought a one-way ticket to Ireland where he joined Stockton’s Wing as bassist. Since then he has popped up all over the place, with a major contribution to Sharon Shannon’s first album, and performances and recordings with Dermot Byrne, Altan, Martin Hayes and others. He also composes his own material and is one of the most sought-after producer/arrangers in traditional music.
Oct 3 – Peppercanister Church
CATHERINE ENNIS / PADDY GLACKIN / NIALL MARTIN
The combination of fiddle, uilleann pipes and organ is an inexplicably beautiful sound. Round, warm, haunting and evocative, it mixes its genres effortlessly. Catherine Ennis is among the most revered of organists, has performed at the highest level internationally and has a rare and deep empathy with traditional music. Catherine is the daughter of Seamus Ennis one of Ireland’s most celebrated uilleann pipers and remarkable collector of song and lore. This year marks the centenary of the birth of Seamus Ennis. Paddy Glackin, the original fiddle player with The Bothy Band, was himself a friend of Seamus Ennis who died in 1982. Paddy has collaborated with figures as diverse as John Cage, Van Morrison and Kate Bush. A native of Dublin his family roots are in Donegal and Mayo and the music of county Donegal, in particular, has influenced his playing. Neil Martin, a native of Belfast, grew up playing traditional and classical music on uilleann pipes and cello, and has composed, arranged and toured extensively. Their unique and varied repertoire ranges from bespoke arrangements of iconic traditional airs and dance tunes - Táimse im' Chodladh, Mo Ghile Mear and The Gold Ring - through to organ settings of Vaughan Williams and to newly-composed pieces - Planxty Stackallan, The Queen of the Scals and The Boy in the Glen.
Oct 4 – The Studio
LAOISE KELLY & TIARNÁN Ó DUINNCHINN
Laoise Kelly & Tiarnan Ó Duinnchinn are a rare duet of Irish Harp and Uilleann Pipes. From Mayo and Monaghan respectively, they are leading, influential exponents of their instruments. Their acclaimed album ‘Ar Lorg na Laochra’ | ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ pays homage to the source of their repertoire, encompassing many of the various tune and song air types to be found in 17th-19th century manuscripts from different parts of Ireland.
Already announced
Oct 5- Main Audtitorium
LISA O’NEILL, YE VAGABONDS, BRÌGHDE CHAIMBEUL
Renowned artists Lisa O’Neill, Ye Vagabonds and Brìghde Chaimbeul present a special evening of folk music curated by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade and River Lea Records in one of two main stage events for the series.
Oct 6 - Main Audtitorium
SAM AMIDON EXTENDED ENSEMBLE & SOUNDS LIKE FREEDOM
The second main stage concert sees protest song, traditional music and jazz collide in a special performance featuring renowned artists such as Sam Amidon, Niall Vallely, Karan Casey and Harriet Tubman.
NCH programme for 2019/2020
The NCH’s new programme of music and events for 2019/2020, launched last month, is the latest milestone in the evolution of Ireland’s cultural institution for music. The Government has committed to major investment in the redevelopment of the NCH with work expected to commence on site in 2021/2022. The redevelopment will provide Ireland with a state-of-the-art building and space to inspire a new generation of musicians and music lovers and become Ireland’s must visit music venue.
The full NCH 2019/2020 programme can be viewed here.
Tradition Now takes place in partnership with the Arts Council.
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