Sligo New Music Festival
16/04/2010 - 18/04/2010
The Model Arts Office - The Model
“Internationally renowned composer Gavin Bryars to come to Sligo to hear his work performed in The Model”
Gavin Bryar
The Sligo New Music Festival returns to The Model from 16th – 18th April 2010 with the early, groundbreaking music of Gavin Bryars, including his classic works The Sinking of the Titanic and Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet. Gavin Bryars will be in Sligo for the festival, and will conduct at least one discussion about his work over the weekend. Bryars’ long-term collaborators the Smith Quartet will be the guest ensemble for the festival, coming to Sligo from London for the event.
Leading Irish improvising duo Morla – saxophonist Seán Óg and guitarist Simon Jermyn – will provide another counterpoint to the programme. Performing alongside the Smiths for Bryars’ Jesus Blood, Morla and the Smiths will also perform a major new work for sextet composed by the duo.
The festival is also proud to present the world premiere of a new work for electric guitar and string quartet by leading Northern Irish composer Frank Lyons.
Opening on Friday 16th April to coincide with National Music Day (a new Music Network initiative) a complete programme of events will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Model (previously The Model Arts and Niland Gallery) has been closed for two years for an ambitious extension and redevelopment project, which has seen the creation of a new, purpose-built performance space, new studios and galleries and a new entrance for the impressive arts and cultural centre. It seems likely that the New Music Festival will provide visitors with their first opportunity to preview the impressive new building.
Championed for offering such a rich and diverse programme of contemporary music each year, the Sligo New Music Festival, produced by The Model and curated by Ian Wilson, has been one of the highlights of the Irish contemporary music calendar since its inception in 2002. An offsite, one-day format for the festival was experimented with during the closure in 2008, and 2010 sees the festival making a welcome return to The Model, and to its popular full weekend format.
“The day's performances, were a model of what the presentation of such challenging music needs to achieve - a sense of absolute identity with the composer's wishes.”
-The Irish Times
The Sligo New Music Festival provides audiences with access to some of the best contemporary music from around the world. Created as a composer-orientated event that focuses each year on the work of one, or two, key composers. Their work is programmed alongside new works from Irish composers and the festival seeks to premiere new works where possible. The SNMF then invites top-quality performing ensembles to Ireland who are best placed to present the work of the Festival’s featured composer(s), who then perform alongside leading Irish musicians thus fostering a musical exchange that lasts beyond the festival events themselves.
This couple of days of the Festival that I attended presented a challenging collection of music, all in excellent performances… I hope this excellent example (thanks to Festival director Ian Wilson) can be copied elsewhere. Andrew Toovey - Classical Source
Additional Information
SNMF Curator IAN WILSON was born in Belfast. His music has been performed and broadcast on six continents by artists such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Ulster Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic, the London Mozart Players, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Psappha, Lontano and CHROMA Ensembles, the Artis, Vogler and Endellion Quartets, Gerard McChrystal, and Hugh Tinney. Works have been performed at many festivals including the BBC Proms, Venice Biennale and the Ultima festival in Oslo, where ‘Running, Thinking, Finding’ received the composition prize in 1991.
THE MODEL is distinctive in Ireland as a multi-disciplinary arts organisation that is led by the contemporary visual arts, houses a major art collection of national importance, produces an innovative contemporary music programme, and hosts a film programme - all of which are mediated through an integrated Education programme. The Model is recognised internationally for its standards of excellence.
Already one of the country’s leading centres for contemporary culture, this redevelopment will see the building increase in size by over a third and allow the Model Niland to fully realise its potential as a flagship cultural centre in Ireland. The new extension will deliver high-level artists studios and incubation spaces for creative industries, a purpose built performance space and a new flagship entrance, while the redevelopment to the existing building will deliver a new gallery, a destination restaurant and additional education spaces. Together these works will combine to create a world-class cultural centre with an unparalleled visitor experience marking Sligo on the international cultural map. See http://www.modelart.ie/redevelopment.html for more information.
Sligo New Music Festival 2010 Programme (Draft)
16th-18th April 2010
SQ = Smith Quartet; MO = Morla; SJ = Simon Jermyn; SO = Seán Óg
Friday 16th, 8.30pm
Bryars: The Sinking of the Titanic (25’) SQ
Dennehy: Stamp! (6’) SQ
INTERVAL
Morla: improvised set MO
Saturday 17th, 1pm
Bryars: Between the National and the Bristol (19’) SQ
Bryars: After the Requiem (16’) SJ + SQ
Bryars: Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet (25’) SQ + MO
Saturday 17th, 8pm
Frank Lyons: New Work for e-guitar and string quartet (15’) SJ + SQ
Schnittke: String Quartet No. 3 (16’)
INTERVAL
Morla: New Work for Morla and string quartet (35-40’) MO + SQ
Sunday 18th, 12pm
Seán Óg: Sacred Chants (40’) SO
Programme is subject to change. Please see www.themodel.ie for up to date information
Further Information
Visit http://www.themodel.ie or
Contact Aoife Flynn on +353 71 914 1405 Email:aoifeflynn@modelart.ie
