Kildare Jazz Festival
We are thrilled to announce that the inaugural Kildare Jazz Festival will take place in Riverbank Arts Centre this November. Curated by Kasia Eliasz and supported by the Festival Investment Scheme Funding from The Arts Council and Riverbank Arts Centre, the Kildare Jazz Festival is set to become a highlight in Kildare’s music calendar.
The festival will run over three days beginning on Friday 10th November and will feature musicians from all over the world, including Peruvian guitarist Rodrigo Almonte and three-time Grammy Award winning Brazilian percussionist Rogerio Boccato. On Friday 10th music fans will be treated to Brazilian guitarist Gustavo de Morais who will be followed by award-winning vocalist Lauren Kinsella at 9:15pm. Saturday will see Irish interdisciplinary composer Bianca Gannon take to the stage at 5pm. RBG Trio, a collective of Ireland’s leading jazz musicians, will perform at 7pm. Music fans are in for a real treat at 9:15pm when Rodrigo Almonte and Rogerio Boccato come together with fellow musicians Lorenzo Vitolo on piano, Rafael Abdala on double bass, Roberto Pistolesi on drums, and Daniel Juárez on tenor saxophone. On Sunday 12th Jazz & Bossa Nova Duo LR Project will hold an intimate gig in the foyer at Riverbank Arts Centre where patrons will be treated to complimentary beverage of their choice. Tickets are limited for this performance so make sure to book in advance! Irish/Dutch songwriter Patrick Stefan will then close the festival with Moroccan artist Aziz Ozouss at 3:30pm.
Workshops will be hosted in Newbridge Town Hall over the course of the festival. On Saturday Ta Tum Tum! bring their exciting samba workshop for children and their adults to Newbridge Town Hall. Then on Sunday Alessandra Azevedo from Salvador offers an Introduction to Afro-Brazilian Dance for adults – expect sixty mins of Samba-Reggae, Ijexá and other exciting rhythms from the north of Brazil!
Event organiser Kasia Eliasz states: “Launching the Kildare Jazz Festival is a dream come true for us. Jazz has always been close to our hearts, with its unique ability to bring people together through music. Riverbank Arts Centre was a clear choice for our jazz festival because of its ideal setting and commitment to the arts, providing the perfect stage for our musical celebration.
Looking ahead, we see the Kildare Jazz Festival as an annual tradition that continues to grow. Our vision is for it to become a platform for emerging artists, a wellspring of inspiration for future generations of music enthusiasts, and a symbol of unity within our community.
Our ultimate aim is for the Kildare Jazz Festival to be synonymous with outstanding jazz music, eagerly anticipated by both locals and visitors, and a cultural cornerstone of Kildare. We’re thrilled to start this adventure with fellow jazz enthusiasts, making unforgettable memories along the way.”
Caroline Williams, Venue Director at Riverbank Arts Centre adds “We are thrilled to host this first iteration of the Kildare Jazz Festival and welcoming so many virtuosic, exciting musicians to our stage. Kasia Eliasz has curated a dynamic and exciting programme – whether you come to a single event or the full weekend, you are in for a musical treat and a great atmosphere.”
Kildare Jazz Festival takes place at Riverbank Arts Centre on Friday 10th-Sunday 12th November. Tickets are priced €10 per event, €15 for a day ticket or €40 for full weekend ticket (workshops not included) and can be booked through the Box Office, either in person or by telephone on 045 448327 Monday to Friday 9.30am-5pm (closed for lunch 2-2.30) and Saturday 10am-1pm. Tickets can also be booked 24/7 HERE – Online tickets subject to €1 booking fee per ticket.
Photo by Martin Connelly
More information about festival organiser Kasia Eliasz
Photo by Martin Connelly
Kasia Eliasz is a singer, composer and band leader of 9-Piece Jazz Band. With a strong passion for creativity and diversity, Kasia has created a space for children and adults alike to celebrate the power of music through her work as the Artistic Director of Ta Tum Tum!, allowing her to create a space for children and adults to explore the power of samba music in a fun and engaging way.
She is also an Artistic Director of Little Dream, a multi-sensory theatre performance with live music and sound bath, created for children, exploring the subject of dreams and nightmares. In this dreamy voyage the children play with the moon, have superpowers and dance with the tooth fairies. The show is inspired by children’s real dreams.
Kasia is a founder and curator of Jazz in County Kildare, a series of jazz concerts performed by the finest musicians in Ireland, supported by Kildare County Council and funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media’s Local Live Performance Programming Scheme.
Jazz in County Kildare has been funded by the Arts Council and Riverbank Arts Centre and from 2023, it is a part of Riverbank Arts Centre Programme as Kildare Jazz Festival.
In 2023, Kasia was awarded funding from Kildare County Council to compose and record songs inspired by soundscapes found around St. Brigid’s Trial in Kildare Town, celebrating the legacy of St. Brigid. This work will be collaborated with Philippa Donnellan and will explore the subject of community, healing, rituals and the connection between the past and the present through music and movement. It will be presented at nursing homes around County Kildare.
Her other project, Earthing is a music project exploring the sounds of climate change. Translating deforestation, wind storms or water shortages into improvised original compositions. This project answers questions about the impacts of the climate crisis.
Kasia is also an Artistic Director of Get Together, a collaborative project that brings together people with Down Syndrome and four established artists in various art forms. The project is designed to explore improvisation in dance, drama, visual arts, and music. This project has been funded by Creative Ireland and is partnered with Down Syndrome Ireland.