As a destination for contemporary music, Dublin, Ireland may lack the instant cachet of London, Paris, or New York, but it is hardly lacking in premier musical talent.

As proof, on June 14 at 9pm, New York's intrepid contemporary music organization Bang on a Can will premiere Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy's "Streetwalker," a new commission by WNYC. The work will get its New York premiere on the annual People's Commissioning Fund Concert at Symphony Space (95th St. & Broadway) and will subsequently be broadcast on a special edition of Evening Music on June 29 at 8pm.

Though barely into his 30s, Donnacha Dennehy is already the hub of an exciting new circle of young Irish composers entering the international spotlight. Director of the music and technology department at Trinity College in Dublin, Dennehy is founder and artistic director of the Crash Ensemble, a lively ensemble known for its cross-media work.

"Dennehy's music often incorporates electric and electronic technologies, and his own group, the Crash Ensemble, is a kind of communal cousin to the Bang on a Can All-Stars, with a similarly open-eared approach to music," says Schaefer. "The more I heard, the more I thought he'd be a perfect fit with the All-Stars. When I asked him if he'd accept a WNYC commission to write a piece for this concert, he leapt--via email, at least--at the chance."

The Irish Times recently praised Dennehy's "Streetwalker," for its "mixture of urban sounds, and tight, multi-layered rhythms." The review added: "But there is nothing routine about it. Subtle and unusual pitch-bending techniques intersect with, and help to trigger some of the most kaleidoscopic sounds of this concert. The sense of purpose gives special potency to surprising twists and turns in a work which stood up with the best of those in the concert."

Other composers featured on the People's Commissioning Fund program include Annea Lockwood, Ingram Marshall, Thurston Moore (who joins the group live on stage), and special guest Steve Reich, who will lead a performance of his classic "Pendulum Music."

Special Online Chat with John Schaefer:

In connection with this year's People's Commissioning Fund concerts, as well as the annual Bang on a Can Marathon on June 15, Bang on a Can is presenting its second annual series of Online chats with noted new-music authorities. WNYC's John Schaefer goes Online on June 17; other guests include composer/Bang on a Can founder Julia Wolfe, composer/performer Eve Beglarian, and New York's hip, boundary-blurring string quartet Ethel. All chats take place 4-5pm EST.
Visit the Bang on a Can e-festival

About the People's Commissioning Fund Concerts

Since 1999, the People's Commissioning Fund concerts have provided a grass-roots approach to commissioning new music. Instead of the customary process of filing grants or soliciting private backing, Bang on a Can invites its audiences for contributions, ranging from $5 to $5,000. In just five years, more than 400 supporters have made possible the commissioning of 14 works by American composers, most of whom, true to the ensemble's freewheeling aesthetic, write music that bridges contemporary classical and popular styles. The works are performed by the Bang on a Can All-Stars, an amplified sextet that includes Evan Ziporyn (clarinets), Mark Stewart (electric guitar), Wendy Sutter (cello), Lisa Moore (piano and electric keyboards), Robert Black (bass) and David Cossin (percussion).
Complete Program Details

More About Donnacha Dennehy

Born in Dublin in 1970, Donnacha Dennehy studied music at Trinity College Dublin. In 1992 he left Ireland to pursue graduate studies in composition at the University of Illinois, USA, after which he briefly studied at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague and IRCAM, Paris. In 1997, after returning to Ireland, he founded the crashEnsemble (of which he is still the artistic director). He also lectures in music technology and composition at Trinity College Dublin.

As a composer, he is particularly interested in writing for mixed media groups. His music has been commissioned and performed by ensembles and soloists as diverse as the Orkest de Volharding, London Sinfonietta, London Brass, Percussion Group of the Hague, Crash Ensemble, the Vanbrugh Quartet, Joanna MacGregor, the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.

His music has been featured in many international festivals, including EXPO 2000, the Gaudeamus Festival in the Netherlands, Bath International Music Festival, State of the Nation at the South Bank London, Concerts M Montreal and the Saarbrucken Music Festival, Germany.

Future projects include, among others, a commission for the Dance Umbrella Festival in London, and a WNYC commission for the Bang On A Can All-Stars to be premiered in New York in the summer of 2003.