PAST EVENTS

11th September 2005 at 3.15pm in the National Concert Hall Ireland

Composers’ Choice

Featured Composer: Benjamin Dwyer

Mhairi Lawson: Soprano

Paula Chateauneuf: Lute

VOX21

John Dowland Eight Songs (to finish with in Darkness let me dwell)

Benjamin Dwyer /David Farrell ‘Scenes from Crow’

This programme features: “Scenes form Crow” a Multimedia presentation with Visuals by David Farrell and amplified score by Benjamin Dwyer performed by the ensemble VOX21.

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Mostly Modern Festival 2nd ~ 3rd April 2005

Sunday April 3rd 2005 8.00pm

VOX21 music ensemble with Iñaki Alberdi (Accordion)

Programme:
Ramon Humet: '4 Cuadros de J.M.W. Turner' (Irish première)
Arild Suárez: 'Partita flauta' (Irish première)
Benjamin Dwyer: 'Al-Andalus' (world première)
Ramon Humet: 'Haiku' (Irish première)
Arild Suárez: 'Solo n.º 3'
Jesús Torres: 'Double' (world première)

Spain's leading accordion player, Iñaki Alberdi studied at the Centro Internacional de Estudios Acordeonísticos, the Russian Academy of Music and the Sibelius Academy withy Carlos Iturralde, Miren Iñarga, Friedrich Lips and Matti Rantanen.

After winning first prizes in various national and international competitions such as the "International Competition of Moscow" and the “Coupe Mondiale”, he came to prominence winning the "Concurso Permanente de Jóvenes Intérpretes" of Juventudes Musicales of Spain.

He has performed with many orchestras including the Vogtland Philharmonie, Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi, the Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Ministery, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, Barcelona Sinfonietta, Orquesta Ciudad de Málaga o Simfonicheski Orkestr im Rachmaninova, under the musical directions of Stefan Frass, Alexei Artemiev, Ramon Lazkano, Enrique Ugarte, Frances Llongueres, Cristóbal Halffter, Juan José Mena, Pedro Halffter o José Ramón Encinar. He has interpreted new compositions by Gabriel Erkoreka, Jesús Torres, Ramon Lazkano, Luis de Pablo, David del Puerto, Tazun Izan Tajuddin, Luca Mosca...

Currently he is a professor in ESMUC (High School of Music of Catalunya), and in MUSIKENE (High School of Music of the Basque Country).

“He is one of those players who is almost as good to watch as to listen to.

The range of volume, the subtle variations of colour and his unfailing authority were mesmerising. While I wondered whether his highly dramatised approach was always appropriate, his musicality and panache carried his audience with him”.
Martin Adams – Irish Times.

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Mostly Modern Festival 2nd ~ 3rd April 2005

Saturday April 2nd 8pm

VOX21 with Ortwin Stürmer (piano) Catherine Leonard (violin)
Programme:
Kevin Volans: 'Double Take'
Ian Wilson: 'Eigenschatten'
Deirdre McKay: 'Ice Etchings'
Benjamin Dwyer: 'New Work' world première
Judith Ring: 'Accumulation' (tape piece)
Stephen Gardner: 'You never know what’s around the corner'

 

Catherine Leonard

“This was duo playing of the finest kind… she sought out the internal colours of the music, the rhythmic nuances of a phrase, the inner life of a melody. The music breathed and glowed.” Wigmore Hall. Strad Magazine, March 2004.

Catherine Leonard completed her studies with Herman Krebbers in Amsterdam three years ago and is developing a distinguished international career. Awards include the Heineken Violin and bow, the Ulster Bank Bursary, the Ford "Ka" Classical Musician of the Year, first prize winner in the Friends of the Concertgebouw "Concours" in the Netherlands, third prize in both the Kulenkampff and the Scheveningen International Violin Competitions, several Arts Council Bursaries and a Fulbright Award for studies in America.

Described by Michael Dervan of the Irish Times as "quite simply the leading Irish violinist of her generation .....a musician whose playing is typically both thoughtful and touching .... Ms Leonard managed to retain that natural directness of statement and sentiment which is her particular musical gift."

She recently premiered a Wilson solo violin work in Dublin, with the aid of the Arts Council and the Hugh Lane Gallery. She has also recently recorded her first CD of Wilson's music, with Hugh Tinney.

In 2005 she will play the Beethoven Violin Concerto in Cork City Hall, as part of the European City of Culture program and make an Irish tour with the National Youth Orchestra, playing the Tchaikovsky Concerto. With Julius Drake, she will return to Bantry House for another challenging series: Mozart, and French sonatas. There is also a recital in the Rising Stars series at the Bath Festival, as well as a chamber music recording with clarinettist, Ronald van Spaendonck. The year comes to a close with the Beethoven Triple Concerto, with Barry Douglas, piano, Guy Johnston, cello; and the violin concerto, directed by Barry Douglas, in the National Concert Hall in Dublin.

Ortwin Stürmer

Ortwin Stürmer is one of the leading pianists of contemporary repertoire who explores the fascinating universe of today‘s music. The solo piano works and piano concertosthat have been written for and dedicated to him invlude those by Hambraeus, Radulescu, Tanguy, Lenners, Sharman, Minciacchi, Flammer, Radvilovitsch, Safronov, Herchet, Ingham, Heusinger, Grandert, Koblenz, Kaufmann, Tiensuu and Sandström. Stürmer has worked with many orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra London, Göteborgs Symfoniker), Northern Sinfonia of England, Radio Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt and Südwestrundfunk Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg. He has worked with many conductors including Israel Yinon, Okko Kamu, Roger Redgate, Johannes Schöllhorn, Gilbert Varga and Lothar Zagrosek.

Stürmer has been invited to performa at many international festivals including the Festival International de Piano La Roque d‘Anthéron (France), Donaueschinger Musiktage (Germany), International Summer Courses for New Music (Darmstadt,Germany), Sonorities (Belfast, Northern Ireland), Soundways Sankt (Petersburg, Russia), Münchner Biennale, Dresdner Tage der Neuen Musik, Ensemblia Mönchengladbach, Internationale Festspiele Baden Württemberg (Germany), Lucero Festival (Paris), Festspelen i Piteå (Sweden), Invitation Concerts Royal Academy of Music (Stockholm), Mostly Modern (Dublin, Ireland), Mainz Musik, “Pour le piano“ Pollack Hall, McGill University (Montréal) and many more.

 

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October 9th 2003 1.15pm

Bank of Ireland Mostly Modern Series, Dublin Ireland

VOX21 and Benjamin Dwyer (guitar)

Programme

Leo Brouwer: 'Quintet'
John McLachlan: 'Radical Roots, Racines radicales' (world première)
Benjamin Dwyer: 'Quintet' (world première)

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Thursday March 7th 2002 8pm

Bank of Ireland Mostly Modern Series, Dublin Ireland

PROGRAMME

Raymond Deane: Moresque (world première of new version)
Raymond Deane: Stretti (world première)
Benjamin Dwyer: Soneto del Amor Oscuro (world première of new version)
Benjamin Dwyer: Omeros ll (world première)

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'Voyages - Montreal~Dublin Festival 2002'

VOX 21 was the featured ensemble with a special commission to be premiered at the Festival by VOX21 and local ensemble BRADYWORKS.
Music to include works by Canadian and Irish composers.

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Thursday 28th March 2002, 8pm

Bank of Ireland Mostly Modern Series, Dublin Ireland

VOX21 & Judith Mok

The music of Louis Andriessen & Theo Loevendie

Admission Free

Programme

Louis Andriessen: Zilver (Irish première)
Louis Andriessen: Worker's Union
Theo Loevendie: Cycle (Irish première)
Theo Loevendie: Turkish Folkpoems (Irish première)

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Sligo Contemporary Music Festival, Ireland

VOX21 was the featured ensemble for whole festival

Friday 6pm March 29th 2002
Benjamin Dwyer: Twelve Etudes (World Premier)

Friday 8pm March 29th 2002
VOX21Benjamin Dwyer: Soneto del Amor Oscuro
Louise Andriessen: Melodie
Raymond Deane: Moresque
Theo Loevendie: Turkish Folkpoems

Saturday 30th March 2002 1pm

VOX21

Jane O'Leary: Silenza Della Terra
John Buckley: Five Epigrams
Siobhán Cleary: Petering Out
Siobhán Cleary: Pipoon

Saturday 30th March 2002 7.30pm

VOX21

Raymond Deane: Stretti
Theo Loevendie: Cycles
Benjamin Dwyer: Omeros II

Sunday 31st March 2002 1pm

VOX21

Louis Andriessen: Zilver
Louis Andriessen: Sweet
Louis Andriessen: Worker's Union
Sunday 31st March 2002 5pm
Mike Nielsen gave a workshop on jazz improvisation
Sunday 31st March 2002 8pm

VOX21 & Macdara Woods

Ted Hughes: Crow a reading
Benjamin Dwyer: Scenes from Crow

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RTÉ Living Music Festival 2002

Featured composer: Luciano Berio
25-27 October 2002 The Helix, Dublin City University, Ireland.

Saturday 26th October 2002 13.10-14.00pm

VOX 21
Conductor Kenneth Edge
Guest solos Judith Mok (soprano) Susanna Moncayo (mezzo-soprano)

Programme:
Luciano Berio: Chamber Music
Pierre Boulez: Dérive
Sofia Gubaidulina: Garten von Freuden und Traurigkeiten
Luciano Berio: FolkSongs

VOX 21

Thursday 23rd January 2003 8pm Bank of Ireland Mostly Modern Series Dublin, Ireland. Admission Free

Programme

Raymond Deane: March Oubliée
Raymond Deane: Catacombs
Raymond Deane: Seachanges (with Danse Macabre)
Benjamin Dwyer: Quasi una fantasia
Pierre Boulez: Dérive
Roy Carroll: New Work

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Waterford New Music Week

Thursday 30th January 2002 at 8 pm in The Good Shepherd Chapel, College Street Campus of Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland.

Programme
Benjamin Dwyer: Quasi una fantasia
Clarke Ross: Memory Quilt
James Wilson: The Windhover
Raymond Deane: Seachanges (with Danse Macabre)
Pierre Boulez: Dérive
Clarke Ross: Urban Music
Eric Sweeney: Duo
Raymond Deane: Catacombs