THE GALWAY Music Centre, a collaborative project to enhance music education and performance facilities and services, and to develop "coordinated and community-based supports" for music, was launched this week.
The centre, which is located in St Mary's College, St Mary's Road, was launched by Galway West Fine Gael TD Hildegarde Naughton, at the Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Lane.
The GMC is putting itself forward as a "voice for the future development of Galway’s music ecosystem" and its current projects are an advocacy programme for enhanced facilities in Galway "for the rehearsal and performance of unamplifed music"; a venture with Galway Dance Project to develop outline technical specifcations for combined facilities for music and dance; and the Colorstrings Access Project to introduce music to primary school children.
The GMC currently has 15 member organisations, drawn from music schools, orchestral groups, performance organisations, residencies, and choral groups. The GMC is also supported by the Galway city and county councils, NUI Galway, the GMIT, the Galway Education Centre, and the Galway/Roscommon Education and Training Board. The centre's chair of the board of directors is Mary Dooley.
