Artbeat - 103.2 Dublin City FM

Des FitzGerald (On Artbeat's sister show Jazzorama) spoke to Nick Mulvey of Portico Quartet, before they embark on a nationwide Irish Tour. Nick talked about their new album Isla, described by MOJO magazine as a brew of “… Steve Reich mathematics, Radiohead dread, African desert grooves and ECM northern melancholy …a chiming cavernous sound-world that is both exotic and hypnotic”.

The Music Network dates are: Tue 16th February, DUBLIN (The Coach House, Dublin Castle, 8:00 PM), Wed 17th February, NAVAN (Solstice Arts Centre, 8:00 PM), Thu 18th February, RAVENSDALE, DUNDALK (Anaverna, 8:00 PM), Fri 19th February, TINAHELY (Courthouse Arts Centre, 8:30 PM), Sat 20th February, NEWBRIDGE (Riverbank Arts Centre, 8:00 PM), Sun 21st February, AN DAINGEAN (Lab na Mainistreach, 8:00 PM), Tue 23rd February, GALWAY (Bank of Ireland Theatre, NUIG, 8:00 PM), Wed 24th February, BALLINA (Ballina Arts Centre, 8:00 PM), Thu 25th February, SLIGO (The Factory Performance Space, 8:00 PM).

porticoquartet.com
musicnetwork.ie

Sadhbh Murphy talks to Jessica Fuller from Platform Ireland, a new Irish arts and culture website.

http://www.platformireland.ie/

Colin Harmon of the newly opened Third Floor Espresso cafe came in studio to talk coffee and culture with Des FitzGerald. He’s keen on the ‘cafe as third space’ concept. The official opening of the cafe is taking place this Sunday, 24th January from 12-4pm. It's located in the Twisted Pepper Building on Dublin’s Middle Abbey Street.

http://thirdfloorespresso.com/

The Irish Baroque Orchestra are having a very busy beginning to 2010 with a series of six concerts this month at the National Gallery. Entitled Masterworks, the series explores works by three of the giants of the Baroque era: Bach, Handel and Vivaldi. Claire Duff, leader of the Irish Baroque Orchestra took time out to give Artbeat some idea of the history of the orchestra; the idea behind the Masterworks series; and talked about the orchestra’s artistic director Monica Huggett.

Full details are available at the Irish Baroque Orchestra’s excellent website irishbaroqueorchestra.com

More than 70 singers from around the world will compete in Dublin later this month for a prize of €10,000 in one of Ireland’s most famous competitions, the 6th Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition. Dr Veronica Dunne joined Artbeat to talk about the history of the competition and this year’s contest.

After 15 years since the very first competition (in 1995), this bigger and better competition event boasts the largest ever applicant count of 73 singing competitors from 25 nations around the globe (15 Irish, 12 Korean, including more hopeful applicants from the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, China, Serbia, Iceland, Russia, Lithuania, Italy, Romania, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Netherlands, Hungary, Ukraine & Germany).

The competition runs from January 20–26 at the National Concert Hall.

www.nch.ie

Sadhbh Murphy spoke with Tim Casey, the director and star of Blank Canvas's production of Richard II by Shakespeare. This will be commencing in the Smock Alley Theatre on Essex Quay, next Tuesday December 1st until the 8th. Tim spoke about his theatre company Blank Canvas, the challenges of producing such a complex play and the genius of Shakespeare. He also dispelled any recent myths that he did not write his own work!

Music Network recently announced the release of ‘3’, the début CD from the Donegal fiddle trio, Fidil. Described as, “Stunning” (Rod Stradling) and “Mind-blowing” (allcelticmusic.com), the award winning trio are three of Donegal’s finest young musicians. Just about to embark on a short nationwide tour, Des FitzGerald talked tonight to trio member Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, en route to Kerry for the opening gig.

Artbeat's Des FitzGerald recently interviewed photographer Simon Burch at the Gallery of Photography, in Temple Bar. Simon’s latest exhibition is entitled ‘Under A Grey Sky'. It explores the landscape of the Irish Midlands, described by the gallery as “the most intensively industrialised landscape in the country”. It’s a landscape that many pass through on their way to a more picture postcard Ireland, but has provided Simon with many haunting images taken over the last four years.

The continuing perilous state of Ireland's finances coupled with the suggested arts funding cuts as outlined in the McCarthy Report, has galvanised the arts community into action. A week ago today, a new initiative - The National Campaign for the Arts - was launched. One of those involved is Gerry Godley, director of the Improvised Music Company, who spoke to Des FitzGerald about the aims of the campaign.

Further information about the campaign:

Blog: http://nationalcampaignforthearts.wordpress.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Campaign4Arts

A new exhibition at the Project Arts Centre by Seamus Nolan looks at the 10 year struggle between a small community in the West of Ireland and the multinational consortium developing their plan to bring to market the valuable gas deposit of the Corrib gas field. Des FitzGerald paid a visit to the Project Arts Centre to talk to the artist.

Continues until the 10th October at the Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar - projectartscentre.ie

On this week’s show, Sadhbh Murphy spoke with Wonderland Productions artistic director Alice Coughlan, who is a friend of Artbeat at this stage!

She has directed their latest critically acclaimed show based on Brendan Behan’s The Hostage, a tragi-comedy set in a Dublin brothel in 1960, where the IRA hold a Brish soldier captive. We spoke about the challenges of rehearsing and performing at the show’s intimate and historically signficant location – the old Georgian building of Pearse’s birthplace, 27 Pearse St. Alice also told me all about her great cast and the music composer of the play’s rebel songs. The performance runs until August 16th and more information can be found on www.wonderlandtheatre.com.

This show is highly recommended by the Artbeat team and tickets should be bought in advance as it’s booking out fast. Call the Central Ticket Bureau on 0818 205 205 or go to www.ctb.ie or book in person in the Dublin Tourist Office in Suffolk St.

An interview with Bob Gray, founder of the graphic design company Red and Grey Design. They’ve recently launched a book about their very original take on graphic design. Des FitzGerald went along to Red and Grey’s studio in Temple Bar to meet Bob. www.redandgreydesign.ie

Sadhbh Murphy gives listeners a taste of what can be experienced on the Rock 'n Roll bus tour in Dublin, with a short recording of parts of the actual tour. She also speaks with the tour guide and Irish rock music expert Andrew O'Toole about Dublin and its love affair with Irish rock music over the decades.

Find out more about the tour: www.dublinrocktour.ie

Dublin singer-songwriter and musician Keith Burke, was live in studio with Annick O'Brien, talking about the inspiration behind his music. Keith also performed a few of his songs in studio. Check it all out in this podcast!
Find out more about this solo artist on his site - www.keithburke.com

We're delving into the Artbeat archives to bring you some new podcasts. First up is a tour of the Arts of the Book exhibition at the Chester Beatty Library. Des FitzGerald's guide around this permanent exhibition was Shane McCausland, Curator of East Asian Collections. First broadcast: 18/06/2008

Des FitzGerald interviews Jim Culleton of Fishamble Theatre Company about their new production of Handel's Crossing by Joseph O'Connor.

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