"The Dead Live - a deeply impressive performance of an austere, well-written piece by the Irish composer Ailis Ni Riain conducted by James MacMillan"

-Michael Tumelty, The Glasgow Herald.

"Thought provoking and delicately crafted - anger notwithstanding."
Michael Dungan, The Irish Times.

See Reviews »

SOLOS

Beautiful Cracked Eyes (2007), Piano Solo. Premiere by Adam Swayne, Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London 8th January 2008. 10 mins. Commissioned with funds from Arts Council England.  

Fwd: [no subject] (2003), Trumpet solo, 4 mins.  Premiered by Thomas Osbourne, Montepulciano, Italy. 2003. Commissioned by the RNCM.

Rude Boy (2002), Piano/Speaker, 3 mins. Premiered by Adam Swayne, at the RNCM.

To acquire scores please contact the Contemporary Music Centre of Ireland or email Ailis Ni Riain 

flat-footed-former-flyer (2002), Trombone/Speaker, 12 mins.  Premiered by Brett Baker of Black Dyke Band, Leeds, 2002. Winner 1st Prize SPNM/Brass in Association Competition for new works for brass.

Dogs in Waiting (1999), Double-Bass, 6 mins.  Premiered by Barry Buy, Dublin 1999. Winner 1st Prize IMRO/The Mostly Modern Composition Competition.

Into the Sea of Waking Dreams... (2007), Piano solo, 9 mins. Commissioned by Stephen Crowe. Premiered by Adam Swayne, London, 2007.

DUOS

FIRST ABSOLUTE EXECUTION (2004), Bass-Clarinet & Accordion, 11 mins. Commissioned by Music for Galway with funds from Arts Council of Ireland. Premiered by Elsbeth Moser & Gareth Davis, Galway, 2004. 

Never… (2001), Guitar Duo, 8 mins. Premiered at the RNCM by Tom McKinney & Jasper Mehmet.

DON’T! (2000), Bass-Clarinet & Cello, 4 mins. Premiered by Harry Spaarnay & David James , Dublin, 2000.

The Man Made of Rain (1999), Clarinet/Speaker & Piano, 10 mins. Text: Brendan Kennelly. Winner 1st prize RTE Millennium Composer of the Future Competition, Ireland, 2000.

Mercury (1997), Violin & Piano, 5 mins. Premiered at Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, York by Nicky Haire & Ailis Ni Riain. 

Down the Rabbit Hole (1994), Flute, Piano & Drum, 8 mins. Winner 1st Prize Capriccio Composition Compeition, UCC, Ireland.

TRIOS

UPTHEWALLS (2007) Trumpet, Drumkit, Double-Bass. 5 mins. Premiere 25 Nov, Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London by  Arthurs.Hoiby.Ritchie. Commissioned by SPNM/London Jazz Festival. 

10,000 Deviants (2007), Amplified Speaker, Flute, Piano,  5 mins.  Text: Ailís Ní Ríain. Premiered by Eleven Ensemble, London, 2007.

Rogue Boar Shot Dead (2004/7), Trumpet, Drum-Kit, Piano, 7 mins. Premiered at National Concert Hall of Ireland, 2007.

The Last Time I Died… (2001/2), Violin, Piano, Percussion, 6 mins. Premiered at The National Concert Hall of Ireland, 2007.

Under the Rose… (2000), Flute, Violin, Piano & Spoons, 10 mins. Commissioned by Concorde Ensemble with funds from the Arts Council of Ireland. Premiered by Concorde, Dublin, 2000

QUARTETS

Silently in Space (2001), String Quartet & Glasses, 13 mins. Premiered at Quartetfest, Manchester, 2004.

Possibility? (2001), Saxophone Quartet/Speakers, 4 mins.

UP! (2003), Trombone Quartet/Speakers, 5 mins. Premiered by Bones Apart,USA, 2003.

QUINTETS

Orizzontale (1997), Vln, Cl, Vc, Pf, Perc, 7 mins. Premiered by Concorde Ensemble, National Concert Hall of Ireland, 1998.

OTHER ENSEMBLES

The Dead Live (2002), Picc, B Cl, Ob, Bsn, Hrn, Vc, Pf, Hrp, DB, Perc & Six pairs of glasses, 14 mins. Premiered by the RNCM New Ensemble, conducted by James MacMillian, 2002.

METRO:GNOME (2001), Wind Band, 3 mins.  Premiered by Der Ereprjis, Holland 2001.

PLAYS

The Falling (2005).  Premiered at 24:7 Theatre Festival, Manchester, UK.

TILT (also known as BEATEN) (2007). Premiered by The New Works in Livepool, Glasgow and Cork.

CELL (2009).  Premiered at 24:7 Theatre Festival, Manchester, UK.

VOCAL/CHORAL

Cease to Exist (1998. rev. 2002), Chamber Choir or Vocal Sextet  (Two versions available), 3 mins. Text: Biblical.

The Falling (1995), Chamber Choir, 4 movements, 8 mins.  Text: Lewis Carroll.

Spurious Balancing (2003), A madrigal for Counter-tenor, Tenor, Baritone, 3 mins. Text: Ailís Ní Ríain. Premiered by Les Jeunes Solistes, Avignon, France, 2003.

Attrition (2000), Song Cycle, Sop & Pf, 13 mins. Text: Kenneth Clarke. Premiered at National Concert Hall of Ireland, 2007

A Song for My Body (1998), Sop, Fl, Tpt, Vc, Pf, Perc, 12 mins. Text: Christy Brown. Premiered at National Concer Hall of Ireland, 2007.

That’s the Way the Moon Wanes (1996), Song Cycle, Mezzo, Cl & Vc, 8 mins. Text: Translations from ancient Greek.

This Moment (1996), Any Solo Voice, 2 mins.  Text: Eavan Boland.

Child of Our Time (1996), Any Solo Voice, 3 mins.  Text: Eavan Boland.

She Tells Her Love (1996), Mezzo & Vc. 2 mins.  Text: Anon.

Stones (2008), male voice choir, 5 mins. Commissioned by English Heritage, Horse & Bamboo, Pennine Groundwork.  Premiered at The Boo, Bacup, Rossendale.

MINI-OPERA 

We Know We Got Soul (2007)

Words: David Gaffney. Tenor, baritone, clarinet, vibes, cello. 13 mins. Premiere BBC 3 The Verb 28th March 2008. Commissioned with funds from Arts Council England.

Are Friends Electric? (2008)

Words: David Gaffney. Baritone, alto, clarinet, cello. 11 mins.

The People with Complicated Shoes (2009)

Words: David Gaffney.  Soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, clarinet, vibes, cello.  10 mins.

ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC/TAPE

StreetSong (2006), Commissioned by The Contemporary Music Centre of Ireland. 4 mins. Premiered at CMC, Dublin, 2006. Winner 1st Prize, ISCM World New Music Days, Short Cuts Competition 2006. 

How Did it Feel? (2005), Tape. Voice, Harp, Prepared Piano.  Text and vocal by Ailís Ní Ríain. 7 mins. 

TranSextreme (2005) Tape. Voice, prepared piano and harp. Text and vocal by Ailís Ní Ríain. Released on CD by Deep Wireless, 2007. 

I Remember (2002), Tape. Digitally manipulated spoken text with prepared piano improvisation, 3 mins.  Text and vocal by Ailís Ní Ríain.

But Will You? (2005) Voice, Harp, Piano. Text and vocal by Ailis Ni Riain

Wounds, Scars, Screams (2005), Tape. Voice, Harp, Prepared Piano.  Text and vocal by Ailís Ní Ríain.  6 mins. Released on 'Unsafe' sonic art CD in 2007.

TAPE AND INSTRUMENT

2 Steep 4 Sheep (some hills are) (2006), Amplified Harpsichord and Tape, 6 mins. Premiered by Jane Chapman at Harpsichordfest, Manchester, 2006.

Surrealist Pilgrims  (2007), Amplified Cello and Tape, 12 mins. Text: Ailis Ni Riain. Commissioned by The National Concert Hall of Ireland. Premiered at the National Concert Hall of Ireland, 2007. 

SOUND INSTALLATIONS

Missing Persons (2006), Commissioned by Tilfeldig Productions with funds from Arts Council England for an exhibition in Wellington Mill, Ancoats, Manchester. 12 mins.

Lighthouse Lullaby (2009), commissioned by Fold with funding from PRS Foundation for Maryport Lighthouse, West Cumbria. 10 mins.

MUSIC-THEATRE

brief-blue-electric-bloom (2007) Cimbalom, Banjo and Electric Guitar. 60 mins duration. Texts and music by Aili Ni Riain. Premiere 30th Nov 2007, Greenroom, Manchester. Commissioned by Greenroom with funds from Arts Council England. 

EXIT (2003), Music-theatre, multi-media work.  3 Sop, 1 Ten, 2 Bar, Fl, Cl, Vln, Guit, Hrp, Vib, Perc, Db/Electric Bass, tape, film. 40 mins.  Texts: Ailís Ní Ríain, Kenneth Clarke, Eavan Boland & Biblical. Premiered by Exit Players at RNCM, 2003.