The Irish Composers’ Collective kick off the new year with a high-energy concert of new music featuring the acclaimed Chatham Saxophone Quartet and guest artist, Dutch ‘avant pop’ composer Jacob TV. Chatham Saxophone Quartet will perform six new works written by members of the Irish Composers’ Collective, as well as Jacob TV’s Grab It! and Heartbreakers followed by a Q&A with the composer.

Over the past eight months, members of the ICC have been writing new works for saxophone quartet under the mentorship of Jacob TV, and through collaborative workshops throughout 2019 with Chatham Saxophone Quartet. The result is an eclectic programme of new music featuring 8-bit game music, Japanese TV Adverts, political doublespeak, an angry street evangelist, sound bytes from the streets of New York and of course four saxophones: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone.

Described as the ‘Andy Warhol of new music’ Jacob TV’s so called boombox repertoire (works for live instruments with a grooving soundtrack based on speech melody) has found audiences all over the world. Jacob has enjoyed particular success in America where, in 2007, a three-day JacobTV festival took place at the Whitney Museum in New York City. His largest work, a never-ending reality opera THE NEWS is ongoing and constantly being updated. Various editions have been performed in Chicago, Rome, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and New York. According to the Wall Street Journal his work ‘makes many a hip-hop artist look sedate’.

Runaway winners of Music Network’s Young Musicwide Award in 2012, the superlative Chatham Saxophone Quartet (CSQ) has repeatedly won plaudits for its bravura performances and versatility. With an eclectic repertoire spanning contemporary, classical and jazz genres, this unique ensemble pushes the boundaries of what we know the saxophone quartet to be.

Since its foundation in 2008, the Chatham Saxophone Quartet (named after the street where the ensemble first formed) has appeared at the Boyle Arts Festival, Ten Days in Dublin festival, Galway Music Residency, the National Concert Hall, and additionally regularly feature in Dublin’s monthly Kaleidoscope Night. In 2012 the quartet performed throughout Ireland as part of their national tour. More recently the CSQ collaborated with the Irish Chamber Choir, playing a programme of spiritual
music featuring works by Arvo Pärt, Gesualdo and Kancheli.

The quartet’s members all actively compose and arrange new works for the group. In addition to performing contemporary pieces for saxophones and electronics, the CSQ have also worked closely with both the Vanbrugh Quartet and ConTempo String Quartet in transcribing string repertoire for wind instruments. In 2015, the CSQ launched their debut album “New Irish Music” (under Lyric FM label), featuring new works by Brian Byrne, Ian Wilson, Brian Irvine, Jonathan Nangle and Ken Edge.

The Irish Composers’ Collective is a non-profit collective of emerging Irish composers. ICC’s main aim is to further the professional development of composers by producing regular concerts of new music by its members.

Programme:
Jacob TV Heartbreakers
Aran O’Grady 8BIT 4TET
Lara Gallagher Auf Wiedersehen
Martin Devek Punto de Partida
Kevin Free Such Cleanliness is Saddening
Michael Riordan Saxophone Quartet
Alan Perrin A not untrue doublespeak answer
Jacob TV Grab It!

Funded by the Arts Council.