South Tipperary Arts Centre was founded in 1996 out of a need for a physical space, an agency to advocate for the importance of the arts in the life of a town, and a hub for the artists of the area. In 2019, with a new Artistic Director building on the recent work of outgoing director Cliona Maher, our objective is to fully realise these objectives, and to bring the best of Irish and international art to Clonmel, as well as providing a hub for local artists and creatives.
Upcoming plans include the exhibition ‘A Population of Wonderments’, presenting work by renowned sculptor and Aosdana member Janet Mullarney, which opens on the 28th of February and runs until the 6th of April.
We are delighted to launch the second edition of the Finding A Voice concert series – a celebration of women composers for International Women’s Day, funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.
For the 2019 edition, curated by Roisin Maher and taking place from Friday 8th to Sunday 10th March 2019, we focus on the music of women composers through the ages in particular celebrating the anniversaries of three significant women composers: the 400th anniversary of the birth of celebrated Italian baroque composer Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677); the 200th anniversary of the birth of German romantic composer Clara Schumann (1819-1896); and the 70th birthday of renowned Canadian composer Alexina Louie (b. 1949), who will travel to Ireland for the very first time to be present for a concert of her music by rising stars Ellen Jansson (piano) and Clonmel’s own Kelley Lonergan (soprano) with a guest string quartet.
This year, we were able to commission a new work to mark the bicentenary of Clara Schumann’s birth. Reflections on a Theme by Clara Schumann for solo piano – a companion piece for Clara Schumann’s own Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann – will feature six of Ireland’s leading women composers (Jane O’Leary, Rhona Clarke, Siobhan Cleary, Marian Ingoldsby, Amanda Feery and Anna Murray) each of whom will write a short ‘reflection’ on a theme from Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, with the seventh reflection written by Carol Hayes, the winner of the Finding a Voice Composition Competition for emerging Irish women composers.
Coming up in April, we have an exhibition that is being curated by 5th year Art students from the Loreto Secondary School from the collection of the Arts Council of Ireland, and which will examine the theme of ‘mindset’. We’re very much looking forward to seeing what this project, mentored by Kilcash artist Mollie Anna King, brings to us!
Our 2019 artist-in-residence is Leah Corbett. As an artist, she is interested in how art can be used as a tool for social change. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, her work often takes the form of participatory art, video, sculpture and installation.
For more info on the concert series, exhibitions or to book tickets, please have a look on our http://www.southtippartscentre.ie , contact us at [email protected] or ring us on 052 6127877
