‘Transforming Carolan’ Sandra Joyce, (IWAMD, UL) The life and music of the Irish harper/composer Turlough Carolan (1670-1738) have been imagined and re-imagined in many different cultural contexts from the eighteenth century. These imaginings frequently occur through engagement with sources of Carolan's music, as the primary means by which this music has survived. Carolan is often regarded as a transitional figure between the worlds of classical and traditional music, between patrons of different classes
and religions, between the orality of the old Irish harping tradition and literate sources which preserve this tradition.
This lecture highlights the vibrancy and changing performance contexts of Carolan's music as it was transformed in different musical and cultural settings in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, reflecting social issues, commodification, audiences, politics and class.
Dr Sandra Joyce is currently Acting Associate Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick. She is also Course Director of the MA Irish Traditional Music Performance, having designed this programme, and the BA Irish Music and Dance, with Niall Keegan and Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. Her research interests
include Irish traditional song, the Irish harp, and historical sources of Irish traditional music. She performs regularly as a singer and bodhrán player.
Presented by the Department of Music, the Irish Traditional Music Archive and the Irish Traditional Music Society, UCC.
Since the group Tarab was formed in 2007 it has created an exciting new musical dialogue between Ireland and the Mediterranean. Led by percussionist and keyboard player Francesco Turrisi, a Turin native with a musical background in baroque harpsichord, jazz piano and the Moorish dance forms of Southern Italy, the group brings a fresh perspective to Irish Traditional Music. In Tarab, Turrisi is joined by saxophonist Nick Roth and cellist Kate Ellis. Their combined jazz and classical backgrounds find a counterbalance in traditional flautist Emer Mayock who, along with percussionist Robbie Harris, brings an innate understanding of the melodies, rhythms and forms of Irish traditional music to the ensemble. In 2010, Tarab presented Quatrain, an ambitious project that saw the group create and perform new music with a series of international artists, including the masterful Greek singer Savina Yannatou.
Muffled Instruments, Singing Interviews: The Dissonant Voices of Athenian Instrumentalists Ethnomusicologist Ioannis Tsioulakis joined UCC as Lecturer in Music in January 2012. A specialist in Greek popular music and jazz, Dr Tsioulakis completed his doctoral thesis, entitled Working or Playing? Power, Aesthetics and Cosmopolitanism among Professional Musicians in Athens, at Queen’s University Belfast in 2011. His research into professional music-making in Athens considers the impact of globality on local music scenes and networks.
The British pianist Andrew Zolinski has established a reputation as one of the most imaginative and exciting pianists of his generation. A versatile musician, his outstanding repertoire ranges from early Baroque to the most avant-garde music. Andrew has performed at most of the major venues in the UK and has been featured on many broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, German Radio, Czech Radio and BBC Radio Ulster. Recent performances have included a concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the New London Orchestra. In the field of contemporary music Andrew is much in demand and has worked with Composers’ Ensemble, Capricorn, Eos and Icebreaker. He has also worked with many leading composers and has a particularly strong association with the composer David Lang. In this concert, Andrew will perform works by John Cage and related composers. Admission Free
Glossing Music Theory: How to Make Transparent the Web of Quotations, Authorities and Allusions in Medieval Texts Musicologist Karen Desmond recently took up a three-year lectureship at the Department of Music. A medievalist, Dr Desmond specializes in the analysis and digitization of texts from the Ars nova. She received her doctorate from New York University and has published in the Journal of Plainsong and Medieval Music and the Journal of Musicology, among others. Admission Free
Síle O’Brien - fiddle
Claire O’Brien - voice
Theresa O’Halloran - voice
Darren Rea electric - guitar
In memory of their colleague, Donal ‘Doc’ Gleeson, the Dublin Postal Clerks Branch of the Communication Workers Union has established a fund to enable the University to provide a number of Instrumental Tuition Awards. Four awards are made each year to outstanding students in the Department of Music to help defray the cost of their instrumental or vocal tuition. We are delighted to present a performance by this year’s recipients. Admission Free
Daily Musical Life among the Bunun Aboriginals, Eastern Taiwan Jonathan Stock was recently appointed Professor of Music at UCC. An ethnomusicologist specializing in music from China and Taiwan, Professor Stock has held the posts of Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Sheffield and Associate Dean (Research) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He has written five books and more than forty articles in peer-reviewed journals, is currently editor of the journal the world of music, and has previously served as chair of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology and board member of the International Council for Traditional Music. He was chair of the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council’s panel for Music and the Performing Arts, of the Beyond Text special programme commissioning panel, and of the 2010 postgraduate awards competition.
The UCC Choir is joined by Cara O’ Sullivan to perform extracts from Mozart’s operas Don Giovanni and Idomeneo, ‘Denn wir haben hie keine’ from Brahms Requiem and a selection from Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation. Cara O’Sullivan is one of Ireland’s leading sopranos. An instinctive performer with a remarkably full voice, she has presented her impressive concert repertoire at Palau de la Música Catalana, Royal Albert Hall, Ely Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) and Warsaw Philharmonic Hall. Cara’s operatic engagements have taken her all over the world. She has performed with Glyndebourne on Tour, The Royal Opera House, Garsington Opera, Opéra de Nantes, Opéra de Paris and English National Opera. She recently performed at Conservatoire du Nice and Sydney Opera House. The UCC choir is conducted by Dr Eva McMullan and accompanied by Dr Rhoda Dullea. Admission Free
A rare opportunity for audiences to hear some of the finest exponents of the jazz piano trio, as Kevin Brady (drums) and Dave Redmond (bass) continue their critically-acclaimed collaboration with the innovative American pianist, Bill Carrothers. Kevin Brady is a founder member of Organics and a member of the piano trio led by UK pianist Phil Ware. He has performed with many leading international jazz musicians, including Ronnie Cuber, Ian Shaw, Tim Ries and Guy Barker. On the home front has worked with Van Morrison and Louis Stewart. Dave Redmond is one of the leading bass players in Ireland. In addition to regular appearances at festivals and clubs throughout the world, he has performed with numerous visiting artists, including Bob Dorough, Keith Copeland, Dave Leibman and Jim Mullen. Bill Carrothers is an exceptional jazz pianist who has performed and recorded with many jazz luminaries, including Gary Peacock, Billy Higgins and Curtis Fuller. He has performed at venues throughout the US and Europe and completed a sell-out residency at the prestigious jazz club, The Village Vanguard. Admission free
Flautist Carla Rees and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet are joined by Irish composer Ian Wilson in a workshop that features performance and discussion of Wilson’s newly-composed Khalwat for quartertone flute and string quartet. ‘Khalwat’, Wilson explains, ‘is an Arabic term with a couple of meanings, but the one that interests me is the idea of a “state wherein all memories have been emptied except the remembrance of the Lord...”. What I liked in that phrase was the idea of trying to get to a state where I could forget all the music I’d written before so that I could approach this unusual combination with fresh ears’. Admission Free
Subscribe To Events
