The Galway Music Residency has announced the appointment of Dr. Karen Power from Mallow, Co. 
Cork as its first ever Composer in Residence. As part of the role, Karen has also been commissioned to write a work for the resident ensemble – ConTempo String Quartet who will premiere the work at the organisation’s 10th Birthday Celebration Festival in February 2013.
Karen is one of Ireland’s most exciting young talents in the world of contemporary composition. Her work has been played and celebrated both nationally and internationally. The introduction of a guest Composer in Residence is an exciting new development in the ten year history of the residency. Guests play an active role in the overall programme during their period in Galway and Karen will pay regular visits to the city, leading workshops with local primary and second level students as well as working closely with ConTempo throughout.
Speaking of the appointment, Bernard Kirk, Chairman of the Board said, “We are delighted to make this announcement – a composer in residence is something which we have been working towards for some time. We were thrilled with the response received to our call for submissions and impressed by the calibre of candidates coming forward. We are very proud to name Dr. Karen Power as our first ever Composer in Residence and look forward to an enjoyable time working with her”.
The Galway Music Residency is the oldest residency programme in Ireland and the only one of its kind in existence in this country. This year’s 10th Birthday season is a year- long retrospective which sees special guest artists returning for concert events throughout the year playing highlights from the decade gone by. The Galway Music Residency is currently on tour, playing Bray, September 29th; Cork, October 19th and Galway, October 26th. The Celebration Festival takes place in Galway in February 2013. The Galway Music Residency is a performance, education and community based programme based in Galway.
