The Contemporary Music Centre

13/10/2026

🔎 Looking for a place to rehearse, record, write, or workshop New Music ideas in Dublin city centre?

The CMC Creative Space and CMC Studio are available to artists working in New Music, free of charge.

For details and space specifications, visit the CMC website. Make your booking online or send an enquiry by email.

🔗 CMC Creative Space: https://buff.ly/qxh4txp
🔗 CMC Studio: https://buff.ly/XMmOybt

We look forward to seeing you at 19 Fishamble Street 🎶

12/10/2026

The Hugh Lane Concert Series presents Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble this Sunday 18 October at the Abbey Presbyterian Church, Dublin 1 🎶

Belfast-based music group Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble have curated a programme inspired by memory, folklore and the natural world. Featuring works by Ioana Petcu-Colan, Zygmund De Somogyi, Kaija Saariaho, Jane O’Leary, Amy Rooney, Judith Weir, John Luther Adams and Samuel Kane.

Free admission, registration now open on Eventbrite: https://buff.ly/NUCVj8F

📸 Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble.

09/10/2026

Ailís Ní Ríain's site-responsive installation-opera 'Still, life...' opens at Wexford Festival Opera next week ✨️

Inspired by a short story by William Goyen, 'Still, life…', investigates a small town's reaction to a man who decides to sit on top of a flagpole and stays there for forty days without explaining why. The work explores the collision between individual mystery and collective conformity and considers the way society experiences mystery and individuality.

🔗 More info & tickets at Wexford Festival Opera: https://buff.ly/UdNSKYo

A Wexford Festival Opera Commission.

📸 Image by Louise Manifold.

08/10/2026

TONIGHT at Liszt Institute London / Liszt Intézet London ✨

The Liszt Institute London welcomes French contemporary music ensemble Ars Nova for a tribute to György Kurtág, on the occasion of the Hungarian composer's centenary, followed by 'The Midnight Verdict'.

Inspired by Seamus Heaney’s collection of the same name, 'The Midnight Verdict' revisits the myth of Orpheus, the musician who journeys to the underworld to bring back Eurydice. Three composers, Benoît Sitzia, Deirdre McKay and Gregory Vajda, explore different stages of his story through music that accompanies projected poetry.

Initiated by Hungarian guitarist Katalin Koltai, the production brings together seven Ars Nova musicians, Koltai on the Ligeti Guitar and Franco-Iranian santur player Farnaz Modarresifar.

🔗 FREE event, registration via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/celebrating-kurtag-at-100-tickets-2001236876369?aff=website

The Midnight Verdict is a co-production by ensemble Ars Nova, CMC Ireland & TAP - Scène nationale de Grand Poitiers. Supported by Diaphonique, Sacem, Arvo Pärt Center - Estonia and Belfast International Arts Festival. New work by Deirdre McKay commissioned with funds from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

02/10/2026

Calling Emerging Composers / Music Creators!

Applications are open for Soundstreams 2027 Bridges: Emerging Composers Workshop and Showcase.

Soundstreams’ Bridges: Emerging Composers Program is an annual week-long tuition-free programme that brings together celebrated mentors, a professional resident ensemble, and six emerging composers from around the world to each develop and premiere a new work, presented as part of Soundstreams’ main stage concert series in Toronto, Canada.

Each participant composer will receive a $1,000 honorarium for composing their new work and free accommodation in Toronto for the duration of the workshop.

⏰Application closing date: Thursday, October 8th, 2026 (11:59pm EST) / [Friday, October 9th, 4.59AM in Irish time]

🗓Programme Dates: February 21 – February 28, 2027
🎶 Visiting Mentor: James MacMillan
🎹 Resident Ensemble: Mezzo-soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Percussion and Piano
📍Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Upcoming Events ANGELS UNAWARES: MUSIC OF JAMES MACMILLAN Sat, Feb 27, 2027 @ 7:30 pm Metropolitan United Church Learn More Buy Tickets

01/10/2026

One month since the release of Karen Power's 'listening between poles' 💿️

'listening between poles' contains a selection of compositions based on Karen Power's sonic pole-to-pole; featuring field recordings from the composer's journey between the North and South Pole. The works were created over a ten year period between 2013 - 2023. Artists featured include the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Isabelle O'Connell (piano) and Barbara Lüneberg (violin).

📸 Photos from the album launch in early September at the Contemporary Music Centre. RTÉ lyric fm's Ellen Cranitch formally launched the release, followed by a live improvised set by Karen Power, John Godfrey, Anthony Kelly and David Stalling. CMC was also delighted to welcome James Bingham, Head of Music and Opera at the Arts Council Ireland.

🔗 Find 'listening between poles' at farpointrecordings.com

30/09/2026

Behind the scenes at the String Theory quintet workshop in Limerick this September 🎼 🎻

Early-career composers Peter Joyce, Aoife King and Crea Sullivan were welcomed by ICO members and guest leader Oliver Heath to try out their new music sketches at the ICO Studio.

The artists continue to receive mentorship from composer Elaine Agnew as they develop and refine their new works, which will be presented at a public performance reading in February 2027. Watch this space!

String Theory is a new artist development initiative presented in partnership by CMC Ireland and the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

29/09/2026

📯Calling Emerging/Early-Career Composers, born or based in Ireland:

West Wicklow Festival and CMC invite applications for the 2026 Emerging Composer Competition : New Works for Solo Oboe

Winning Composers will receive:

🔹 €500 cash prize.
🔹 The world premiere performance of the winning work at the WWF Rising Stars Recital in November 2026.
🔹 A Composer’s Voice interview with the winning composer, presented by CMC Ireland
🔹 Collaboration and rehearsal with performers, with additional support for disabled composers or those with specific needs.
🔹Inclusion in festival publicity.

⏰️ Competition closes on Thursday 8th October at 4pm.

For more details and how to apply visit CMC Opportunities: https://buff.ly/o3UDd11

29/09/2026

🔔 Reminder: Call for Irish artists/ensemble managers/promoters/producers for the Irish delegation at New Deal. Applications close this Friday, 2 October at 5pm.

CMC Ireland in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland in Paris, is coordinating a delegation to attend New Deal 2026 - the International Visitors Programme at the Philharmonie de Paris, 26–28 October 2026.

New Deal is organised by FEVIS and brings together 700+ European music professionals for curated speed-meetings and project pitches. Selected delegates will pitch Irish repertoire and projects directly into major French and European touring and programming networks.

ℹ️ Support is available for delegates and can cover:

🔹 Return travel to Paris (up to €300 per person)
🔹 3 nights' accommodation (25-27 October)
🔹 Subsistence (€150 per person - daily rate of €50 per day for three days)
🔹 Access/registration for New Deal's international programme

❓️ Who can apply?

This call is open to professional artists, ensemble managers, promoters/producers/artistic directors, and presenting venues based on the island of Ireland, working across contemporary/experimental, classical, jazz and improvised music.

🔗 Find out more: https://buff.ly/TxwiRAo

This call is supported by Culture Ireland and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with funding received under Cultúr 2026 - the Culture Programme for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026.

26/09/2026

CMC is delighted to take part in Festival Musica56] in Strasbourg as a partner on the delegate programme for the Irish Focus Weekend ☘️🤝

On Friday morning at the Lieu d'Europe Strasbourg, representatives from arts organisations in Ireland, France and the UK presented on the particularities and challenges of their music communities, as well as highlighting pathways for international collaboration.

CMC’s Jonathan Grimes spoke on the new music scene in Ireland, followed by a presentation from Estelle Lowry from Maison de la Musique Contemporaine m Shannon-Latoya Simon and Sarah Bagshaw representing the British Council.

MUSICA's Irish Focus weekend is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and Culture Ireland as part of Cultúr 2026, the culture programme for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026.