In the months ahead, RIAM will offer audiences a myriad of opportunities to experience our vibrant pool of talent, with public performances, concert series and large-scale musical projects, both in our transformed campus in Dublin's Westland Row, and in venues across the city and further afield. The Academy is flourishing, producing a wealth of artists in many musical disciplines, some of whom are on the threshold of professional careers. We also count amongst our teachers many of Ireland's most distinguished performers, and among amongst our alumni, internationally celebrated artists.
The Academy is proud to present the Irish début of two exciting young British conductors forging impressive careers on the in ternational music scene, Kerem Hasen and Matthew Lynch in January and February. These inspirational artists will work with the RIAM Philharmonia, which brings together some of the island's finest musicians, joined by a growing body of international students making RIAM their musical home. Audiences can look forward to music by leading women composers Valerie Coleman and Errollyn Wallen, alongside much-loved symphonies by Brahms and Beethoven in these concerts generously sponsored by The John Pollard Foundation.
In recent years, RIAM has carved a very special niche in Ireland’s opera world. Working in collaboration with strategic partners, including The Lir, the Abbey Theatre and IADT Dún Laoghaire, its wide-ranging operatic repertoire has included a world première, first Irish performances of operas by living composers, all in addition to a huge array of chamber operas and operatic favourites. These productions have provided a hugely valuable training ground for countless numbers of young singers, who now represent the Academy on the world stage. Our valuable annual collaboration with IADT Dún Laoghaire will provide opera lovers with another chance to preview the next generation of operatic stars, when our organisations present Pauline Viardot’s comic opera Cendrillon (Cinderella) and Dominick Argento’s surrealistic chamber opera, Postcard from Morocco. Both operas are directed by Hélène Montague and will be staged at the Project Arts Centre from March 4th to 9th.
Chamber music aplenty is on the bill of fare this April and May as one of RIAM’s flagship events, ChamberFest Dublin (April 22nd to May 5th ), returns bringing a feast of music audiences from a number of RIAM spaces. In today’s constantly evolving music world, collaboration and inventive exploration are vital skills for the next generation of musicians, and in the programming of this ambitious festival, students have played a key role in forming their own chamber groups, researching and choosing repertoire.
Audiences will also have abundant opportunities to experience the Academy’s gifted emerging artists over a number of concert series and competitions. A three-concert series of lunchtime concerts highlighting music by women and ethnically diverse composers and featuring RIAM’s third level student body takes place in February (21st and 28th) and March (8th). Collaborations with the Office of Public Works and the Derravaragh Music Association will see musicians on the RIAM’s Young Artist Programme perform at two of Ireland’s finest historic houses, Farmleigh House and Tullynally Castle. Opera Snapshots invites audiences to click with some of the best-known gems from the world of opera performed by RIAM’s finest emerging singers on April 22nd and 26th. There are also a number of special events curated by RIAM’s Student Union on January 26th and March 1st, and concerts at both the RDS and Whyte Recital Hall featuring over 300 musicians from the RIAM’s Junior School take place in March and May. On the competition front, RIAM students are afforded the valuable opportunity to compete for a number of substantial bursaries and performing opportunities before audiences in February (Maura Dowdall Competition and John Pollard Award for String Players) and April (Lucien and Maura Teissier Scholarship for Pianists). In addition, a week-long piano competition – PianoFest – open to the public takes place from February 12th to 16th at RIAM.
A series of masterclasses will offer opportunities to learn from top-notch musical experts including one of Ireland’s finest musical ambassadors, Ann Murray, all free and for RIAM performers and observers alike. We particularly look forward to welcoming new audiences to our premises on Westland Row for a series of music appreciation classes, Hitchhikers Guide to Classical Music (February 2nd to March 9th) with our dynamic Director, Deborah Kelleher
We continue to extend our reach beyond our Westland Row premises with significant performance partnerships with vibrant festivals including the Dublin International Film Festival and New Music Dublin, and collaborative performances with leading music institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. We very much look forward to special initiatives including a celebration of this year’s Europe Day on May 9th in partnership with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland, the European Commission Representation in Ireland and the Embassy of Belgium which currently holds the rotating Presidency of the EU Council. We are also proud to welcome important Irish music organisations such as the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Dublin International Piano Competition for performances in the magnificent Whyte Recital Hall at the RIAM.
ENDS
For further information on these and other RIAM events:
Web: www.riam.ie | Tel: 01 632 5300 | Twitter: @RIAMDublin | @riamdublin
Issued
Thursday, January 11th, 2024