Dear friends,
Our annual Barefoot Baroque tour of concerts begins next Wednesday.
We have been doing this wonderful week of concerts since 2017 when I invited my friends Tess Leak (cellist) and Katy Salvidge (harp/recorder) to make a summer tour of informal concerts in community spaces around the islands and towns of West Cork, with the aim to make classical music experiences accessible to young and old, in a relaxed and down-to-earth atmosphere. The tour became a regular summer outing, adding German viola player Gideon Wieck (whom we met while he was volunteering in Baltimore!), as well as the well-loved Alto singer Camilla Griehsal from Schull.
We look forward to the tour each year as it is always a refreshing and magical week of concerts for all. This year we are presenting a specially curated sequence of music and poetry I’ve been putting together to provide consolation and inspiration during these troubled times we are living through. All concerts are free entry and open to young and old. A donation hat is passed around at the end of each night for the musicians. If you’re in the area (or even fancy making a journey!) it would be great to see you at one of the concerts!
CHILDREN OF LIR PREMIERE PERFORMANCE JULY 29
Robert Harris was a vibrant member of West Cork’s cultural scene and a member of the board of Uillinn. In 2019 he approached me to commission a new musical work based on the mythological story of the ‘Children of Lir’ for his wife Finola’s birthday gift. I created a work for voices, piano, cello and concertina in three parts, bringing the myth into the current day with its theme of the power of creativity in the midst of suffering, exclusion and displacement.
The work could not be performed at the time due to Covid19 restrictions, but in the meantime I set to making a studio recording and a film to accompany the piece, featuring wonderful contemporary dancer Rosie Leak, who I was able to film on a trip over to UK last year. Sadly, Robert never got to see the final film as he passed away tragically following a car accident in March this year.
This premiere performance in the Skibbereen Arts Festival will be a tribute to Robert’s life and his contribution to the musical and cultural life of West Cork. Eva Coyle will be singing in the piece and also playing ‘Finola’s Jig’ on accordion in the final section - composed originally for Robert to play, as he played concertina and accordion and had a great love of folk music.
The concert will also feature another of my pieces; ‘I Shall Make for my Own Castle’ for phono-fiddle, strings and bassoon, which was commissioned by cellist Tess Leak for her Uillinn exhibition in 2015 and features her mother Jan Leak on bassoon.
JULY BOOK RECOMMENDATION
It’s easy to get really depressed if, like me, you’re trying your best to live as sustainably as possible, yet all over the newspapers we read catastrophe news stories of how desperate the climate crises is getting. If so, this is the book for you! Hannah Ritchie is a data scientist and senior researcher at the University of Oxford, and she presents the data in a very interesting way with the argument that our technologies are getting cleaner and more affordable, we have already peaked in carbon emissions and if we can act positively and collectively doing simple things such as embracing clean energy systems and sustainable transport systems and adopting a plant-based diet, we can make huge steps towards a better world! Erudite, clearly presented and highly recommended!
Hope to see you out at one of the concerts this month!
Justin