New city festival to celebrate a diverse range of music

A NEW music festival is set to get the city moving to a variety of beats.

Taking place from April 10 – 19 in venues all across Dublin, MusicTown 2015 is a celebration of all music created and enjoyed in the capital.

Organised by Dublin City Council, the eclectic programme is set to thrill all ages and interests across the 10 days.

The full programme will be launched in March but tickets for some events are already available on www.musictown.ie

MusicTown’s packed programme will include classical to trad, rock to world percussion, and everything in between.

Its wide scope ranges from

‘Barrytown Meets MusicTown’ a literary and musical journey of music and written word that inspired Roddy Doyle when writing his trilogy, to Handel’s

‘Il Trionfo Del Tempo e del Disinganno’ that will be performed by the Opera Theatre Company in Christchurch Cathedral.

Whatever their taste, the festival wants to encourage people to experience new genres of music or journey deeper into their preferred music of choice.

It aims to develop a greater appreciation and understanding of Dublin’s

‘music-makers’, from composers to lyricists, from conductors to singers and from musicians to producers.

MusicTown 2015 Director Ray Yeates said:

“Music has always been the great unifier and each and all of us has a special connection to music, no matter what our favourite genre is.

“This is a fresh approach in recognising the significant role of music in the city. I’m delighted that Dublin now has a new festival to look forward to, one that showcases the many different strands of music our city produces.

“It’s about discovery, exploration and education, while challenging people to experience all types of music.

“It will unify the city, bringing together different artists in an unexpected but exciting way that will, in turn, sow the seeds for a 2016 festival that nurtures opportunities for collaboration across musical genres and other areas of the arts.

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Highlights of the festival include

‘Sound of Silents’, a programme of silent films from the IFI Irish Film Archive made in Dublin between 1897 and the 1970s accompanied by a series of improvised scores performed by six leading musicians.

Handel’s

‘Il Trionfo Del Tempo e del Disinganno’ will be performed by the Opera Theatre Company in the historically significant and beautiful Christchurch Cathedral on April 10 while

‘Choice Cuts presents Hank Shocklee’, will see the founding member of Public Enemy and ground-breaking hip hop producer feature in a Q&A session and DJ set at The Sugar Club.

‘Barrytown Meets MusicTown’ is a musical and literary celebration of Roddy Doyle’s

‘The Barrytown Trilogy’, the featured book for Dublin City Libraries’ Dublin: One City One Book Choice 2015.

Damien Dempsey, Aslan, Peter Coonan and Paul Mercier will be taking part.