Crash Ensemble Announce 25th Anniversary Programme

Crash Ensemble is well-known for its passion and dynamism; constantly exploring new ways of presenting music and bringing its ever-expanding audience on new adventures.

This year they celebrate their most significant birthday to date - the 25th! To mark the occasion, Crash Ensemble present a special anniversary programme that encapsulates all aspects of their current work - live performances, commissions, non-live formats of film and installation, and a limited edition double album release.

The programme, happening over two weeks from November - December 2022, features:

• [REACTIONS] limited edition double album release and film screenings

Amidst the onset of the global pandemic, Crash Ensemble commissioned 17 Irish and international composers from a range of musical backgrounds to write new works for duos within the group.

Building on existing collaborative partnerships and cultivating and nurturing new relationships, composers were invited to create a musical response to their experiences, the current state and their thoughts for the future.

The [REACTIONS] composers are:

Amy Rooney, Anna Mieke, Anna Murray, Anselm McDonnell, Bébhinn McDonnell, Bekah Simms, David Fennessy, Deirdre Gribbin, Diamanda Dramm, Ena Brennan, Jonathan Nangle, Rachael Lavelle, Rose Connolly, Seán Ó'Dálaigh, Sebastian Adams, Siobhán Cleary, and Stephen Shannon.

Each composer documented their creative process with text and imagery, offering a fly on the wall view of the composers' studio spaces, visual imagery and text journaling during the creative process. The duos were recorded and will now be presented in a limited-edition double album release [REACTIONS], coming November 25th.

Audio visual material was combined with these recordings to make an accompanying film by Crash's resident filmmaker, Laura Sheeran, which will be screened at The Irish Film Institute, Wednesday 30th November 2022.

• Performances at The National Concert Hall

The 25th year anniversary programme culminates with two special concerts and a cutting-edge installation at the National Concert Hall (NCH).

The first celebratory concert, Crash 25! Charged Disruption, on Saturday 3rd December (The Studio) sees the acclaimed ensemble, with conductor Ryan McAdams, perform Donnacha Dennehy's magnetic, soulful and influential work Grá agas Bás with vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird. In the second part of the concert Artist in Residence Diamanda La Berge Dramm and writer Neva Elliot present Crashed, drawing on the unique energy of the players of the group, through the use of their voices and instruments.

For the second birthday concert, Crash 25! Living Perspectives, on Sunday 4th December (The Studio) the ensemble's programme comprises Australian composer Liza Lim's Extinction Events and Dawn Chorus and Barry O'Halpin's experimental work Wingform, which takes advantage of Crash's unique ability to cover a breadth of musical ground: winding melodies, mechanical rhythms, rapid lines and hypnotic drones.

The previous week, from Thursday 24th November to Sunday 27th November, The Studio space in the National Concert Hall hosts Crash 25! Wingform Installation. The installation is the work of video artist and filmmaker Jack Phelan who created a work responding to the visual themes of Irish composer, Barry O'Halpin's Wingform - a four movement work for solo guitar and ensemble. Using a simple set of shapes, materials and layout, the installation aims to evoke the essence of the ensemble.

Tickets for Crash 25! Charged Disruption (3rd December) and Crash 25! Living Perspectives (4th December): €18 are available from nch.ie

Crash 25! Wingform Installation runs from 10am - 8pm from Thursday 24th November, to Sunday 27th November - Free entry (Minimal strobe lighting in some visuals on display)

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