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MUSIC: Iarla Ó Lionáird with Cormac McCarthy & Matthew Berrill
Saturday 18th February, 2023 - 20:00
€22 – €25
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Iarla Ó Lionáird has carved a long and unique career in music both internationally and in Ireland. From his iconic early recording of the vision song Aisling Gheal as a young boy to his groundbreaking recordings with Dublin’s Crash Ensemble and New York’s Alarm Will Sound, he has shown a breadth of artistic ambition that sets him apart in the Irish Music fraternity.
A twice Grammy-nominated artist, Ó Lionáird has worked with a stellar cast of composers internationally including Donnacha Dennehy, Dan Trueman, Kate Moore, Nico Muhly, Linda Buckley, Gavin Bryars and David Lang and he has performed and recorded with such luminaries as Peter Gabriel, Nick Cave, Robert Plant and Sinead O’Connor. His unique singing style has carried him to stages and concert halls all over the world, from New York’s Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House and beyond. He has performed as soloist with concert and symphony orchestras including the Ulster Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Centre, USA, The Irish National Symphony Orchestra and the RTE Concert Orchestra.Also an accomplished broadcaster, O’ Lionaird’s recent Radio Series “Vocal Chords” on the mysteries of the human voice, for Ireland’s National Classical Music Broadcaster, RTE Lyric FM, won both Gold and Silver Awards at the “New York Radio Festival” 2016/2018
His own voice has graced the silver screen also, with film credits extending from The Gangs of New York to Hotel Rwanda and most recently as featured singer in the film Brooklyn starring Saoirse Ronan. He is the vocalist with the critically acclaimed Irish /American band The Gloaming.
“Magnificently expressive” – The New York Times
“One of the most dramatic voices in contemporary music” – The Guardian
“O’Lionaird’s real triumph is his voice: as soft as a feather bed and as searingly sharp as a blade when the mood calls” – The Irish Times
“His voice will astound you. It soars – and it’s as profound, simple and beautiful as wild horses… Genius is the operative word here.” – Time Out New York
“One of the most dramatic voices in contemporary music” – The Guardian
“O’Lionaird’s real triumph is his voice: as soft as a feather bed and as searingly sharp as a blade when the mood calls” – The Irish Times
“His voice will astound you. It soars – and it’s as profound, simple and beautiful as wild horses… Genius is the operative word here.” – Time Out New York
Cormac McCarthy is a pianist, composer, arranger and conductor from Cork, Ireland. Noted for a diverse stylistic palette, and equally at home in a variety of genres, his music is said to “defy categorisation” (Lyric FM). In 2010, having completed his Masters degree in composition at the MTU Cork School of Music, Cormac received the prestigious Bill Whelan International Music Bursary, an award earmarked for young Irish composers studying abroad. He spent a number of years living in Chicago, where he completed a Masters in Jazz Studies at DePaul University.
Matthew Berrill is a sought after musician and is a member of many ensembles in the jazz, improvised and traditional Irish worlds, including Ensemble Ériu and the Irish Memory Orchestra. He teaches in numerous music education projects throughout Galway County, was conductor of the University of Galway Concert Orchestra and is a founder, teacher and ensemble director in the ‘Headford Music Works’ teaching and performing scheme. In July ’22, Matthew graduated with distinction following a two year Masters in Jazz Performance and Composition at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, London which was made possible by a scholarship offered by the Academy.