Stone Drawn Circles at HCMF
Lina Andonovska flutes
Nathan Sherman viola
Michelle O’Rourke voice
Alex Petcu percussion
Caimin Gilmore double bass
Úna Monaghan harp / sound design
Featuring six trailblazing artists with exploratory music at the heart of their practice, Stone Drawn Circles inhabits a new space in Irish contemporary music. The players believe in rich composer/performer dialogues and in the bending of traditional performance dynamics, which is evident in their debut season offering. Breathing life into three World Premieres and a specially arranged work, the ensemble explores new modes of communication – between themselves as a collective as well as their audiences.
Responding to the environments that they find themselves in, a form of sonic activism takes place through works by Cat Hope and Karen Power, while Stone Drawn Circles musician Úna Monaghan investigates collaborative dynamics and shifting paradigms and ‘brilliant musical scientist’ Nicole Lizée offers a slice of her unique compositional language. The programme navigates through various genres and forms of contemporary sound art, performed by some of Ireland’s leading contemporary players.
Breathwork
New opera by Ena Brennan with INO
Beware! The well is poisoned. The sea is infected. Everything has been consumed. Lamentation is too late. Guilt has no positive outcome. An opera about a dystopian world affected by some form of destructive force.
This intimate new opera by the multi-talented Éna Brennan (aka Dowry) — composer, arranger, violinist and graphic designer — is a statement of horror and protest in response to the destruction of our environment. Breathwork, with a text by Olivier award-winning director David Pountney, offers a foretaste of a larger operatic collaboration that will premiere at Austria’s Bregenz Festival next year.
Running time 15-20 minutes.
Six performances daily.
Sung in English.
New Music Dublin 2023
Midhe - Ann Cleare
Performed by solo voices, accordion, choir and orchestra, MIDHE invokes the Midlands of Ireland and – through the movement of sound and bodies throughout the entire concert hall space – reanimates a lost centre, offering fascinating new perspectives on what power and collectivity might mean.
Songs from the Soil
The Ark presents an exciting new music show by Lauren Kinsella. Join three outstanding singers in a concert of stunning songs that reveal the strange and beautiful world of fungi – one of nature's most invisible kingdoms. For children aged 8+.
Welcome to the fungiverse! Be drawn into a miniature musical world, where three amazing vocalists - Lauren, Liselotte and Michelle forage for songs and sounds on a journey through the natural world. In this highly original music performance, our singers celebrate mushrooms of all kinds with their beautiful harmonies, thrilling improvisation and rhythmic melodies
Animals
I’m currently working as voice coach and music dramaturg for Louise White’s upcoming show ANIMALS. This will preview in Everyman in September, and premiere at Dublin Theatre Festival.
Folk Songs
“O’Rourke’s contributions dazzle with unaffected clarity” - The Guardian
Michelle O’Rourke is the vocal soloist on a new album of songs with Ficino Ensemble, released on Ergodos in Summer 2022. Premiere recordings of works by Judd Greenstein, Kevin O’Connell, Kate Moore and Garrett Sholdice are featured alongside Luciano Berio’s characterful Folk Songs.
Listen on all main platforms or purchase from Ergodos on Bandcamp.