Vogler Quartet in Sligo

The Vogler Quartet in Sligo 1999 – 2004 was an innovative residency designed to create and pilot a new model of music development in County Sligo. It was the result of a co-operative partnership between four key sets of local and national agencies; Sligo County Council, Sligo Borough Council, Music Network and the Arts Council of Ireland.

The residency consisted of three inter-related strands, producing the following outcomes:

• Music Education: ongoing training and support for primary school teachers in delivering the music curriculum, including regular school visits by the Vogler Quartet; music appreciation and performances in post-primary schools and third level institutions
• Instrumental tuition: supporting the work of Sligo Academy of Music, which has led to the formation of a number of junior string quartets in the region
• Music Performance: including supporting the development of local promoter, Con Brio/Sligo Music Association’s year-round chamber music series and the establishment of a new annual chamber music festival, The Vogler Spring Festival

The benefits arising from the Vogler Quartet in Sligo residency have been sustained beyond the formal conclusion of the residency. A cohort of trained, skilled and musically confident primary school teachers continues to work to develop the musical ability of local children, and new training initiatives have been developed to enable local musicians in a range of musical genres to work alongside primary school teachers in supporting and enhancing the delivery of the music curriculum. Sligo Academy of Music continues to train young string players, and to develop their ensemble skills, with many students from schools involved in the primary curriculum support strand accessing instrumental lessons. Con Brio continues to present high quality chamber music concerts in Sligo by both Irish and international artists, and the Vogler Spring Festival continues to run annually, with the Quartet providing artistic direction.

Sligo County Council has proactively sought new local partners to enable the benefits of the residency to be sustained for the longer term, and is now working to this end alongside Sligo Education Centre, County Sligo VEC, Sligo Academy of Music, Ceolaras Coleman and Sligo Jazz Project under the auspices of a new Sligo Music Education Partnership. Music Network and the Arts Council continue to be involved in the development of this local work, as part of a National Expert Advisory Group, which also includes representation from Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, and the Department of Education and Science Primary Curriculum Support Programme.

The "Live Music in The Classroom" report, commissioned by the Vogler Partners Steering Group and published by Sligo Arts Department is available here.