www.musicnetwork.ie

Music Network today announced a host of music luminaries for its 2010 Spring Season spanning a range of music performance styles from traditional Irish, jazz, chamber, classical and baroque. The Spring 2010 Season features five nationwide tours by an outstanding roster of Irish
and international artists, as well as a one day celebration of music in all its forms called love:live music (Friday 16th April). Music Network tours provide a fantastic opportunity to experience the very best in international chamber, traditional and world music in venues throughout Ireland at affordable prices. Music Network tours are funded by the Arts Council and are presented in association with The Irish Times and RTÉ lyric fm.

Describing what’s on offer, Music Network Acting CEO Aisling Roche explains, “Traditional Irish music fans will relish January’s tour, The Homecoming, which brings together four of Ireland’s finest musical émigrés: Susan McKeown, Paddy O’Brien, Aidan Brennan and Cillian Vallely. Has being away made their sense of identity stronger? As button box legend Paddy O’Brien puts it, ‘It’s just the way we are’. Next up is the weird but wonderful sound of Mercury-prize nominated UK jazz-chamber hybrid the Portico Quartet, who will be showcasing tunes from their recent album Isla. This band has something of a cult following, so tickets for this concert will sell out fast”.

Continues Roche, “Further sonic adventures come courtesy of the sensational violinist Ariadne Daskalakis and Trio Vintage, a baroque chamber ensemble that will perform a programme entitled Ultimate Baroque. Virtuoso guitarist Xuefei Yang and wunderkind cellist Natalie Clein are used to filling concert halls on their own, so don’t miss out on a unique chance to experience both these world-class musicians at close range during their April tour. Also, 2010 is the inaugural year of love:live music, a day long celebration of music throughout Ireland, coordinated by Music Network, which will take place on Friday 16th April. There will be hundreds of free live music events across all music genres in towns and villages all over the country as well as two flagship events in Dublin and Limerick that will showcase music of the highest quality. The season is rounded off in fine style by our second Irish traditional tour, in which piper David Power, flute player Ciarán Somers and fiddler Fionn Mac Goillachuda explore the music of the South East”.

Tickets for all regional concerts are available from individual venues around the country. All five Dublin performances will take place in Dublin Castle. Single tickets for all Dublin concerts are EUR15 (EUR10 conc. for students and over 65s) or EUR40 for a family ticket.

Season tickets are available at EUR65 each (EUR45 conc.) or EUR165 for a family season ticket. Tickets can be purchased by calling Music Network on (01) 671 9429, or online at www.musicnetwork.ie