Focus
What’s Next for Irish Music?
What does the recent trajectory of the arts in Ireland – from Arts Council funding increases to the Basic Income pilot – mean for musicians? How can we further strengthen music across Ireland? And what do these developments mean for the tradition of the Irish harp? This is an edited version of the Harp Ireland/Cruit Éireann Annual Lecture, given by Toner Quinn on 17 November 2024 at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. 
A New Voice, Thoughtful and Still
Ergodos has just released 'Sea Salt and Turpentine', the debut album from composer Caterina Schembri featuring the Ficino Ensemble and Michelle O'Rourke. Brendan Finan reviews.
A Solution in Search of a Problem
Singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill performed with the National Symphony Orchestra on 16 November as part of the Tradition Now festival at the NCH. James Camien McGuiggan reviews. 
In Bravo Company: Yeats, Shakespeare and the Unexpected
New Dublin Voices performed six newly commissioned settings of Yeats poems at the Pepper Canister Church on 9 November as well as works by Matthew Harris and Jaakko Mäntyjärvi. Brendan Finan reviews. 
The Absence of Meaning is a Choice
Jennifer Walshe's new album, 'URSONATE%24', is an AI-generated setting of a Dadaist sound poem. Brendan Finan reviews.
What Will the 2024 Election Mean for Music and the Arts?
Despite funding increases, pressing questions remain about the state of arts funding and support, writes Toner Quinn. 
The Entanglement – AI, Platform Musicking and the Future of Music
Given the vast amount of user data that streaming platforms have now amassed, combined with advancing AI technology, it is only a matter of time until they offer the ability to generate music, writes Jennifer Walshe. But what does this mean for the future of the art form?
Friendly But Demanding
A new release from composer Andrew Hamilton and Crash Ensemble asks the question: can music be kind? Adrian Smith reviews. 
A Glimpse into Irish Music in the 1980s and 90s
In 2011, a treasure trove of music and arts photos from the 1980s and 90s was rescued from a skip outside the offices of the Sunday Tribune newspaper in Dublin. Among the thousands of images were those documenting Ireland’s classical, jazz, pop, rock, theatre, dance and opera scenes. In this selection of 24 photos, we offer a glimpse into the musical life of Ireland during those decades. 
Philip Glass at the Edge of Tradition
Pianist Máire Carroll has recently released a recording of the complete études of Philip Glass on Delphian Records, and gave a complementary concert at the National Concert Hall in September. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.