Child of Tree: A Celebration of John Cage

“I remember loving sound before I ever took a music lesson.

And so we make our lives by what we love.” – John Cage

QUIET MUSIC ENSEMBLE in association with TRISKEL ARTS CENTRE, supported by RTÉ lyric fm

Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin St., Cork City

Jan 28^th, from 6pm, walk in / out whenever you like!

Tickets FREE from Triskel Arts Centre Box Office

Outrageous, contrary, crazy, profound? The composer John Cage is perhaps best known as the creator of the notorious ‘silent’ piece 4’33”. Bringing chance, environmental sound, new performance methods and much more into the world of music, he questioned most of the deepest held beliefs about what music is… and can be. He scandalized audiences world-wide with astonishing ideas and extraordinary stage-acts. But Cage was no mere sensationalist, out only to shock: his philosophies, drawing upon spiritual practices from all over the world, are deeply considered and profound. He expressed them in many ways, including music, theatre, the visual arts and in written form. With an astonishing legacy of influences that extend far beyond music, he is one of the most important figures of Twentieth Century art. And yet… the deeply humane nature of his work is seldom recognised, not least because so little beyond the ‘enfant terrible’ pieces is well known.

2012 is the centenary of Cage’s birth, and Child of Tree is a celebration of the unjustly neglected music he created in the last 20 years of his life, 1972 to ’92. This is music of beauty and oftentimes deep serenity. Ranging from pieces made of a sparse, seemingly windswept freeze of notes to a delicious hotpot of environmental noise, from re-written Satie to exuberant circuses of sound, this is music of amazing variety and scintillating colours, deep meditation, humour and elation. It is a joy to be celebrating the work of this incredible artist!

Child of Tree will be recorded for broadcast on Nova, RTÉ lyric fm’s new music programme presented by Bernard Clarke, Sundays from 9pm. 

Other Cage related events taking place on Friday 27 January, in University College Cork:

On Friday afternoon Quiet Music Ensemble and Quiet Club perform a lunchtime concert starting at 1.10pm in The Glucksmans Gallery, UCC, followed by Branches; a seminar exploring the works of John Cage involving renowned collaborators & composers, including John David Fulleman, Alvin Lucier, Pauline Oliveros, Danny McCarthy, Mary Nunan, Jennifer Walsh, Evangelia Rigaki, Martin Iddon and John Godfrey. The seminar will take place between 3pm and 6pm in the Ó Riada Hall, Department of Music, Sunday’s Well Road.

Information on UCC’s website.

(Please note that although included in the information supplied on the UCC website for events taking place on Friday 27 January, the QME performance in Triskel Arts Centre will take place on Saturday 28 January)

CMC Salon Series featuring QME, Wed 30 Nov

This coming Wednesday, 30 Nov, the Quiet Music Ensemble will be guests of the Contemporary Music Centre’s monthly Salon Series in a performance of works in the National Concert Hall.

The salon will feature four members of the QME performing works by Susan Geaney and John Godfrey as well as a group improvisation.

Vacuum by Susan Geaney was written especially for the ensemble in response to a call for works from the Irish Composers’ Collective in April 2011. Washing Yourself With Food by QME’s Artistic Director John Godfrey was written for QME’s appearance at this year’s Hilltown New Music Festival, and involves spatially-distributed CD players, improvising musicians and the audience strolling around the performance space. Get there early to gain the full benefit of the ambulatory experience!

Check out the CMC on Facebook and Twitter or sign up to their monthly email for all the news on new music in Ireland!

Quiet Music Ensemble at Hilltown New Music Festival

The QME are delighted to announce their appearance at the opening evening of this year’s extraordinary Hilltown New Music Festival. The festival, situated on the grounds of Hilltown House, Castlepollard, has developed a name for presenting cutting-edge contemporary works in a beautiful outdoor rural setting.

On Friday 15 July, at 9pm on the Main Stage, the QME presents a programme of both familiar and new work. Featured are two ensemble classics, both commissioned in 2008 for the Quiet Music Festival: Shadow Linesby Alvin Lucier; and night leaves breathing by David Toop. Last October, a live performance of night leaves breathing was a central feature of a programme dedicated to QME and Toop on RTÉ Lyric FM’s ‘Nova’.  Irish composer Susan Geaney wrote Vacuum for the QME and has revised it especially for this performance; this is the premiere of its latest version. The final work in the programme is a ‘sonic meditation’ by Quiet Music Ensemble Artistic Director John Godfrey. Made up of a ‘walk-through’ sonic landscape and improvisation by QME and special guests, this is a work especially designed with the extraordinary spaces of the Hilltown House gardens in mind.

QME’s performance is preceded by a Slow Food event, sonic installations and improv: this is sure to be an incredible evening! See http://www.hilltown.ie/hilltown_programme.html for details.

Quiet Music Ensemble at Hilltown New Music Festival

Friday 15 July

9pm, Main Stage

Events begin at 6.30 with Slow Food!

Programme to include:

Alvin Lucier Shadow Lines

Susan Geaney Vacuum {Premiere of new version]

David Toop night leaves breathing

John Godfrey New Work [Premiere]

QME

Dan Bodwell,  Double Bass

Ilse De Ziah,  ‘Cello

John Godfrey Electric Guitar, Director

Seán Mac Erlaine, Saxes, Clarinets

Roddy O’Keeffe, Trombone

Nights of New Music

As a part of the ongoing series Nights of New Music, the QME will be performing at the National Concert Hall on Wed 27 April at 8.30pm.

The ensemble are guests of the Irish Composers Collective and will perform new works by Alyson Barber, Solfa Carlile, Patrick Connolly, Susan Geaney, Aristides Llaneza and Adam McCartney.

The performance is a part of a whole evening of events, kicking off at 6pm with a Contemporary Music Centre Salon event. QME Artistic Director John Godfrey will give a talk at 8.15, before the performance starts, so get there early to join in the conversation.

6-7pm CMC Salon

8.15pm Talk by John Godfrey

8.30pm Performance by Quiet Music Ensemble

QME on RTÉ lyric fm – Listen Back

For the next few weeks the live broadcast by the QME on RTÉ lyric fm’s Nova programme is available to listen back.

The link will be live for the next few weeks. Bernard Clarke interviews John Godfrey and guest performer David Toop. Toop also reads from his book Sinister Resonance and the ensemble perform night leaves breathing, Toops 2009 commission for the QME.

Live Broadcast on RTÉ Lyric fm

On Sunday night next (17 Oct), the  Quiet Music Ensemble and composer David Toop will make a live appearance on RTÉ Lyric’s NOVA.

The QME and Toop will improvise and perform his specially-commissioned piece night leaves breathing; Toop will read from his new book Sinister Resonance; and host Bernard Clarke will talk with Toop and the QME about their experimental and improvised music.

Tune in to RTÉ Lyric fm on the wireless between 9 and 10pm or listen online here. The broadcast comes as a part of RTÉ Music Week

Jitney Trio plus guests Quiet Music Ensemble

The QME will perform a programme of completely improvised works as guests of The Jitney Trio in The Roundy, Cork Monday 15 March at 9pm.

Consisting of Marian Murray, Neil O’Loghlen and director Han-Earl Park, The Jitney Trio is a “small scale, real-time, improvised music chamber ensemble”. This performance comprises a new approach for the QME – a completely improvised performance, which promises to be a very exciting concert.

Tickets are €12/6 conc. are available on the door  and more information is available on Han-Earl Park’s website.

Facebook event details

(UPDATE: the tickets are priced €12/6conc. and not €126 as previously advertised.  Although you know it’s going to be a pretty amazing performance ! )

Images from QME @ DEAF09

They were a while coming but there are some great pics from the Quiet Music Ensemble’s performance at DEAF in October last year.

The Quiet Music Emsemble perform Mark Applebaum’s Medium

David Toop and the complete QME (incl. Alexis and Aisling) at DEAF09

Ilse de Ziah and Dan Bodwell perform Brecht’s Dripping Music – one of the most powerful moments of the evening

Piaras Hoban

QME@DEAF09: 31 October

night leaves breathing, DEAF09

Featuring the Quiet Music Ensemble with guest artist David Toop

5pm-10pm, Sat 31 Oct, Filmbase, Temple Bar, Dublin

The Quiet Music Ensemble concludes this year’s Dublin Electronic Arts Festival with a 5-hour spectacular of pieces by masters of experimental music, incredible  sonic environments and drone-music, uncommon Dreamhouse and video.

The event features the Dublin premieres of pieces especially written for the group by Alvin Lucier, David Toop, Mark Applebaum and others, plus rare electronic immersive works  by Eliane Radigue, John Godfrey and many more. Video will include the extraordinary Dreams of the Jungfrau by the artistic director of the Deep Listening Institute, Ione. This is also a rare occasion to catch some of the wealth of new music coming out of Cork city’s enviable Sound Art scene.

The climax of the event features author, artist and improviser David Toop, who will present on his research, perform improvisations and take part in his piece for the QME, night leaves breathing.

Tickets €15/€10, available from Tickets.ie or on the door

QME musicians for the DEAF09 performance: John Godfrey, QME Artistic Director/electric guitar; Dan Bodwell, double bass; Roddy O’Keefe, Trombone; Ilse de Ziah, cello; Sean Óg, clarinet.

Further information on Dublin Electronic Arts Festival

Presented with funds from the Performance and Touring Award with thanks to The Arts Council and Music Network

Sssh!

July 2008: Sssh!

The Glucksman Gallery hosted ‘Sssh!’, a day-long performance event in July 2008 in which the Quiet Music Ensemble premiered new music by Experimental Music icon Alvin Lucier; the endlessly creative David Toop; celebrated American composer Mark Applebaum; up-and-coming Slovak composer Juraj Kojs; and Irish based composers John Godfrey and Karen Power. Special guest performers included David Toop and Heloise Gold. The event honoured pioneering composer and performer Pauline Oliveros by centring around one of her legendary solo concerts. Other events included a performance by Cork sound-art collective the Quiet Club, and The Dream of the Jungfrau, a new short film by Ione.