Galway Music Residency and Galway County Council Biodiversity Office are delighted to co-present a special programme for World Wetlands Day. On Saturday February 1 at 5:30pm in the AV Room at Connemara National Park, the collaboration celebrates this important day through music and film.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on 2 February, to raise awareness about wetlands. Connemara holds some of the most important wetland sites in the country. These peatlands are essential for maintaining biodiversity, providing habitats for a wide array of plant and animal species, including many rare and endangered birds like the curlew, merlin and golden plover.
Beyond their ecological value, Connemara’s bogs play a crucial role in water regulation, acting as natural sponges that absorb rainfall and help prevent flooding. They are significant carbon sinks, storing vast amounts of carbon and thus contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability and more.
This special World Wetlands Day event features a performance by ConTempo Quartet, Galway’s Ensemble-in-Residence, who will explore the flora and fauna of these important ecosystems through string quartet repertoire. Works will include Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 50 no. 6 - ‘The Frog Quartet’, Irish Composer Judith Ring’s Of Wood and Water and traditional tunes The Topped Hen / The Peat Dance. The event will also feature the World Premiere screening of Wildlife on Roundstone Bog, a beautiful new short film by BirdWatch Ireland, highlighting the importance of the wetlands of Connemara boglands for our native biodiversity and the unique wildlife found there. This short film was produced through support from the Local Biodiversity Action Fund from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and features well known wildlife experts John Lusby and Dermot Breen.
Everyone should have the right to listen to, learn about and love music. This simple belief is the driving force behind everything that Galway Music Residency (GMR ) aims to achieve. It exists to serve the people of Galway city and county, providing opportunities for all to experience music in new and unexpected ways, to learn from inspiring musicians and spark joy in their lives. Following a competitive international audition process, the ConTempo Quartet was chosen as GMR’s Ensemble in Residence in 2003.
This unique long-term residency has allowed GMR to develop long-lasting relationships with individuals, communities, artists and organisations, creating meaningful connections throughout Galway. Over the past 21 years, GMR has developed a remarkable and ever-evolving suite of education and performance programmes to serve diverse audiences and under-served communities in Galway, presenting some of the best music ever composed in new and unexpected ways.At the core of GMR’s work has been the goal of softening the barrier that traditionally separates the audience, the general public, from classical music and musicians. We present music in interactive ways, in unexpected venues, giving people of all walks of life meaningful experiences of music and encouraging the next generation of music lovers.
Formed in 1995 in Bucharest, ConTempo Quartet is recognised as one of the most exciting and vibrant chamber ensembles performing today. The quartet was chosen as Galway Music Residency’s Ensemble in Residence in 2003 and continues to captivate audiences throughout the city and county with its repertoire of classical, contemporary, folk and traditional music.
Following a competitive international audition process, ConTempo Quartet was chosen as GMR’s Ensemble in Residence. This young and vibrant quartet, comprised of two married couples, had formed in Bucharest Romania while studying performance, and already had an impressive career of performances, recordings and awards under its belt. Despite an extremely high standard of applications, this quartet had, as well as its unparalleled musical talent, a spark that made the selection panel believe they were going to bring something truly special to the people of Galway.
This event is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, the Heritage Council and Galway County Council. The event is part of Galway Music Residency’s ConTempo Countywide series, which takes place in local venues throughout Galway County. For further information, visit www.galwaymusicresidency.ie
