James Camien McGuiggan studied music in Maynooth University and has a PhD in the philosophy of art from the University of Southampton. He is currently an independent scholar.
James Camien McGuiggan
Singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill performed with the National Symphony Orchestra on 16 November as part of the Tradition Now festival at the NCH. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Pianist Máire Carroll has recently released a recording of the complete études of Philip Glass on Delphian Records, and gave a complementary concert at the National Concert Hall in September. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
'Nobodaddy', a new show from Teaċ Daṁsa featuring American folk singer Sam Amidon, is currently running at the Dublin Theatre Festival. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Il Ritorno del Angelo – a new group featuring Barry Guy, Olesya Zdorovetska, Nick Roth and Izumi Kimura – have just released 'Spring & Asura', an album of four new improvised works. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Composer Greg Caffrey has just released 'Environments', an orchestral album featuring the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Sinead Hayes, guitarist Craig Ogden and pianist Daniel Browell. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
The Blue Chopsticks label has just released 'In the Merry Month of May', a collaboration between Irish composer Jennifer Walshe and the late American experimental artist Tony Conrad who died in 2016. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
RTÉ Lyric FM recently broadcast a two-part documentary on Irish composers and climate change, presented and produced by Jonathan Grimes of the Contemporary Music Centre. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
New Music Dublin took place at the National Concert Hall and other venues in the city from 25 to 28 April with many world and Irish premieres. James Camien McGuiggan reviews days 2 and 3. For a review of days 1 and 4 by Brendan Finan see the link below.
Composer Seán Clancy has just released a recording of 'Four Sections of Music Unequally Divided' on the Birmingham Record Company label. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Harpsichordist, conductor and musicologist Bridget Cunningham has just released an album of work by the eighteenth-century Anglo-Irish composer Thomas Roseingrave. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Ailbhe McDonagh has just released a recording of the complete Bach solo Cello Suites, the first Irish cellist to do so. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
A new book by Gabriela Mayer, 'The Art of the Unspoken', explores how rhetoric, linguistic parallels and the singing voice were understood by pianists and composers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and how performers can interpret these aspects today. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
The composer John Buckley has recently released 'Boireann' on the Métier label, a collection of works for flute and piano featuring Emma Coulthard, David Appleton and Emma Halnan. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
John Francis Flynn's second album 'Look over the Wall, See the Sky' was released this month on the River Lea label. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
'The Body That Breathes', a silent concert experience directed by violinist Jane Hackett and devised with George Higgs and the Dublin Theatre of the Deaf, took place on 1 November at Unit 44 in Dublin. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
NMC Recordings have recently released 'The Last Time I Died' by Ailís Ní Ríain, the first full-length album from the Irish composer. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
The 10th New Music Dublin festival took place last weekend and featured major new works by Donnacha Dennehy, Ann Cleare, Kevin Volans, Karen Power and more. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Lankum's fourth studio album, 'False Lankum', is a refinement of their sound more than it is something radically new, but there are many other achievements, writes James Camien McGuiggan.
'Litir ó Do Chara', a portrait film about the late guitarist Dennis Cahill, was broadcast on TG4 on 5 March. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Harper Úna Monaghan's new album 'Aonaracht' is a collection of six pieces for solo traditional musicians and computer, featuring Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn, Jack Talty, Pauline Scanlon, Saileog Ní Cheannabháin, Paddy Glackin and Monaghan herself. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
The Dublin-based Dutch soprano Judith Mok, born to Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, has recently published 'The State of Dark', a book telling the story of her family. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
The 2022 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival took place on 18–27 November and included a focus on Ireland and Australia as well as performances by Pat Thomas, Explore Ensemble and more. James Camien McGuiggan reviews the final weekend.
'MÁM' by Michael Keegan-Dolan and dance company Teaċ Daṁsa, featuring concertina player Cormac Begley and the Berlin-based collective s t a r g a z e, is currently on tour. James Camien McGuiggan reviews a performance in Portarlington Community Centre on 28 October.
Music Network's first tour of the autumn season began with Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Cormac de Barra and Mark Redmond at the Sugar Club in Dublin on 14 September. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Celebrating ten years, Kirkos ensemble hosted their festival '10' in Dublin in July, featuring new work from Susan Geaney, Sebastian Adams, Jonathan Nangle, Áine Mallon and Robbie Blake. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Returning for its first live festival since 2019, the West Cork Chamber Music Festival took place from 24 June to 3 July with over 100 concerts. James Camien McGuiggan attended for three days and reviews a number of events.
Farpoint Recordings have recently released 'SacrumProfanum' by composer Benjamin Dwyer, a work for ensemble and tape inspired by the medieval Sheela-na-gig carvings found in Ireland. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Last week, the National Symphony Orchestra performed under Portuguese conductor Joana Carneiro a programme of works by Salonen, Mahler, and Stravinsky, featuring mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
The Music Current contemporary music festival returned last week post-pandemic and featured international groups Splinter Reeds, Loadbang and Ensemble Garage, Barry Guy and Maya Homburger, and a range of premieres. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
Norwegian violinist and composer Henning Kraggerud recently performed with the Irish Chamber Orchestra at the NCH. James Camien McGuiggan reviews.
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