The 10-week series will feature two premieres each week, kicking off with performances by Grammy-nominated guitarist and composer John Doyle on Wednesday 8th April and critically-acclaimed jazz pianist Carole Nelson on Friday 10th April, both at 7.30pm.
Commenting on the curated line-up, Music Network’s CEO Sharon Rollston said:
“We are pleased to announce 24 talented Irish and Ireland-based artists who will compose and perform for our new online performance series The Butterfly Sessions. Music Network has always sought to offer audiences throughout the country the very best in classical, jazz, traditional and roots music. The quality and breadth of this line-up reflects our ambition to continue to find ways to support and celebrate the wealth of musical talent currently in Ireland, whether in a live concert hall setting or from artists’ own homes.”
Other musicians announced include renowned composer and director of Cór Cúil Aodha Peadar Ó Riada (15th April) and the exciting young Italian-born, Ireland-based guitarist Julien Colarossi (17th April). The Butterfly Sessions will also feature highly-regarded concertina player and traditional dancer Caitlín Nic Gabhann (22nd April) and master songsmith Ger Wolfe (24th April).
TG4 Traditional Musician of the Year 2020 Laoise Kelly will perform in the online series (29th April) and Irish composer Judith Ring will compose a new piece performed by Australian flautist Lina Andonovska (1st May). Other artists include critically-acclaimed traditional accordion player David Munnelly (6th May) and renowned songstress of the jazz world Christine Tobin (8th May).
Further traditional musicians and composers include outstanding concertina player Niall Vallely (13th May), nominee for the RTÉ Folk Awards 2019 Original Song of The Year Gerry O'Beirne (22nd May), former member of supergroup Solas Niamh Varian-Barry with a traditional composition for viola (3rd June), harper & songwriter Brona McVittie (10th June) and RTÉ Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2019 nominee, traditional flautist and member of Flook, Brian Finnegan (15th June).
Additional compositions include a new work by saxophonist and artistic director of the Yurodny Ensemble Nick Roth (29th May) withmulti-instrumentalist and multi-genre musician Tom Portman bringing roots music to the fore on lap steel guitar (20th May).
Performances of classical compositions will include Crash Ensemble’s Deirdre O’Leary performing new music by Jonathan Nangle (15th May), celebrated violinist Mairéad Hickey performing a piece by composer Andrew Hamilton (27th May) and prize-winning pianist Fiachra Garvey presenting the work of Amanda Feery, currently composer-in-residence with Irish National Opera (5th June).
Hosted on Music Network’s YouTube channel, the performances will also be shared across all of the organisation’s social media platforms. This new initiative is one of a number of ways in which Music Network will support Irish and Ireland-based artists in the coming weeks during the Covid-19 outbreak.