Author: Press Officer

DATE: Monday 9th July
TIME: 7pm
VENUE: IMRO, Copyright House, Pembroke Row, Dublin 2.

Hosted by Phil Udell of State.ie

This event is free of charge but due to limited capacity, booking is essential.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW

Should you wish to reserve a place, please email your name to keith.johnson@nullimro.ie

Paul Williams, Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winning Hall of Fame songwriter. Recognised as one of America’s most prolific and gifted lyricists and composers, Paul’s standards have been recorded by such diverse musical icons as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, David Bowie, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughn, Johnny Mathis, The Carpenters, Luther Vandross, REM, Mel Torme, Anne Murray, Diana Krall, Gladys Knight and Diana Ross. His songs have also found favour with Country legends including Chet Atkins, Kris Kristofferson, Charlie Pride, Crystal Gayle, Lynn Anderson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Diamond Rio and Neil McCoy.

Laura Izibor is a Meteor Music Award winning songwriter and artist and is currently signed to Atlantic Records USA having originally been signed to Jive Records at the age of 17. Her debut album, Let the Truth Be Told, was released in May 2009. The album debuted at number two on the Irish Albums Chart. Her songs have featured on numerous hit TV show, films and adverts such as Grey’s Anatomy, Nanny Diaries, One Three Hill, P.S I Love You, Bones, Tough Love & Hibernian Aviva.

Laura has an EP to be released in late summer 2012, and is currently tracking for her second full-length release to be released in early 2013.
 

Biographies

Paul Williams

Paul Williams is an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winning Hall of Fame songwriter. He is a recipient of The National Music Publishers President’s Award and is President and Chairman of the Board of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).

Recognised as one of America’s most prolific and gifted lyricists and composers, Paul’s standards have been recorded by such diverse musical icons as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, David Bowie, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughn, Johnny Mathis, The Carpenters, Luther Vandross, REM, Mel Torme, Anne Murray, Diana Krall, Gladys Knight and Diana Ross. His songs have also found favour with Country legends including Chet Atkins, Kris Kristofferson, Charlie Pride, Crystal Gayle, Lynn Anderson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Diamond Rio and Neil McCoy.

When asked which song is his favorite, Paul is quick to respond, “That’s easy! It’s “The Rainbow Connection”. It’s a thrill to hear my words interpreted by such inimitable talents as Willie Nelson, the Dixie Chicks, Sarah McLachlan, Judy Collins, Jason Mraz and Kermit the Frog!” “The Rainbow Connection”, from the children’s classic The “Muppet Movie”, is one of two Paul Williams’ songs that grace the American Film Institute’s list of the top movie songs of all time; the second, “Evergreen” is from the award winning Streisand/Kristofferson remake of A Star Is Born. Additional song scores include the cult favorites Phantom of the Paradise and Ishtar, as well as “The Muppet Christmas Carol”, “Bugsy Malone.”, and Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas, the latter of which has now been adapted for the stage. His recent work has remained wonderfully diverse, from creating and writing the songs and story for Disney’s A Muppets Christmas: Letters To Santa, to writing with the Scissor Sisters, to penning the music and lyrics for Garry Marshall’s theatrical sensation Happy Days.

Although most people came to know the witty Mr. Williams as one of Johnny Carson’s recurring favorites on The Tonight Show, or as an actor in dozens of films, television comedies and dramas, it is his musical legacy that continues to inspire. “We’ve Only Just Begun”, “Rainy Days And Mondays”, “You and Me Against The World”, “Just An Old Fashioned Love Song”,”Let Me Be The One” all remain pop classics and are performed by Paul in venues from New York to the Philippines.

Publicly lauded for his work as a songwriter, performer, actor and humanitarian, Paul predicts he’ll be remembered for playing Little Enos in the Smokey and the Bandit trilogy and for his lyrics to “The Love Boat” theme, although it is the lyrics from Bugsy Malone, recast for a recent Coke commercial, that aptly sum up his philosophy: “You give a little love and it all comes back to you; You’re gonna’ be remembered for the things that you say and do”. As a devoted husband to writer Mariana Williams and proud father, Paul considers his son Cole, and daughter Sarah, to be his best work.

Laura Izibor

The foundation begins with soul,” explains 25-year-old singer/songwriter/producer Laura Izibor of her passionate, piano-guided songs. On her debut album, Izibor continued the lineage set out by artists like Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott; artists who combine a reverence for the traditions of early R&B with a thoroughly modern sensibility. After one listen to the powerful, honey-tinged vocals on Let The Truth Be Told, one thing is for sure. For Laura Izibor, it’s got to be real.

Born to a working class family in Dublin, Ireland, Izibor admits she didn’t grow up in a musical household. “My mother raised five kids on her own, so there wasn’t much time to buy records – it wasn’t that kind of home. I found myself fancying music at about 13.” Once the love for musicians like Stevie Wonder, Candi Stanton, and Roberta Flack took hold, she was smitten for good. “One door opened to the next – first I discovered Marvin Gaye, and then Otis Redding, and I just fell in love with soul music.”

At the age of 15, Izibor won a prestigious national performance competition, the “2FM Song Contest.” At 17, she started work on her debut album, taking the time to really hone her songs. Let The Truth Be Told was recorded over the course of four years in a diverse range of cities: New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Dublin among them. Laura also performed live constantly during this period, finding her true home onstage. Having performed several sold-out shows in Ireland, and opened for acts including James Brown, Angie Stone, and The Roots, she’s earned the affectionate moniker “The Soul of Ireland” from the folks back home.

Laura released her fully self-penned and co-produced debut album Let The Truth Be Told in 2009. “The title felt like a strong, almost biblical statement,” she explains. “I wrote this album because it’s my truth. It’s a sincere record and it has a feel of survival in it as well.” Izibor resisted the urge to feature established artists on various tracks, instead creating a revealing, and very personal, document of this moment in her life. “I didn’t want to be anybody’s protégé,” she says. “It was very tempting to put in the reinforcements, but for my debut album I wanted it to be 100% from me.”

The songs are ripe with authenticity, from the sassy, soulful album opener, “Shine,” to the magnificent and deeply personal “If Tonight Is My Last,” to the anthemic and inspirational “Mmm,” which colored the soundtrack of Step Up 2: The Streets. With her tracks also featured on Grey’s Anatomy, The Hills, and The Nanny Diaries, Izibor has found that airing her heartfelt take on life and love has translated to the hopes and struggles of various characters, as well as to the people at home watching them. “I hope people take away a sense of honesty and realness when listening to my music. They’re just songs written from a really sincere place, and hopefully people can connect to it on some level and relate their own lives to it as well.”

A recommendation made last week by the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee (INTA) that the Parliament should reject ACTA is a disappointment to Europe’s creative, innovative and manufacturing sectors, which employ over 120 million people across Europe and depend on intellectual property to support and grow their businesses.

More than 130 organisations representing the breadth of European industry have urged the European Parliament to wait for the opinion of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) before taking a final decision on the Treaty. A vote to follow the INTA recommendation and to reject ACTA now would be to ignore the voices of industry, unions, employees, the Commission, the Council and Member States. ACTA should be given careful and responsible consideration before a decision that will have significant effects on the EU’s trade relationships and economy.

“The majority of jobs in our knowledge-based societies rely on intellectual property. Counterfeiting and piracy, including on the Internet, are creating a global black market threatening the economic basis of real jobs in the creative industries. It’s a global problem that needs a global response. We need a tool like ACTA to improve international cooperation in IPR protection,” says Johannes Studinger, Head of UNI MEI.”

“If Parliament should reject ACTA, it will send a negative signal to Europe’s trading partners and to investors around the globe, especially since much of the debate to date has been fuelled by unfounded rumour and misinformation. We would urge MEPs to restore balance and honesty to the debate. Contrary to what its opponents have claimed, ACTA will not curtail fundamental rights, will not lead to Internet censorship, will not endanger the health of millions and will not criminalise file-sharing. ACTA is about fighting commercial scale counterfeiting and piracy, which will ultimately protect Europe’s economy and citizens,” says Jeffrey Hardy, Director for ICC’s initiative Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP).

“Rejecting ACTA would both damage the international image (and credibility) of Europe and its institutions vis-à-vis its main external trading partners, and completely jeopardise the economic and legal interests of EU companies and citizens. Our textile and clothing industry considers that it would be a more enlightened and fair decision to postpone any plenary vote until the European Court of Justice ruling, as previously proposed by sceptical MEPs and, in the meantime, to work on the clarification of this agreement regarding its potential impacts on citizens,” says Alberto Paccanelli, President of EURATEX, CEO and Managing Director of Martinelli Ginetto Group.

“ECTA supports ACTA as a cornerstone in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy and in order to protect the creative and knowledge-based industries in the EU and beyond,” states Marius Schneider, chair of the ECTA Anti-counterfeiting Committee.

CASTLEPALOOZA MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL

 CHARLEVILLE CASTLE, TULLAMORE, CO OFFALY.

 3rd, 4th & 5th AUGUST 2012

Ireland’s best value festival of the Summer, Castlepalooza, has announced its full line-up to join headliners British rock icons The Charlatans at Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Co. Offaly this coming August Bank Holiday weekend.

Already playing alongside The Charlatans in the haunted Charleville Forest is Castlepalooza’s trademark mix of hip acts including Ghostpoet; King Charles; Jape; Donal Dineen’s Parish Project; Solar Bears; Jon Phonics; Mmoths; Little Green Cars and many others. And now joining the line-up are electronic group Plaid; returning Irish heroes HAL; Illum Sphere; SertOne and a cocktail of other fresh Irish talent including:

·      This Club
·      Patrick Kelleher & His Cold Dead Hands
·      The Casanova Wave
·      Deaf Joe
·      Nanu Nanu
·      Frankie Grimes
·      Lil’ Dave
·      Kenny Bogan
·      Conal Bailey
·      Ocho
·      Brad Pitt Light Orchestra
·      Trumpets of Jericho
·      Overhead the Albatross
·      Slow Skies
·      The Viking Project
·      In the Willows (Redbull Bedroom Jam Winner)
·      Tara Stewart & a Stage of Being

In addition for the first time ever, Castlepalooza asked Irish acts to apply through Breaking Tunes and received an incredible response from the deep pool of up-and-coming Irish talent.  Despite an original commitment of 4 slots, based on the number of applications and the high quality of the entries, a total of 13 acts have been selected. These are:

·      Benny Smiles
·      Cars Love Girls
·      Cry Monster Cry
·      Grand Pocket Orchestra
·      Kammerpop
·      Last Days of 1984
·      Lights Camera Sundown
·      Little Xs for Eyes
·      Mrs Healys First Class Choir
·      Owensie
·      Roisin O
·      The Statics
·      White Collar Boy

If you fancy a break from the music, there’ll be plenty of fun to be had at free workshops in the castle including Hip Hop and Hula Hoop; you can enter an art contest at Dr Sketchy’s Life Drawing Classes; check out some future film greats at the Eat My Shorts Short Film Showcase or relax by the fire at our Sunday Spa in The Morning Room!

Tickets for Castlepalooza are on sale now at www.castlepalooza.com or from usual ticket outlets.

love:live music, Ireland’s celebration of National Music Day on Thursday 21st June, presents a brilliant opportunity to experience new music written and performed by some of the country’s most exciting musicians. Events take place throughout the day and are free to attend.

CMC’s Live at Your Place, 8.30am-9.30am, broadcast on Dublin City FM (103.2FM)

The Contemporary Music Centre begins the day with the launch of CMC’s Live at Your Place. Musicians from Crash Ensemble will give an intimate early morning concert to staff at the council’s offices on Wood Quay. Commuters across the city will be able to listen in, as the concert – which features music by CMC composers Enda Bates, Judith Ring and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly – is broadcast live on Dublin City FM’s Live Drive.

Enda Bates (b.1979) is a composer, musician, producer and academic whose work combines traditional acoustic and electronic music.  He is a founder member of the Spatial Music Collective.

Judith Ring (b.1976) is a Dublin-born composer working in electroacoustic music as well as with electronics in live performance. Her works include a number of highly successful collaborations with choreographers and film artists.

Benedict Schlepper-Connolly (b.1985) studied composition with Donnacha Dennehy at Trinity College Dublin and Justin Dello Joio at New York University.  He is a co-founder and director of Ergodos and General Editor of the Journal of Music.

CoMA Limerick, 1pm-2pm, Hunt Museum, Limerick

At lunchtime, CoMA Limerick, founded by Fiona Linnane, will play an exciting concert of pieces inspired by the collection at the Hunt Museum, where the group is currently in residence. The works include Linnane’s Viking Ice Skate, commissioned as part of CoMA’s Reaction project in 2011, as well as The Dining Controversy by Derek Ball, which written in response to a call for scores held earlier in 2012. An open invitation has been extended for musicians to join CoMA Limerick for three days of rehearsals with guest conducted by composer John Godfrey and to perform in the final love:live music concert.

Fiona Linnane (b.1978) is a composer, teacher and musician living in County Limerick.  In 2008 she founded CoMA Limerick, a contemporary music ensemble for amateurs.

Derek Ball (b.1949) was born in Co. Donegal and now lives in Scotland.  His music has been performed by many of the leading Irish soloists and ensembles and in 2009 he was among the featured composers in the Horizons series at the National Concert Hall, Dublin.

John Godfrey (b.1962) is a composer and conductor. He co-founded the ensemble Icebreaker and has had works performed by the Bang On A Can All-Stars and Crash ensemble among many others.  He is founder of the Cork-based experimental group the Quiet Music Ensemble.

Music Educators Orchestra/Kirkos, 7.30pm-10.30pm, The Twisted Pepper, 54 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1

Music Educators Orchestra, directed by CMC composer Peter Moran, will present its debut concert, Love Live Classical, as part of the celebrations. The event will be a unique open-mic session for classical musicians and will also feature three special concert performances. Among them, Kirkos Ensemble will present a programme of new works by student composers from the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Peter Moran (b.1981) draws inspiration from sources as diverse as such as gamelan, improvisation, blues and rock.  He is active in music education and created CMC’s New Music Alive primary music series. He is director of the Music Educators Orchestra

Vyvienne Long’s Ballgown Musette, 8:00pm, Freemasons’ Hall, 17 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2

CMC composer Roger Doyle and Congolese guitarist Niwel Tsumbu have collaborated with cellist Vyvienne Long for Ballgown Musette, which takes place in the stunning surroundings of the Freemasons’ Hall. Audience members are encouraged to dress for the occasion in a vintage ball gown, a bow tie under a cape or a Zulu headdress! Places are limited, so advanced ticket reservation is advised by emailing catsarabande@nullgmail.com.

Roger Doyle (b.1949) is renowned in the field of electroacoustic composition and has worked extensively in theatre, film and dance.  Major works include Babel, composed over the course of ten years and completed in 1999, and Pasades (2002-07).

Linda Buckley premiere, 8.30pm, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin

The day draws to a close with the premiere of a new work, Cosán de Solas Gealai Bui (A Path of Yellow Moonlight) by RTÉ lyric fm Composer in Residence and CMC composer Linda Buckley which fuses the traditional and the modern. Following the ‘sonic thread’ of traditional Irish music, the piece travels between orchestral and electroacoustic sound-worlds and will be performed by members of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, DIT Traditional Music Ensemble and piper Mick O’Brien. The premiere will take place as part of La Ceoil, an all-afternoon outdoor event.

Linda Buckley (b.1979) is a composer from the Old Head of Kinsale, currently based in Dublin.  Her music has been performed internationally, including in Europe, the USA, China and South Korea.  She is a member of the Spatial Music Collective and is currently RTÉ Lyric fm Composer in Residence.