Berginald presents Bombast!

Chelsea Sharpe, violin
Clifton Harrison, viola
TBC, cello
Fiona Gryson, harp
Berginald Rash, clarinet
Greg Crowley, bassoon
Hannah Miller, horn
Patrick Nolan, percussion
John Doyle, conductor
Ishmael Claxton, visual artist 

Oy Guidry Just because I have a dick doesn't mean I'm a Man (Irish Premiere)
Carlos Simon Loop for string trio  (Irish Premiere)
Nkeiru Okoye Breaking Bread for solo viola  (Irish Premiere)
Ivan Enrique Rodríguez The Broken Contract for harp and recording  (Irish Premiere)
Quinn Mason In Memory for solo horn  (Irish Premiere)
Jessie Montgomery Peace for clarinet and harp  (Irish Premiere)
Allison Loggins-Hull Stolen for solo cello  (Irish Premiere)
Gabriela Ortiz Atlas-Pumas for violin and marimba  (Irish Premiere)
Shawn Okpebholo There is Always Light for clarinet, bassoon and marimba   (Irish Premiere)
Jeff Scott The Idle Mind for solo horn  (Irish Premiere)
Joseph Hallman Concerto for B-flat/E-flat clarinet, violin, viola, cello, bassoon, horn, harp & percussion (World Premiere)

Bombast! showcases works both by Black composers—many of whom form the US-based composer collective Blacknificent 7—and Latiné composers. Bombast! features the world premiere of Joseph Hallman’s Clarinet Chamber Concerto; interpolation and extemporisation around an arresting Joy Guidry original; plus powerful and poignant works by such provocative composers as GRAMMY®-nominated Gabriela Ortiz, GRAMMY®-nominated Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon, and Imani Winds founding member Jeff Scott. Listeners will also encounter introspective works by the celebrated Nkeiru Okoye, internationally lauded Quinn Mason, GRAMMY®-winning composer and Chicago Symphony Orchestra Mead Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery, and GRAMMY®-nominated Shawn Okpebholo.

Bombast! brings together some of today’s most celebrated musicians from around the world, including violinist Chelsea Sharpe of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, and versatile viola player Clifton Harrison, formerly of the Kreutzer Quartet. They collaborate with some of Ireland’s finest musicians, including critically acclaimed clarinettist Berginald Rash; brilliant horn-player Hannah Miller of the Irish Chamber Orchestra; Bangers & Crash percussionist Paddy Nolan; internationally lauded cellist-composer Ailbhe McDonagh of the Ficino Ensemble; harpist Fiona Gryson; and the National Symphony Orchestra's principal bassoon, Greg Crowley. In addition to bombastic aural experiences, Bombast! features visual art by New York-born visual media artist Ishmael Claxton, whose poignant and pertinent work is exhibited all over the world.

Grouped in couplets of solo and chamber pieces, reflecting the chasm between rugged individualism and the human ache for connection, Bombast! represents the audacity to live out loud, boldly and unapologetically; the assertion of one's right to exist, and the unwavering expression of and commitment to one's identity despite the risk of violence and retribution.

Presented by New Music Dublin
Sponsored by RTE/NCH/Arts Council Ireland