National Symphony Orchestra

New Music Up a Notch

New Music Up a Notch

New Music Up a Notch

Ireland's largest contemporary music festival New Music Dublin took place at the National Concert Hall and nearby venues last weekend and featured twenty concerts and twenty-two world premieres. Adrian Smith reviews.

Published on 5 March 2020

Adrian Smith is Lecturer in Musicology at TU Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama.

When Concertina Meets Concerto

When Concertina Meets Concerto

When Concertina Meets Concerto

The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra marked St Patrick's Day with a performance of a new concerto for concertina by Niall Vallely, a set by the group Moxie, and Seán Ó Riada's 'Mise Éire'.

Published on 20 March 2019

Tim Diovanni is a music journalist from New York and a graduate student in musicology at the TU Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama.

New Music on the Margins

New Music on the Margins

New Music on the Margins

The 'Music of Our Time' concerts struggle to find an audience on mid-week afternoons. Adrian Smith examines how a lack of regard for new music and a lack of vision impact the series.

Published on 11 October 2018

Adrian Smith is Lecturer in Musicology at TU Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama.

Against Resignation: An Interview with Raymond Deane

Against Resignation: An Interview with Raymond Deane

Against Resignation: An Interview with Raymond Deane

Is there a lack of solidarity among composers? Will classical music ever become a part of Ireland's national consciousness? And have young Irish composers unwittingly subscribed to a code of musical prohibitions influenced by the US?

Published on 3 October 2018

Adrian Smith is Lecturer in Musicology at TU Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama.

The New Normal?

The New Normal?

The New Normal?

The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra has just announced its 2018/19 season. Adrian Smith looks at the range of music on offer – from contemporary and classical to traditional – and considers some of the overall trends in programming.

Published on 31 May 2018

Adrian Smith is Lecturer in Musicology at TU Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama.

Pacto de Olvido?

Pacto de Olvido?

Pacto de Olvido?

Benjamin Dwyer discusses the treatment of classical music in some recent books on Irish culture.

Published on 1 January 2004

Benjamin Dwyer is a guitarist and composer and the author of 'Different Voices: Irish Music and Music in Ireland'. He is Professor of Music at Middlesex University's Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries.

Changes in Music Education in Ireland: Part 1

Changes in Music Education in Ireland: Part 1

Changes in Music Education in Ireland: Part 1

Ita Beausang charts the changes in music education in Ireland in instrumental tuition, music in schools, and third level music education.

Published on 1 May 2002

Ita Beausang has recently retired from the School of Music and Drama in the Dublin Institute of Technology, where she held various teaching and administrative positions. Her research interests include music education in Ireland, Anglo-Irish music and music criticism.

Live Reviews: Horizons: John Buckley

Live Reviews: Horizons: John Buckley

Live Reviews: Horizons: John Buckley

Horizons – featuring the music of John Buckley, Henri Dutilleux and György Ligeti, National Concert Hall, Dublin, 29 January 2002, with the National Symphony Orchestra (Conductor: Colman Pearce) and soloist Peter Sweeney (organ)

Published on 1 March 2002

Conor Kostick is a writer and journalist. He is the author of Revolution in Ireland (1996) and, with Lorcan Collins, The Easter Rising (2000).