Ireland

The Contemporary Music Centre is Ireland's national archive and resource centre for new music, supporting the work of composers throughout the Republic and Northern Ireland. The Centre is used, nationally and internationally, by performers, composers, promoters and members of the public interested in finding out more about music in Ireland. Its library and sound archive, open to the public free of charge, contain the only comprehensive collection in existence of music by Irish composers. The Contemporary Music Centre runs a number of development and education projects to promote interest in Irish composition at home and abroad. These include a series of promotional CDs under the title Contemporary Music from Ireland, regular talks and seminars, and a programme of music 'salons' - short informal performances of new music with an emphasis on discussion between composers, performers and audience. In June 2006, the Centre ran a project of specially commissioned outdoor sound installations in Temple Bar, CMC's neighbourhood.

The Centre's web site, www.cmc.ie, contains detailed information on Irish composers and their works alongside regularly updated news and features on new Irish music. The Centre also runs a series of monthly audio podcasts featuring in-depth composer interviews and items on new music in Ireland.