Ireland: May 2006 Report
Irish MIC Celebrates 20th Anniversary
The Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2006.
A special programme of events is underway, to highlight the various areas of the Centre's work and draw attention to its growth over the last two decades.
CMC has been pioneering the use of podcasting recently and a short audio podcast on its web site outlines the history of the Centre, speaking to some of those who use its resources and hearing from the staff who work there.
Anniversary events that have taken place since the beginning of the year include a workshop for conductors on new Irish choral music, given by composer Rhona Clarke in January. CMC's Salon series continues, giving opportunities for composers and performers to present new works in an informal atmosphere where the audience can participate in discussions. Irish jazz performer and composer Ronan Guilfoyle gave the first Salon of the year in March, and this was followed in April by a music marathon in which composition and performance students of four Irish universities came together for the first time to present their new works.
A seminar on 'The Programming of New Music' resulted in a very interesting debate about issues involved in successful (and unsuccessful!) concerts of new music. Excerpts from the session are available as a podcast.
As 2006 is the centenary of the birth of the famous Irish writer, Samuel Beckett, the Centre participated in the Beckett Centenary Festival with a seminar on 'Beckett and Music'. International experts Prof Linda Ben-Zwi (Israel) and Dr Catherine Laws (UK) were joined by Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy in a lively discussion attended by a number of eminent international Beckett scholars.
By an interesting co-incidence the Contemporary Music Centre's building in Dublin is located on the street where Handel's Messiah was first performed in 1742. The date of the first performance (13 April) is marked every year by a festive outdoor performance on the street by choir, orchestra and soloists. Given that a composer like Handel would undoubtedly have been one our best clients — if we had been around then, or if he was around now — this is always an important and enjoyable date for us.
This year marking our own anniversary, CMC hosted a talk on Handel's visit to Dublin in 1741-2 and a walking tour of the sites associated with him, with musicologist Dr Barra Boydell.
Other special events coming up shortly include an Open Day in June when we plan to fill the building with people and music. June will also see the launch of an innovative Sound Art project. Three electro-acoustic sound installations have been commissioned from Irish composers: two will be located on the streets near the Centre, where passers-by will walk into and out of an exciting soundscape as they go about their business. The third will be located in our own rear courtyard where it will create an exciting environment for our visitors and staff! A seminar on Sound Art will also be held during this period to bring together the many creative talents from visual arts, music and technology who are interested in this area of work but do not normally have much contact with one another.
The Contemporary Music Centre is Ireland's national archive and promotion centre for new music. Its expansion in staff, budget and activities has been significant over its twenty-year lifespan. Founded in 1986 as an initiative of the Irish Arts Council, it now occupies its own building, a restored 18th-century house in the historic 'Old City' area of Dublin's Temple Bar.
Its music library and sound archive, the only collection of its kind worldwide, represent a unique part of Ireland's cultural heritage. Clients all over the world avail of CMC's services via the web site, and a wide range of promotion and development activities ensure that new Irish new music reaches audiences both nationally and internationally. The Contemporary Music Centre is funded by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
