CLARINETTIST PAUL ROE

AND

THE GALWAY ENSEMBLE IN RESIDENCE, CONTEMPO QUARTET

IN CONCERT

The Galway Music Residency is proud to bring guest resident Paul Roe, clarinet/bass clarinet back to Galway this February to perform with The Galway Ensemble in Residence, ConTempo Quartet.  The concert takes place on Friday, 17 February 2012 in St. Nicholas Collegiate Church at 8 pm.  An eclectic programme, featuring music for clarinet and strings, includes works by Joseph Franz Haydn, Bela Kovács, Alexander Krein and the Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115, which is widely regarded as Johannes Brahms’ supreme achievement in chamber music.

Paul Roe, who is always warmly welcomed by Galway audiences, has performed with many distinguished musicians and ensembles including, Crash Ensemble (Ireland), George Lewis (Trombone-USA), Harry Sparnaay (Bass Clarinet-Holland), Garth Knox (Viola-France), Lenneke Ruiten (Soprano-Holland) and Finghin Collins (Piano-Ireland). He has also been a member of Concorde Contemporary Music Ensemble since 1989.  He regularly performs as a soloist and with ensembles and orchestras throughout Ireland, Europe and America. In 2008 Paul received a Fulbright Scholars award to study Klezmer performance at Mannes College of Music, New York, where he worked with the internationally acclaimed clarinettist David Krakauer.

The Galway Music Residency was established in 2002 to develop a comprehensive music development programme for Galway, with a professional residency at its centre.  ConTempo Quartet are the current resident ensemble and have collaborated with other guest artists this season including, Dave Flynn (Composer-Ireland), Timo Kinnunen (Accordion-Finland) and Alec O’Leary (Guitar-Ireland). The Galway Music Residency is kindly supported by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, the National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway University Foundation, Bank of Ireland, Galway City and County Councils and Friends of the Galway Music Residency.

Tickets @ the door – Adults €10/€7; children up to age 16 admitted free. For information, contact:  info@thegalwaymusicresidency.ie or 091 586706

END

06 February 2012

For further press information or photography, please contact Delia Breathnach at The Galway Music Residency at info@thegalwaymusicresidency.ie or 091 586706.

# # #

Calling all Brass Players

To Participate in

The Galway Music Residency Autumn School

with

Gary Curtin

Principal Euphonium with

The Black Dyke Band

The Galway Music Residency, in collaboration with St. Patrick’s Brass Band, is hosting a series of workshops with Gary Curtin from Wednesday the 2nd of November to Friday the 4th.  Brass players of all standards are very welcome and encouraged to take advantage of this wonderful and rare opportunity.  Gary, highly regarded for his Band Masterclasses, will tutor both Senior and Junior Musicians and will bring his expertise to bear in the areas of breathing, teamwork and technique.  Simple music played brilliantly and with confidence.  Students from Galway, Cork and Drogheda have already signed up and there are still some places left in the workshop.  Advance registration is necessary in order to take part and applications can be made online by clicking here Autumn School Application.  The application deadline has been extended to Monday, October 31^st.

Gary Curtin, who hails from Cork, began playing the baritone at the age of 12 before moving on to the euphonium, whose sound he quickly fell in love with. Gary was the first euphonium player to study at degree level at the Cork School of Music and continued his musical education at masters level.  In 2005 Gary, wishing to pursue his playing at the highest standard possible for his instrument, moved to Manchester and spent a year at the RNCM under the tutelage of Steven Mead. During this time, he immersed himself in the brass band scene, playing with the Wingates Band and the Fairey (Geneva) Band before moving to the Principal Euphonium seat at Black Dyke Band.  In 2010 he was awarded the Geoff Whitam Memorial Award for ‘Best Euphonium’ at the British Open Championships.

The Galway Music Residency is proud to present this event as part of its Education Programme and is happy that it can offer it for free thanks to the generous support of The Arts Council, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway University Foundation, Bank of Ireland, The Galway City and County Councils and Friends of The Galway Music Residency.

October 21^st 2011

END

For further press information, photography or to arrange and interview, please contact Maureen Rabbitt at info@thegalwaymusicresidency.ie or 087 230 8860.

# # # #

Galway Music Residency (mini) National Tour takes sunshine on the road!

With our very Irish summer now well and truly over and Autumn leaves whipping at our heels, The Galway Music Residency have come up with a novel approach to combatting those winter blues. Together with young Kilkenny guitarist Alec O’ Leary, The Galway Ensemble in Residence, ConTempo are taking to the road to bring some Latin heat and a taste of the Mediterranean to audiences around the country! (see artist information below)

The third ever Galway Music Residency Tour takes place at the end of the month – kicking off at Rothe House in Kilkenny on Wednesday September 28^th, before travelling to St. Iberius Church in Wexford on Thursday 29^th and then returning to Galway for a final performance on Sunday October 2^nd in St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church in the city centre.

The programme for this tour features music from celebrated Spanish, Italian, Argentinian and Brazilian composers ensuring that weather beaten Irish audiences will be re-energised, soothed and positively hot by the end of the performance! With music from Baroque, Romantic, Classical, Twentieth Century and Contemporary composers, these concerts are sure to have something to suit all tastes with favourites such as the award winning Stanley Myers, Cavatina and Boccherini’s Fandango Quintet providing extra special treats for audience members on the night.

This is the first time The Galway Music Residency have taken a guest artist on tour with them and both Alec O’ Leary and ConTempo Quartet are looking forward to getting on the road together. So enthused are they that they are giving a pre-concert talk at Rothe House in advance of the first concert on the 28^th and are also visiting some local schools along the way as they make their way from venue to venue.

The Galway Music Residency delivers a year round performance, education and community based programme of events which includes visits by the Galway Ensemble in Residence – ConTempo Quartet to local primary, secondary and music schools and universities, mini-residencies for guest artists from Ireland, Europe and other parts of the world, as well as monthly free concerts in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway on the first Tuesday of every month. Each year, a more extensive tour in Ireland takes place, bringing ConTempo’s repertoire beyond the city. The Galway Music Residency Tour 2011 is supported by The Arts Council, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway University Foundation, Bank of Ireland, Galway City and County Councils and Friends of The Galway Music Residency.

ENDS

September 9^th 2011

For further press information, photography or to arrange an interview, please call Siobhán @ Spotlight Communications on 0878527760.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

The Galway Ensemble in Residence: ConTempo Quartet, a vibrant string quartet from Romania, became Galway’s first Ensemble-in-Residence in 2003. As the resident ensemble, they have brought the joy of music to audiences in Galway City and County through their hundreds of performances, educational activities and collaborative projects.

ConTempo was formed in 1995 when the members were students at the Music University in Bucharest, Romania. Recognised as one of the world's top string quartets, ConTempo has won a record of 14 international prizes and has performed more than 1,000 concerts all over the world, including Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Berliner Philamoniker, Theatre Chatelet in Paris, Opera House in Tel Aviv, Gedai Hall in Tokyo, National Concert Hall in Dublin and Pallazzo Quirinale in Rome.

Widely regarded as one of the foremost guitarists of his generation, Alec O’Leary studied guitar with Irish virtuoso John Feeley at the Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama. He had personal tuition from some of the world's most distinguished musicians, including Manuel Barreuco, Scott Tennant, Sergio Assad, Roberto Aussel and Roland Dyens.

Alec is founder and director of Europe's most prestigious guitar festival, the Guitar Festival of Ireland and a qualified and experienced music teacher actively engaged in music education. He plays regularly both as a soloist and in ensemble.

# # #

From Italy and Ireland – The Indaco Quartet

Perform Lunchtime Concert

The Galway Music Residency is delighted to present guest artists The Indaco String Quartet from Italy at its next Lunchtime Concert on Tuesday, June 7^th at 1:10 p.m. in the Town Hall Theatre. The quartet will perform Dvôrák’s beautiful String Quartet No. 13 in G major Op. 10 and give a brief synopsis of the music before the performance.

Formed in 2007, The Indaco String Quartet are 4 young musicians who came together with the common aim of using the string quartet to communicate to their audiences the maximum level of expressivity and emotion. The interesting mix of cultural backgrounds (Italian, Japanese, Irish and Moldavian) gives a broad spectrum of colour to the music they create. Currently based in Italy, Indaco also has a strong link to Galway in its cellist, Naomi Berrill who is originally from Headford. Naomi is the daughter of local music teachers Peter and Mairead and is currently living in Florence, Italy.

The Indaco Quartet perform concerts in Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and Latvia in noted venues such as the Uffizi Galleries in Florence and important Festivals such as Aosta Classica in northern Italy and Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto. In February 2010, they were resident String Quartet at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Co. Monaghan. The Swedish newspaper Ttela once said “. . .being able to experience and enjoy the music performed by a string quartet in a small room is truly a privilege. . .with a quartet of such high level and excellence as the Italian Indaco Quartet. . .completely mesmerizing fireworks from the four strings. . .”

All Lunchtime Concert Series performances are free thanks to the support of The Arts Council, NUIG, Galway University Foundation, Bank of Ireland, Galway City and County Councils and Friends of The Galway Music Residency. The Galway Ensemble in Residence, ConTempo Quartet will return to the Lunchtime Concert Series on July 5^th with another wonderful Mozart string quartet.

Contact: Delia Breathnach – 091 586706

END – 24 May 2011

* * * * *

From South America to Latvia – Finnish Accordionist and Con Tempo

To bring Galway audience on a whirlwind musical tour!

The Galway Music Residency are proud to present accordionist Timo Kinnunen from Finland as their first guest resident to begin the 2011/12 programme. For the first time ever, Kinnunen will visit The West of Ireland and will present a short performance and workshop at Lisheenkyle National School, Athenry before joining The Galway Ensemble in Residence, ConTempo Quartet in concert. This extraordinary blending of accordion and string music takes place in St. Nicholas Collegiate Church, Galway on Friday May 13th at 8:00 pm.

Having won the World Championship for accordion at the age of only sixteen, Timo Kinnunen decided to begin his professional international career. He works continuously as an accordion soloist and as a chamber musician worldwide with over 50 concerts a year, performing contemporary, classical, and improvised music. Kinnunen’s artist image and his virtuosity on the accordion have inspired composers to create very interesting works for this instrument, including, Vinko Globokar, John Cage, Alvin Curran and Jukka Tiensuu.

This concert will feature Kinnunen performing Anna Veismane: Why me?Georg Muffat, Passacaglia and Olivier Messiaen, Les Anges. ConTempo will perform Joseph Haydn, String Quartet Op. 76 No. 1 plus a special quintet with Kinnunen – Why me? – written for the five musicians by Latvian composer Anna Veismane. The programme will end with the South American sounds of Astor Piazzolla, Five Tango Sensations.

Tickets are available at the door on the night of the concert. Adults: €10/€7 and children up to age 16 will be admitted free.

The Galway Music Residency’s Guest Resident Programme is made possible by the support of The Arts Council, NUIG, Galway University Foundation, Bank of Ireland, Galway City and County Councils and Friends of The Galway Music Residency.

May 4^th 2011

ENDS

For further press information, photography or to arrange an interview, please contact Delia Breathnach at info@thegalwaymusicresidency.ie or 091 586706.

___________________________________________________

The Galway Music Residency

SAX it UP!

Big News all round with The Galway Music Residency today as they unveil their new season programme for 2011/12. One of the most exciting pieces of news for the residency this year is the announcement of their new apprentice ensemble – The Chatham Saxophone Quartet who will be taking up the post in mid April and availing of one to one tutoring with the globally renowned Con Tempo quartet who are the current ensemble in residence in Galway. The Chatham will be a fun and interesting addition to the residency and will be given a number of performance opportunities in Galway as part of their apprenticeship throughout the year.

Among the other highlights of this new programme are the guest residencies. Four guest artists in total will visit Galway as part of the residency’s guest residency programme. In May, Finnish Accordionist Timo Kinnunen will visit and take part in a number of workshops before performing with The Galway Ensemble in Residence – Con Tempo Quartet. In September the resident quartet will take to the road on a tour with Irish Guitarist Alec O Leary and Irish Euphonium player of International renown, Gary Curtin will visit Galway in November where he will give group and one to one workshops with local bands and musical groups before performing with them in a concert in the city centre. The final guest residency of the new season will take place in February 2012 when the very popular clarinettist Paul Roe returns to Galway to work with local wind players in a series of workshops before giving a very special performance in Galway.

Still at the heart of this residency – the only one of its kind in Ireland – is the ensemble in Residence : Con Tempo Quartet who conduct the educational and outreach programme. This allows students from Galway and beyond to get up close and personal with real life professional world class musicians and learn from them and about their world. The educational programme features everything from classroom visits to schools around the county to a dedicated primary school programme which is hosted by the Galway Education Centre and a ground-breaking new leaving cert programme which sees second level students and teachers meet and work on the curriculum subjects with Con Tempo Quartet in a fun and inspirational manner.

For full details of this year’s programme simply check out www.thegalwaymusicresidency.ie

Or call 091-586706 for a copy of the brochure.

ENDS

APRIL 6^th 2011

For further press information, interviews or photography, please call Siobhán @ Spotlight Communications on 087-8527760.

* * * * *

The Galway Music Residency Guest Resident Programme:

The Galway Ensemble in Residence, Con Tempo Quartet

with Dave Flynn & Guests

The Galway Music Residency are proud to present composer and musician Dave Flynn as their third guest resident to end the 2010/11 programme. Dave has received international acclaim for his works which bring elements of traditional Irish music into a contemporary classical setting. Dave will visit Galway the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day (March 10-12 2011) and will host a number of workshops with local schoolchildren and musicians before presenting his new work “Stories from the Old World” in St. Nicholas’ Church in Galway on Saturday March 12^th at 8pm.

Dave will be joined by the internationally celebrated ConTempo Quartet, Galway’s Ensemble in Residence and two of Ireland's finest traditional musicians; Uilleann Piper Mick O'Brien , widely regarded as one of the finest pipers in the world and Kerry man Breanndán Begley, renowned for his beautiful sean nós singing and his wild and exciting accordion playing.

This unique concert will premiere the award winning composition String Quartet No.2 'The Cranning' to Irish audiences. It will appear on a programme alongside more traditional “sets” and two other recent compositions; String Quartet No.3 'The Keening' performed by The Galway Ensemble in Residence,ConTempo Quartet with narration by Breandán Ó Madagáin from his book Caointe Agus Seancheolta Eile. Stories from the Old World will be performed by The Galway Ensemble in Residence, ConTempo Quartet with Mick O’ Brien’s Uilleann Pipes playing a central role alongside Breanndán Begley who will be reading text sourced in the Blasket Islands Centre in Dunguin, Co. Kerry from stories told by the infamous Peig Sayers.

Dave Flynn is the final guest resident in the 2010/11 series for The Galway Music Residency. He is the first resident composer in the programme. Other guest artists this year included Irish Soprano Deirdre Moynihan, Israeli Percussionist Chen Zimbalista, Irish Guitarist Alec O’ Leary and Dutch Reed Quintet Calefax. Each guest resident comes to Galway and works with local students before performing in a solo or collaborative concert in the city or county. Following the success of this season, the residency is looking forward to announcing details of next year’s guest residency programme when they launch their brochure for 2011/12 in April.

The Galway Music Residency was established in 2002 to develop a comprehensive music development programme for Galway, with a professional residency at its centre. ConTempo String Quartet are the current resident ensemble. The Galway Music Residency is kindly supported by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, the National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway University Foundation, Bank of Ireland, Galway City and County Councils and Friends of the Galway Music Residency.

ENDS

February 21^st 2011

For further press information, photography or to arrange interviews, please call Siobhan @ Spotlight Communications on 0878527760.