"Listening to it stops me in my tracks.
This is a composer who can get right under the skin."
Bob Gilmore, The Journal of Music in Ireland

ailís ní ríain
Composer and Writer

Biography PDF Print E-mail

Born in Cork in the Irish Republic, the composer and writer Ailís Ní Ríain is a graduate of University College Cork (BMus), the University of York (MA), the University of Manchester (MPhil) and the Royal Northern College of Music (PGDip RNCM, PCRNCM) in Manchester, where she became the first Junior Fellow in Education. Although her formal training has primarily been in classical music as a composer and pianist, Ailis is also a published playwright and has been writing texts for many years, often incorporating these within her musical compositions, her particular interests are in voice theatre, cross-artform collaboration, chamber music and soundscape. 

 

Her music has been performed in the USA, Italy, Holland, UK, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Serbia, Greece, France and on Irish, German and Greek radio and released on CD.  She has been selected to attend numerous composition, new media and writing residencies throughout Europe and is grateful to the Arts Council of Ireland and Arts Council England for their financial support.  In 2004 Ailis was proud to represent Ireland at Culture 2004 in Italy and Greece with composer Salvatore Sciarrino. See Press

Education

University College Cork BMUS(Hons) 

York University MA in Composition

Manchester University MPhil in Composition 

Royal Northern College of Music PGDipRNCM

Royal Northern College of Music PCRNCM 

RNCM Junior Fellow in Education

Selected Awards

Joint First-Prize, ISCM World New Music Days Short Cuts Competition, Stuttgart July 2006 for StreetSong

Second prize Vienna Masterworks Nancy Van der Vate Competition for New Opera 2006 for EXIT (see list of 'List of Works' page for instrumentation)

First prize in the Brass in Association Competition (SPNM/Leeds University/Brass Association) in 2002 for flat-footed-former-flyer

First prize RTÉ Millenium Composer of the Future Competition 2000 for The Man Made of Rain

First-prize IMRO/Mostly Modern Composition Competition 1999 for Dogs in Waiting

Second-Prize RTÉ  Composer of the Future Competition 1998 for Orizzontale

Residencies

2006

Cubed3 Emerging Writers Residency at Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

2006

Interact 2006, Roskilde, Denmark international artists collaboration with Sophie Hjerl and ensemble Voz Nueva

2006

Ty Newydd, Wales, Playwriting residency with David Britton and Jilly Adams

2005

Arvon Foundation Playwriting Residency at Lumb Bank, Yorkshire with Tim Fountain

2004

Selected to represent Ireland at Culture 2004 International Workshops for Composers with Salvatore Scarriano and Theodore Antoniou in Italy and Greece, 2004

2004

LabCulture Residency with Simon Poulter & Duncan Speakman, Birmingham, July

2004

THREAD, Dublin Fringe Theatre Festival Annaghmakerrig, Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Ireland

2003

Acanthes, France with Klaus Huber, Gilbert Amy, Toshio Hosokawa & Les Jeunes Solistes

2003

Aldeburgh Productions/Genesis Foundation, Aldeburgh, Opera Writing Course

2002

Britten Pears Young Artist Programme, Dartington, New Music/New Media & Joanna MacGregor

2001

Czech International Composition Course, Cesky Krumlov, with Michael Finnissy, Guy Reibel & Marek Kopelent

2001

Young Composers Meeting, Apeldorn, Holland with Louis Andreissen & Martin Padding

2000

Dartington International Summer School with Kurt Schwertsik

Ailis is grateful to the Arts Council of Ireland, Arts Council England and the Contemporary Music Centre of Ireland for their support.

Ailis Ni Riain

 

 

 

 'Fallen' - Ailis Ni Riain

 

  

  
Ailis' works have received performances by:

 

Gareth Davis & Elsbeth Moser

Psappha

Frode Haltli

Anna Klett

arthurs.hoiby.ritchie

Dermot Dunne

Barry Guy

Der Ereprijs

Black Hair

Tim Williams

Harry Sparnaay

Bones Apart

Adam Swayne

Les Jeunes Solistes

Brett Baker

RNCM New Music Ensemble with James MacMillan 

Capricorn Ensemble 

Roger Heaton & Steven Pruslin

Concorde Ensemble

Cornelius Cardew Ensemble

Eleven Ensemble

Mark O Keffee 

Amy Liptrott

Kate Ellis

 

 

Copyright © 2007 ailís ní ríain
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