Ahead of this year's event, organiser, and founder Eamonn Quinn celebrates a decade of The Louth Contemporary Music Festival, by revisiting some of his own personal highlights from the renowned Louth Contemporary Music Society's annual celebration of the most influential figures in modern classical music.
It's hard to believe it has been 10 years since we launched our first festival. The fact that people have really taken the festival in as a part of their yearly tradition means so much.
The 2014 festival began with the renowned Alvin Lucier and her partner Wendy Stokes arriving at Clarke Station, Dundalk for his memorable performance of his iconic work I am sitting in a room in Dundalk Gaol.
Sadly, Alvin has since passed away but I still retain some lovely memories of him and his music
(Pic: Éamonn Quinn)
The events of the festival passed in such a blur that it's difficult to remember all the highlights, and I also have to distinguish between audience favourites and my own.
But the following performance over the past 10 years stand out for me:
-Hiromi Kikuchi's performance of György Kurtág's Hipartita was both delicate and intense. A true master, Hiromi demonstrated the sheer power of a solo violin performance.
-The video work SEE HEAR was conceived by artist Mareike Yin-Yee Lee as a complement to Marc Sabat’s music composition Gioseffo Zarlino, performed by the Harmonic Orchestra.
This video beautifully complements this poignant piece of music.
-The performance of IN C by Irish traditional musicians remains one of my festival favourites. The musicians were wonderful to work with, and Terry Riley, the composer, has been a great mentor to LCMS over the years.
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-The Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow led by Anatoly Grindenko, singing in Church Slavonic, gave a breathtaking performance. I felt extremely fortunate to be part of the audience for such a unique singing experience.
-The performance of Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet, another iconic work, showcased the generosity of spirit in its composer Gavin Bryars. Gavin not only agreed to include young primary school children in the performance but also wrote parts for them and rehearsed with them for several days. The performance was so moving that it reduced audience members to tears.
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-Caroline Shaw's performance at the Spirit Store was a true display of star quality. Her easy-going manner endeared her to the audience, which eagerly provided a drone while she performed one of her songs. I feel so grateful she agreed to perform in Dundalk.
We are now getting ready to host the 10th festival this June. Entitled Lovely Music, a keynote performance this year will be the rendition of works from composer Robert Ashley by the specialist Varispeed Collective. Ashley is a true innovator; his works are rarely performed in Europe, making this a unique opportunity for audiences.
We took the name of the festival from the combative, and slightly ironic title of Mimi Johnson's record label that she founded in 1978. One of her clients was her husband, Robert Ashley.
I think this year will have something for everyone. We wanted to push the boundaries of what people think of when they hear the term "lovely music". The pieces will of course be "lovely", but they won’t be Tchaikovsky. They will be unexpected, vital and I hope, something entirely unique.
The Louth Contemporary Music Festival runs from June 14th-15th 2024 - find out more here.
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