National Chamber Choir
The National Chamber Choir of Ireland is widely regarded as Ireland’s most distinguished choral ensemble and is celebrated both nationally and internationally for its fresh and innovative sound. The choir’s repertoire extends from early to contemporary music, regularly commissioning new pioneering vocal work from Irish and international composers. Through collaboration with some of the world’s leading choral conductors together with its dedication to performing the finest vocal music old and new, the National Chamber Choir of Ireland has secured major support from organisations such as the Arts Council, RTÉ, the Department of Education, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and major in-kind support from Dublin City University, where the group has been Choir in Residence since 1996.
For the full biography and more information on the National Chamber Choir visit their website
James Wood
James Wood is known for his wide-ranging activities as composer, conductor, and formerly as viruoso percussionist, and for a close association with an exceptionally broad spectrum of music from the Middle Ages to the present day. In 1981 he founded the highly acclaimed New London Chamber Choir, of which he was principal conductor for over 25 years. He is in demand as guest conductor from many international ensembles, choirs and orchestras throughout Europe and has enjoyed close working relationships with many distinguished composers such as Iannis Xenakis, Mauricio Kagel, Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen and is the recipient of major awards including the 1993 Gemini Fellowship, the 1995/6 Arts Foundation Fellowship for electro-acoustic composition, and a Holst Foundation Award.
For the full biography and more information on conductor James Wood visit his website
Ian Wilson
Ian Wilson was born in Belfast in 1964 and obtained the first D.Phil in composition to be awarded by the University of Ulster. His music has been performed and broadcast on six continents by ensembles such as the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic, the London Mozart Players, the Irish Chamber Orchestra Vanbrugh Quartets and by soloists including Catherine Leonard and Hugh Tinney. His works have been performed at many festivals including the BBC Proms and the Venice Biennale. In 1992 Ian Wilson was awarded the Macaulay Fellowship administered by the Arts Council of Ireland, and in 1998 he was elected to Aosdána, Ireland’s State-sponsored body of creative artists.
For the full biography and more information on composer Ian Wilson visit his website
Iarla Ó Lionáird
Iarla O’Lionáird learned to sing in the Sean Nós tradition of the West Cork Gaeltacht. His work with Tony McMahon and Noel Hill, established O’Lionaird as a masterful and pioneering Sean Nós singer, however O’Lionáird has also explored other musical genres, and his recordings with the multi million selling Afro Celt Soundsystem were awarded two Grammy nominations. Since then, he has recorded and performed with musicians such as Peter Gabriel, Sinead O’Connor, Nick Cave and Robert Plant and last year appeared with the Dublin-based Crash Ensemble at New York’s Bang On a Can Festival, premiering a new vocal work Grá & Bás, which was composed for Iarla by Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy. His most recent recorded work Invisible Fields was voted “Best Folk Record” by the Irish Times in 2006.
For the full biography and more information on Iarla Ó Lionáird visit his website
