Andreea Banciu viola
James Allsopp bass clarinet
Ed Devane electronic instruments

Brian Irvine Composer
Wouter Van Looy Director

Alyson Cummins Stage & Costume Design
Erato Tzavara Video Design
Sarah Jane Shiels Lighting Design

Meet Ed, Andreea and James, three totally different people with one thing in common – they are crazy about music and sound.

Ed can usually be found in a corner, building unusual electronic instruments, tinkering with his own world of sound. Andreea plays the viola beautifully and reads complicated sheets of music as if they were fairy tales. And James? Well, James wanders a labyrinth of sound like an explorer, connecting and disrupting with his bass clarinet as he goes.

Anything can happen as they find each other and start to invent music together. What stories will they share when, with your help, they explore the magic and mystery of how to compose, perform and improvise?

Wires, Strings & Other Things, conceived and created by Brian Irvine and Wouter Van Looy, is a music performance that encourages you to always be curious. To listen, respond to, and communicate through the sounds, music and stories that are all around you.

We are delighted to be offering schools the opportunity to stream the show and brand new workshops on-demand into your classroom no matter where you live for free as part of our 40th anniversary.

Originally presented and toured in 2022 Wires, Strings and Other Things returns in 2026 via The Ark’s online platform. The Ark, a cultural centre for children, is a long-term strategic partner of Music Network, working with us to develop new and original music performances created specifically for children and family audiences since 2012.