The Galway Music Residency continues to break new ground

Artists Jay Murphy (left) and Brian Bourke (fourth left) with the members of the ConTempo Quartet, Bogdan Sofei, Andreea Banciu Ingrid Nocola and Adrian Mantu at the launch of a partnership between the Galway Music Residency and NUIG. At the event, Brian presented the four musicians with eight portraits he has painted of them over the years.

placeholder image — Artists Jay Murphy (left) and Brian Bourke (fourth left) with the members of the ConTempo Quartet, Bogdan Sofei, Andreea Banciu Ingrid Nocola and Adrian Mantu at the launch of a partnership between the Galway Music Residency and NUIG. At the event, Brian presented the four musicians with eight portraits he has painted of them over the years.

The Galway Music Residency (GMR) has entered a five-year partnership with NUI Galway, which will see the University becoming its Education Partner.

This will give Galway Music Residency an important role in providing musical expertise to NUIG staff and students, through collaboration on academic programmes and performances.

The President of NUIG, Dr Jim Browne, emphasised the history of the relationship between the two organisations, spanning more than a decade, as he officially launched the partnership at the O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance at the weekend.

“As we formalise and cement our partnership, we look forward to a host of performance and education programmes that will continue on campus as both organisations look toward the new BA in Music, which will commence at NUI Galway in September 2018,” Dr Browne stated.

The President also launched GMR’s September–December season. Featuring favourite series such as Lunchtimes with ConTempo, 3 Saturdays: 3 Kinds of Music, ConTempo Countywide and ConTempo/Raneous, a series of cross-genre partnerships, the programme aims to cater for Galway audiences of all ages and locations during autumn and winter.

The Lunchtimes with ConTempo series entitled Beethoven – Rage & Mystery will begin next Tuesday, September 6, at 1.10pm. The venue will be Nicholas’ Collegiate Church in Galway City and the series will focus on the mature quartets of Beethoven (Opus 76 and 77).

The Galway ConTempo Quartet will perform String Quartet Op. 59, No. 1 for next Tuesday’s concert. This is the first of three quartets commissioned by prince Andrey Razumovsky, then the Russian ambassador to Vienna.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.