Curated by Robert Harris and running from April 3rd through to the 6th, New Music Dublin has yet again set the benchmark for exhilarating programming with a range of events that dazzles and intrigues at every turn. From a packed programme, here are six picks for readers of Totally Dublin to enjoy over the course of the festival.
Ann Cleare – Nocturne
The Festival kicks off with the premiere of composer Ann Cleare’s Nocturne – a new site-specific evening-length work created in collaboration with theatre-maker Shanna May Breen and multimedia artist Maura McDonnell at Dunsink Observatory in Finglas. Part music, part theatre and part collective wandering/wondering, NOCTURNE is a dynamic 90-minute work that unfolds across the indoor and outdoor spaces of the historic Dunsink Observatory.
From ancient maps to optical instruments to modern spectroscopy, audiences will experience how the night sky has been observed throughout history, exploring what has guided and puzzled philosophical and scientific imaginations across time.
Dunsink Observatory, 2nd April 2025, 7pm
c
Berginald Rash – Bombast!
Clarinetist Berginald Rash curates Bombast!, a showcase of works by Black composers – many of whom form the US-based composer collective Blacknificent 7 – and Latiné composers. This event brings together some of today’s most celebrated musicians from around the world, including violinist Chelsea Sharpe of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, and versatile viola player Clifton Harrison, formerly of the Kreutzer Quartet.
They collaborate with some of Ireland’s finest musicians, including Rash; brilliant horn-player Hannah Miller of the Irish Chamber Orchestra; Bangers & Crash percussionist Paddy Nolan; internationally lauded cellist-composer Ailbhe McDonagh of the Ficino Ensemble; harpist Fiona Gryson; and the National Symphony Orchestra‘s principal bassoon, Greg Crowley. In addition to bombastic aural experiences, Bombast! features visual art by New York-born visual media artist Ishmael Claxton, whose poignant and pertinent work is exhibited all over the world.
NCH, 3rd April 2025, 1.30 PM
Caimin Gilmore – BlackGate
Another Thursday highlight is the Dublin premiere of Caimin Gilmore‘s BlackGate, which was written for double bass, cello, harp and Yamaha DX-7 keyboard. BlackGate is a cross-genre piece that reflects Gilmore’s work as a bassist and arranger across multiple styles, from contemporary music to pop, classical and folk. Gilmore is a staple of all that is great about contemporary Irish music so this is eagerly awaited.
The Studio at NCH, 3rd April 2025, 6.00 PM
BAN BAM – Joanna Mattrey | Christine Tobin
BAN BAM is an initiative from event organisers New Music Dublin and promoters Improvised Music Company that highlights the work of women and non-binary composers in jazz and improvised music living in Ireland. This month’s BAN BAM will feature two new theatrically symphonic pieces. The first is Joanna Mattrey’s Battle Ready II, which concentrates on themes of conflict and loss of home and identity to give a voice to the voiceless. The second is Christine Tobin’s Pseudologia Fantastica, which examines how disinformation and misrepresentation persist through our modern network of connectivity and technology, and how today’s falsehoods will influence tomorrow’s truths.
The Depot at The Complex, Smithfield, 3rd April 2025, 9.30pm
x
In the Dark at The Cooler
A really interesting event occurs in The Cooler, Smithfield Friday as In the Dark brings together pairs of improvising musicians from across New Music Dublin’s programme for an exploration of intuition, listening and spontaneity. The twist? Neither musicians nor audience have any idea who is performing. Unknown, unplanned and unseen—this is an encounter in pure improvised sound, entirely improvised by the artists.
In the Dark begins in blackout, with two musicians who have never met before reaching out through their instruments, conversing without seeing, creating music together in the absence of all other senses. The lights gradually rise, and they come face to face with their new improvising partner. Does the musical conversation change?
The Cooler, Smithfield, 4th April 2025, 11.00pm
c
Thurston Moore – Guitar Explorations of Cloud Formations
An undoubted highlight will be the appearance of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore in the NCH on Saturday for his Guitar Explorations of Cloud Formations, a one-off debut. This suite encompasses nine works in which Moore employs 12-string electric and six-string electric guitars, playing alongside guitarists Alex Ward and Jennifer Chochinov with percussion by Jeremy Doulton.
Guitar Explorations of Cloud Formations is inspired by Moore’s fascination with sky-scapes across the island of Ireland and off the coast of England and Wales. Moore acknowledges ‘that island life offers a constant shared consciousness, whether from a foggy morning with low visibility or in darkening moments preparing our villages for a menacing storm—we live and breathe in the shared “castles and clubhouses of the air.”
NCH, Saturday April 5th, 7pm
New Music Dublin takes place from Wednesday April 2nd to Sunday April 6th. For complete listings and ticket info visit newmusicdublin.ie
Feature Image: Ann Cleare by Mark Duggan
