Since Cher’s 1998 hit “Believe,” critics and audiences have feared Auto-Tune’s effects on pop music. They often cast voice modification as the opposite of vocal expression and ability. But this critique betrays concerns about Auto-Tune that go far beyond concerns of “the music itself.”

NoNameTrio are a brand new progressive Irish Folk band featuring three esteemed solo musicians, composers and recording artists, Jason Turk, Conor O’Sullivan and Karl Nesbitt.

They play a diverse program of their own tunes and songs, as well as novel arrangements of traditional melodies. Their music is a unique blend of rich acoustic sounds and electronic soundscapes, alive with both simple hooks and musical complexity.

You can check out their recent video for music tech brand ROLI, which now has over half a million views:

https://youtu.be/vnz15qvkKR8?si=fdhpb63zblXWAfQp

http://www.nonametrio.ie/

Space, Memory and Decoloniality in Contemporary Hip Hop: A dialogue between artists and scholars

'Subjugated knowledges and the anonymous woman's voice in sean-nós song'

For the first of their FUAIM concerts this season, The Vanbrugh & Friends present Ludwig van Beethoven’s elegant and entertaining String Quintet in E flat Major Op.4. The concert will be opened by the Gealach Quartet, from the MTU Cork School of Music, performing two movements from Haydn’s 1796 D major quartet Op.76/5.

How do people listen at the frontlines of environmental crisis? In this presentation I explore sounding and listening in contexts of deforestation, implicated both in environmental conflict and responses to it. I explore the forested mountainous region to the south of Mexico City, commonly described as the “lungs” of Mexico’s capital, severely deforested in recent years by clandestine loggers. Here, sound practices accumulate around deforestation across overlapping registers of knowledge, especially regarding the sound of chainsaws – the first indication that logging is occurring.

As artists in their own right, Áine O Gorman and Victoria Keating have an impressive archive of solo singles, but together they create magic. Long time friends, the duo have previously released three co-written songs: 2020’s ‘The Poor Ground,’ written with Jamie Kelly in response to the Tuam Babies scandal, and singles ‘Brigid’ and ‘Sweet Bird’ (2023). Described by John Creedon as ‘quite brilliant,’ Victoria has toured and recorded extensively as a singer with Christy Moore and Declan Sinnott and has released 5 solo singles to great acclaim. Áine has released 4 solo singles, and her most recent, ‘These Empty Rooms,’ has been shortlisted for a prestigious Grammy Award in the ‘Song Of The Year’ category.

Rasa Nua are a Cork-based ensemble presenting original compositions and improvisational gymnastics steeped in various world music traditions, notably Baltic and Indian. Formed during the creative vacuum of the covid pandemic, they are: Jorge Kachmari (clarinet, saxophone), Dara O'Brien (sitar, guitar), Pat Allot(percussion), Tim O’Leary (double bass) and Lady Fi (voice).

Their sound is rich and varied, drawing from their collective backgrounds in Indian classical music, jazz, blues, klezmer, Turkish and contemporary music. With fluid interaction and palpable chemistry, Rasa Nua brings asound that is at once exploratory, exciting, engaging, and fresh.

Jerry Creedon presents popular guitar classics, featuring music for guitar by Isaac Albeniz, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Michael Praetorius, Stanley Myers and Andrew York.

The recital includes Yuquijiiro Yocoh’s beautiful Sakura variations, a piece which reflects the stillness typical of Japanese music, and the famous Five Preludes written in 1940 by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Well-known favourites Asturias by Isaac Albeniz, Cavatina theme from The Deer Hunter, and Sunburst by contemporary American composer, Andrew York, are also on the programme.

Eva is a musicologist in the Department of Music UCC with a particular interest in the neuroscience of music, specifically music and the brain. This focus coalesces with Eva’s passion for music in early years education and how it can impact on the neurological development of children of all abilities.

In memory of their colleague, Donal Gleeson, the Dublin Postal Clerks Branch of the Communication Workers' Union has established a fund to enable the University to provide a number of Instrumental Tuition Awards. Up to four awards are made each year to deserving undergraduate music students. This week's Friday lunchtime concert will feature four short performances by Iona Ritchie, Ruby Falvey, Rachel Casey and Gráinne Ahern.

Xiao Mei leads this insightful seminar at UCC, focusing on innovative strategies in preserving traditional music in China. While the seminar centers on China, it offers a unique perspective on cultural preservation methodologies, global intercultural dynamics, and the challenges faced in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH). The session explores the roles of academia, NGOs, and communities in sustaining China’s musical legacy, show the transformation of traditional music within the global context.

Niamh is an accomplished fiddle-player and singer, known for her unique traditional fiddle playing, her folk-infused fiddle compositions and smoky, warm vocal style.

The Department of Music at University College Cork is hosting an online webinar to provide information about its taught postgraduate programmes. 

There will be a short presentation from programme teams on the following programmes:

Ethnomusicology, MA

Irish Traditional Music , MA

Experimental Sound Practice, MA

Music, HDip

Music and Cultural History, MA

THE VANBRUGH & FRIENDS

Keith Pascoe, violin
Marja Gaynor, violin
Simon Aspell, viola
Ed Creedon, viola
Christopher Marwood, cello
Maria O’Connor, cello

The Impacts of Ethnomusicology

Ethnomusicologists are dedicated to the nuanced understanding of humanity at both global and local levels. As researchers, we attend critically to the accumulated knowledge and insights of musicians, dancers and the communities that surround them: we analyse their commemorations of the past, their representations of present realities, their visions of a better world, and even their more dystopian dreams. But as witnesses to these moments where lives are remade through performance, how far are we, as ethnomusicologists, obligated to contribute to the social agendas of those whom we study?

We regret to announce a change to our scheduled FUAIM concert for this week: due to circumstances beyond our control, Ramtin Nazarijou's concert of Iranian classical music on santur has had to be postponed to a later date. However, the good news is that the Friday Lunchtime Concert will still go ahead with the wonderful duo of Paul O'Donnell & Clíodhna Octigan and a concert of pop, soul and more for voices, piano and percussion.

Based upon my PhD thesis, this talk examines the emergence of distinctive dance music scenes in Liverpool after the city’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2008.

The Department of Music is proud to present two days of performances by our final year students. Taking place in the beautiful Ó Riada Hall in UCC’s Music Building in Sunday’s Well and in the well-known music venue, Cyprus Avenue, in the city centre, we hope you can join us for an exciting range of short concerts, featuring popular, traditional and classical musicians and singers from our BA and BMus programmes.