December 2011 heralds the tenth anniversary of Other Voices, the seminal music TV series created by South Wind Blows in partnership with Intune Networks, Fáilte Ireland, IMRO and RTE. Other Voices 10 will take place in Dingle, Co. Kerry from Thursday December 1st to Sunday December 4th 2011 and while the unique and eclectic line-up of artists will remain unannounced ‘til nearer these dates, the tenth instalment of the Other Voices musical adventure promises to be both exhilarating and challenging, with a raft of Irish and international musicians set to make the annual Kerry pilgrimage.
On Monday December 5th, the Irish Music Rights Organisation will be providing a stage for Ireland’s best up and coming songwriters and performers, in the IMRO Other Room, a closed set recording which will feature in the Other Voices TV series, scheduled to be broadcast on RTE Two early in 2012. Speaking of the partnership, Victor Finn, CEO of IMRO said: “IMRO is delighted to once again play a part in bringing together this wonderfully eclectic showcase of music talent. The IMRO Other Room shines a light on some of our finest emerging Irish songwriters, providing them with a unique platform to reach out to new audiences. Roll on 10 more years”.
The show was born in Dingle in December 2002, presented by Glen Hansard, who would five years later step up to accept an Oscar for Best Original Song. That first show featured sets from Mundy, who was to become one of our biggest home grown stars and Damien Rice, who became a multi-million selling international artist. Over the years the presenters have changed and the line up has swelled with international talent but Dingle’s St. James’ Church, the central line, the glorious setting of Lilliputian proportions, has always remained.
What can be revealed at this stage is that Other Voices 10 will be hosted by a brand new face, that of internationally acclaimed Irish actor Aidan Gillen, whose love of film is equalled only by his passion for music. Of taking on hosting duties of Other Voices, Gillen said “I’m more than excited to be working on Other Voices this year. I only became an actor in the hope of one day getting on Desert Island Discs and playing records – this is way better. I’ve spent a large part of the last few years at the end of the Dingle peninsula and witnessed first-hand how well this festival fits this place. Roll on December!”.
Another new element to this year’s Other Voices recording events will be the ticketing system. Due to the confined seating in St. James’ Church, only a handful of tickets were ever made available to purchase and those with faster online connections and superior typing skills tended to win the toss of the coin every time! This time out, all tickets for the public will be made available through competitions, so all Other Voices fans will have a fair chance to win, be it on the Other Voices Facebook Page (OtherVoices), radio outlets, print media or online sites across Ireland. All competitions will be pre-announced on the Other Voices Facebook page.
What is absolutely certain is that the town of Dingle will be alive and kicking during the recordings of Other Voices 10. The community of Dingle are this year introducing a brand new festival to run alongside the Other Voices events from December 1st to 4th. Feile Na Soilse (Dingle Festival of Light) will be a four day celebration of the culture, music, food and community of Dingle, with open air Farmers Markets, Other Voices Music Trails, Christmas Carol Choral Competitions, Treasure Hunts, a Children’s Lantern Parade, Santa ‘Under the Sea’ at Oceanworld and a huge range of activities for grown-ups and kids alike. There will be plenty of hotels and guesthouses to rest weary heads, lashings of hot whiskies and open turf fires, the finest gourmet delights and Christmas shopping bargains galore. To celebrate the Other Voices recordings, there will be a raffle each night in one of Dingle’s bars for a pair of tickets to attend that nights recording, so even if music fans don’t win tickets in advance, they will be in with a shot to nab a pair while enjoying Feile Na Soilse! For more information on the festival log on to www.facebook.com/dinglefestivaloflight
Keep up to date on all Other Voices news, announcements, line-up additions and the chance to win precious tickets at www.facebook.com/OtherVoices. You can also follow the action on Twitter (OtherVoicesLive) and check out some fantastic music from Other Voices on the YouTube page (OtherVoicesLive)
