Five years ago, at the time of writing, HRSE gave its first ever performance to a rapturous audience in Belfast’s newly opened MAC. That concert featured the music of the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu and we are delighted to mark the anniversary of this concert by again presenting the Japanese master’s sumptuous Quatrain II.

We welcome the participation of our 2018/19 young artist, Cathryn Lynch, in this concert, again performing a work by Takemitsu along with our own percussionist Alex Petcu, and if you want to hear more of this brilliant young performer we would direct you toward her dedicated lunchtime recital with Alex on Thurs Dec 13th at QUB Harty Room.

Continuing the Japanese aesthetic we bring you in this concert virtuosic works by Moshizuki and Noda that are beautiful as well as astonishing explorations of the instruments involved. Greg Caffrey’s These are the clouds was written as a compliment to that first concert five years ago and appears again here along with one of our talented Peter Rosser Award finalists, Stephen Coyle’s gentle and quirky Taking [up][in][off][away]. Our Featured Composer Jane O’Leary opens our concert spectacularly with a work for the full ensemble, her beautifully evocative Sunshowers.