7-25 September 2016: ‘Composing the island: a century of music in Ireland, 1916-2016’, National Concert Hall, Dublin 2

Between 7 and 25 September 2016, the National Concert Hall presented a major musical centennial project. Composing the Island will present 29 concerts of orchestral, choral, instrumental, song and chamber music by Irish composers written between 1916 and 2016.

How this music developed, and the times and circumstances in which it was written unfolded over 3 weeks of concerts which will include 6 major orchestral concerts performed by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Over the course of the festival, almost 200 works by some 90 different Irish composers weree performed and recorded for broadcast; with additional concerts of choral, chamber, song, mixed ensembles and instrumental music recitals, alongside a series of supporting talks, related events and an accompanying published book. Many of Ireland’s leading performers will took part. They include Crash Ensemble, Chamber Choir Ireland, Concorde, Vanbrugh Quartet, Fidelio Trio, Hugh Tinney, and Robin Tritschler and, given the vital role played by the army musicians during the early years of the state, a performance was given by the Band of the Defence Forces School of Music.

Learn more about Composing the Island, and explore the ITMA’s archival soundscape on ‘1916 and the Decade of Centenaries’.