The Galway Music Residency has announced a five-year partnership with NUI Galway, with the university becoming its education partner. The partnership will give Galway Music Residency an important role in the provision of expertise in the field of music to staff and students at the university, through collaboration on academic programmes and performances.
Launching the partnership at the O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance on Sunday, president of NUI Galway, Dr Jim Browne, emphasised the history of the relationship between the two organisations spanning well over a decade. “As we formalise and cement our partnership, we look forward to a host of performance and education programmes that will continue on campus as both organisations look toward the new BA in music, which will commence at NUI Galway in September 2018,” Dr Browne said.
The president also launched GMR’s September–December season. Featuring favourite series such as Lunchtimes with ConTempo, 3 Saturdays: 3 Kinds of Music, ConTempo Countywide, and Contempo/Raneous, a series of cross-genre partnerships, the programme promises to delight Galway audiences of all ages and locations in the autumn and winter months.
Other highlights will include the world premiere of composer Amanda Feery’s new piece for string quartet and uilleann pipes, co-commissioned by Galway City Council, 17 November 17 at 8.30pm in the Black Gate Cultural Centre. This event will be the second in GMR’s new series entitled Music & Musings, which is dedicated to contemporary Irish compositions and features both performance and conversations with composers and artists.
Just in time for Halloween, ConTempo quartet will perform a live score at a screening of Nosferatu, the 1922 silent film depicting the story of Dracula. This unique event, taking place in the Huston School of Film amd Digital Media at NUI Galway on October 26 at 7.30pm, is sure to give you that spooky feeling.
“The score for Nosferatu was composed by French specialist Baudime Jam in 2002 for the Prima Vista Quartet who have performed it in many times internationally. It has since become part of the repertoire of other string quartets including the Debussy Quartet. For more see cineconcertvista.online.fr
Education will continue to play a significant part in the Galway Music Residency’s activities, with ConTempo Quartet working with apprentice ensembles, primary and secondary schools students, and students from NUI Galway and GMIT in the coming months.
Chair Michael Cuddy also highlighted the Galway Music Residency’s partnership with Sym-Phonic Waves, a new youth orchestral project for the west of Ireland conceived under the Galway2020 Capital of Culture bid. The launch, supported by Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, Thomas Woodberrys, and Masterchefs, closed with a presentation of eight portraits of the members of ConTempo Quartet by artist Brian Bourke. The artist has sketched the quartet over a number of years and marked the launch by gifting eight of the final pieces to the quartet.
For further information on GMR’s programme of events, visit www.thegalwaymusicresidency.ie
