In its funding decisions under the new Strategic Funding category, the Arts Council has allocated €7.7m to music, opera and traditional arts organisations. This is a 5% increase on 2017 following an increase in the Arts Council budget last October.

Among the recipients in the music category are the Irish Chamber Orchestra (€937,000 – 3% increase), Music Network (€538,000 – 4% increase), Chamber Choir Ireland (€448,000 – 14% increase), Contemporary Music Centre (€323,000 – 4% increase), West Cork Music (€286,000 – 10% increase), Irish Baroque Orchestra (€236,000 – 14% increase), Crash Ensemble (€214,000 – 16% increase) and Improvised Music Company (€204,000 – 5% increase).

In the traditional arts category the Irish Traditional Music Archive received €671,000 (3% increase) and Na Píobairí Uilleann received €375,000 (4% increase).

Wexford Festival Opera received an extra €10,000 to bring its funding to €1.45m and the new Irish National Opera received €849,610. INO’s total funding from the Arts Council in 2018 will be €2.81m, the remainder coming from the Main-scale Opera Provision initiative which was announced in 2017.

Among the other recipients are Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy (€95,000), Louth Contemporary Music (€80,000) and Bray Jazz Festival (€31,000). The Journal of Music received repeat funding of €41,000 in the Music category.

The total allocated in each category is as follows: Music: €4,133,000; Opera: €2,299,610; and Traditional Arts: €1,270,210.

For full details see below or visit http://www.artscouncil.ie/Who_we_funded/