Crash Ensemble's Free State: Kevin Volans concert 9th April

dublin | arts and media | event notice Monday March 30, 2009 17:00 by Crash Ensemble

Tickets available from www.projectarts.ie

Renowned composer Kevin Volans celebrates his 60th birthday with Crash Ensemble as part of their annual FREE STATE concert series in the Project Arts Centre at 8pm, 9th April 2009.

Crash Ensemble's FREE STATE concert image

The concert will feature a world premiere of Volans' new work, along with pieces by Jennifer Walshe, Jonathan Nangle and Simon O'Connor who has also composed a new work especially for the occassion.

There will be celebratory a wine reception hosted by the Contemporary Music Centre in the Project Arts Centre after the concert.

“When it comes to music, Crash abandons ‘safety first’, and its reputation at the cutting edge of contemporary composition is veritably bulletproof”
Sunday Business Post

Committed to showcasing new Irish Music, Crash Ensemble is featuring a concert of work by the internationally renowned composer Kevin Volans in this year’s Free State concert.

Having ended their incredibly busy 2008 with a concert focusing on new Irish music, Crash opens 2009 with another! This time they are celebrating new Irish music through Volans, who celebrates his 60th birthday this year, will curate an evening of cutting-edge music featuring young Irish composers alongside his own works. The centrepiece of the concert will be the world premiere of a new Volans’ composition – an important event in new music.

As well as performing with the ensemble, Kevin has chosen three unique voices from Irelands young composing talent to represent what he feels is new and exciting about new music in Ireland today. These works are by Jennifer Walshe, Simon O’Connor and Jonathan Nangle.

Crash has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Volans over the past few years, since 2002, premiering works such as 1000 Bars and Joining up the Dots, written especially for Crash Ensemble. For this very special concert and in addition to composing the new work, Kevin will not only perform Nine Beginnings with the ensemble.

The 2009 FREE STATE concert is Crash Ensemble’s fourth annual showcase of new music from Ireland. This concert is always an adventure of the unexpected and has previously premiered new works by Gerald Barry, Julie Feeney among other unique voices of the new generation of Irish composers

As with all Crash Ensemble’s FREE STATE concerts (the last of which was November 2008)works by young Irish composers is paramount. The composers featured this year (all Volans’ choices) are Jennifer Walshe, who will be over from New York (after her successful Grupat exhibition in the Project Arts Centre); Jonathan Nangle with a work for cello and viola and Simon O’Connor who will be writing a new work especially for the occasion.