Music for Galway’s Midwinter Festival ‘Prodigy’, Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd January 2017, was launched today at the Swiss Embassy in Ballsbridge, Dublin. This national launch is an important development for the Galway music scene as it brings this annual festival to a much wider audience. This year’s festival takes child prodigies as its inspiration and every work in the weekend programme will have been written before the composer reached the age of eighteen. The ConTempo and Esposito quartets will be joined by Ailish Tynan, Soprano and Christian Chamorel, piano in performing an amazing range of music from down through the ages including compositions from Schubert, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Mahler and others. The programme also includes the Irish début of the astounding 11 year old multi-instrumentalist Alma Deutscher.
Colorstrings Initiative
The Galway Music Centre and Galway City Council agree to co-fund an initiative to bring music tuition to primary school children. The access initiative will ensure that a Colorstrings programme is provided to young children in a number of primary schools.
Redevelopment of the Black Box Theatre and the Dyke Road Site
The announcement by the City Council that it is currently preparing a brief for the redevelopment of its Dyke Road site, including the replacement of Black Box Theatre, is very good news. The City Council expects to go to tender for expressions of interest in the near future. It is widely hoped that this development will address a number of deficits in arts infrastructure in the city including long awaited facilities for the rehearsal and performance of acoustic music.
Cultural Strategy for Galway
GMC welcomed the recent publication by Galway City Council of its ‘Everybody Matters’ A Cultural Sustainability Strategy Framework For Galway 2016 – 2025. Of particular note is recognition of the need for cultural infrastructure including a flexible cultural hub performance space, an acoustic music and performance space and the renovation & redevelopment of Leisureland. Also of note is the prominence given to a number Galway music organisations and to the ”very strong annual music programme with events from organisations such as Music for Galway, the Early Music Festival, Cois Cladaigh, the Galway Baroque Singers and the ConTempo Quartet”.
Publication of “Making Waves” Galway’s Application for European Capital of Culture 2020
The inclusion of ten specific music projects in Galway’s successful Bid Book for ECOC 2020 was welcomed by GMC. Details of the Galway 2020 budget and the organisational structures soon to be put in place, including the appointment of an Artistic Director were also well received. These music projects included a Wind Farm Orchestra & Gael-Force Symphony, electric music, festival of Cello, Sacred music, young musicians, nomadic music, national orchestras and choirs, traditional music and a new western symphonic youth orchestra.
Galway Music Centre congratulates the Galway 2020 team on their successful bid
The Galway Music Centre is delighted with today's announcement that Galway has been designated European Capital of Culture 2020. The Centre would like to congratulate the Galway 2020 team for their creative and captivating bid, and for the collaborative spirit within which the involved the people of Galway in the bidding process.
Music will play a significant part in the cultural programme for 2020, and the Galway Music Centre looks forward to contributing to the success of Galway 2020.
University Honours ConTempo Quartet
NUI Galway today awarded Honorary Doctorates to the members of the Galway Music Residency’s ConTempo Quartet. In her introduction, the University’s Bursar, Mary Dooley, reflected on childhoods in pre-revolutionary Romania, education at the same music high school and university in Bucharest, followed by prestigious fellowships in Spain, Canada and the UK before winning the international competition in 2003 to become Galway’s Ensemble in Residence which allowed ConTempo to come and live and work in Galway. A shared and abiding love of music, always encouraged by their parents, underlies ConTempo’s continuing success and wonderful performances. Their recent selection as RTE’s Quartet in Residence is a testament to their excellence. The Bursar also commended the foresight and commitment of Sally Coyle & Jane O’Leary, who founded the Galway Music Residency, and funders including The Arts Council, NUI Galway, TG4, Galway University Foundation, Bank of Ireland and Galway City & County Councils. Much more to come for music in Galway!
Performance Venue for Galway – Feasibility Study
The board of Galway Music Centre today agreed to establish a joint venture with Galway Dance Project and to work together for the provision of an appropriate performance venue in the city for music and dance.
Both organisations also agreed to contribute to the cost of the proposed feasibility study and to continue to work with Galway City Council on this important initiative.