New Music New Voices: CMC and the NCC explore new Irish choral music at Waterford New Music Week

On the 19^th of April, the Contemporary Music Centre in partnership with the National Chamber Choir and Waterford Institute of Technology will present an afternoon discussion of new Irish choral music in Waterford’s City Hall, as part of Waterford New Music Week, (16^th to the 20^th of April) and the NCC’s national tour 2012 An Irish Colloquy.

This tour features a number of works by contemporary Irish composers, including the world premiere of a commissioned work by Piers Hellawell called Isabella’s Banquet. Alongside Hellawell’s piece, there are works by Enda Bates (left)  (Pauper’s Lament/A Stealing Sadness) and Frank Corcoran’s Caoineadh, both of which draw heavily on Irish traditional songs and texts and which featured in the National Chamber Choir’s earlier Elegies tour. David Fennessy’s chOirland also references traditional songs, but in a less reverent way, bringing a splash of nonsense and humour to the concert.

The ‘New Music – New Voices: Exploring New Choral Music’ event takes the shape of a talk with the composers and performers about the night’s programme and about new choral music in Ireland, and is curated by CMC director Evonne Ferguson with NCCI Artistic Director Paul Hillier.

Admission is free, but booking is required through the Garter Lane Box Office at 051 855 038.