The Contemporary Music Centre in Dublin will launch the tenth volume of its Contemporary Music from Ireland series on 7 December at 6.00 p.m.

The Contemporary Music from Ireland series aims to give a snapshot of what is taking place in Irish composition at the time of each release. Past volumes have featured music from a wide-range of Irish composers, including Donnacha Dennehy, Deirdre Gribbin, Ian Wilson and Stephen Gardner (to name only a few). Each release is distributed nationally and internationally to radio stations, concert promoters, performers, universities and so on, as a way of publicising Irish composition. Each release is available free of charge form the Contmporary Music Centre itself.

Volume Ten features music composed in the twenty-first century by Donal Sarsfield, Garrett Sholdice, Enda Bates, Amanda Feery, Adam Melvin, Brian Irvine, Neil O’Connor, Ed Bennett and Ailís Ní Ríain. The nature of the pieces varies hugely, from the solo bass clarinet of Feery’s Rattle, to Irvine’s orchestral Big Daddy Motorhead, to Sarsfield and Ní Ríain’s tape pieces, to a range of other chamber ensembles. The CD also features some very well established performers, including Maya Homburger and Barry Guy (who perform Sholdice’s Sonate), the Ulster Orchestra and bass clarinet player Paul Roe.

Roe will perform live at the launch, at which outdoor electroacoustic music will also feature.

Video interviews with the featured composers will be available on cmc.ie during December. A selection of tracks from the disc will also be available to listen to on cmc.ie following the official launch.

The CD release is supported by Culture Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Lottery Fund.

Photo of Paul Roe by Frances Marshall.