13 Vices is a unique work, the result of a collaboration between two of Ireland’s most dynamic compositional voices – Brian Irvine (Belfast’s first Music Laureate) and Jennifer Walshe.

The idea for the project came when Brian was working in Russia and stumbled across Mihail Chemiakin’s sculptures 'Children Are the Victims of Adult Vices’ in a park in Bolotnaya Square, Balchug, near the Moscow Kremlin. Thirteen figures depict adult vices, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, and prostitution, that affect children.

Brian wanted to compose a piece that combined extreme genres of music, working with Jennifer Walshe who has written texts. They have taken a very lateral approach to what vices are such as, irresponsible science, social media and narcissism for example. During the performance Brian will connect and conducted the performers - 3 string performers, double bass improviser and percussion improviser - the effect will be a layered performance that lies somewhere between theatre, contemporary classical, free improvisation, opera, conduction, poetry, thrash and trash!

For ticket prices and booking information to all of the venues please visit www.rednoteensemble.com

Brian Irvine

"..his mind is a microcosm of huge energy and chaos, intricately engineered to blow your head off!" BBC Music Magazine

Brian was born in Belfast and is Belfast's first ever Music Laureate by the city council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. His body of work reflects an obsessive love of music creation in all its forms and includes operas, orchestral works, large-scale oratorios, installations, film, theatre and dance scores as well as ensemble, solo, chamber works. His music is a highly personal concoction of punk, improvisation and contemporary classical - difficult to describe! http://www.brianirvine.co.uk/

Jennifer Walshe

“Without a doubt, hers is the most original compositional voice to emerge in Ireland in the last 20 years.” Michael Dervan, The Irish Times'

Jennifer Walshe was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1974. She studied composition with John Maxwell Geddes at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Kevin Volans in Dublin and graduated from Northwestern University, Chicago, with a doctoral degree in composition in June 2002. Her chief teachers at Northwestern were Amnon Wolman and Michael Pisaro. In 2000 Jennifer won the Kranichsteiner Musikpreis at the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik in Darmstadt. In 2003-2004 Jennifer was a fellow of Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart; during 2004-2005 she lived in Berlin as a guest of the DAAD Berliner Künstlerprogramm. From 2006 to 2008 she was the composer-in-residence in South Dublin County for In Context 3. In 2007 she was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, New York. In 2008 she was awarded the Praetorius Music Prize for Composition by the Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur. In 2009 she lived in Venice, Italy as a guest of the Fondazione Claudio Buziol. She is currently Reader in Music at Brunel University, London. She lives in London and Co. Roscommon, Ireland.

Red Note

“Red Note Ensemble is a Scottish success story” Anna Picard, The Times

Since its formation as a company in 2009, Red Note Ensemble has taken up a leadership position as Scotland’s contemporary music ensemble, performing and developing both an extensive, highly-varied and critically-acclaimed programme of new music and undertaking a forward-thinking Access, Engagement and Participation (AEP) programme of workshops and outreach initiatives across Scotland, the UK and internationally, with a flexible ensemble consisting of up to 20 primarily Scottish-based players.

The company has a twin focus, and it operates two complementary strands of work: a performance programme, which focuses upon the development, commissioning and performance of new music to the very highest standards; and an access, engagement and participation programme (aka creative learning), which focuses upon reaching and developing new and underserved audiences for contemporary music.

This combined approach has proved very successful, and the company has developed rapidly since formation. Rather than follow a traditional, Classical Music-style model of a Spring and Autumn Season or Concert Series in fixed concert hall locations, Red Note has followed a creative and flexible approach to commissioning, production and presentation which more closely reflects the richness and diversity of new music, and enables the company to respond to new ideas and demand flexibly, quickly and effectively. This includes site-specific and multi-media performances, collaborations with companies and practitioners from other artforms, collaborations with musicians from diverse backgrounds, presentations in theatrical or visual arts spaces, and a significant amount of work in areas with underserved populations. We also undertake a significant amount of work beyond Scotland's borders, both within the UK and internationally. www.rednoteensemble.com