Minister for Arts Catherine Martin has announced the recipients of the new Live Performance Support Scheme, created to support the return of live music and events this year.

A total of €25m has been granted to a range of event promoters, including major music promoters, to plan performances across the country over the summer months. Among the announcements are €582k for Aiken Promotions for performances in Vicar Street, €423k for Pod Festivals for a summer series of events titled Meadows, €423k for Electric Picnic for events in Stradbally and the Olympia Theatre, and €423k for Body and Soul for an event titled Equinox.

Schweppe Curtis Nunn, who curated Brightening Air/Coiscéim Coiligh, which is currently running, have been awarded €291k for an event titled Electric Caravan, a series of one-day micro-festivals at four historic houses; MCD have received €265 for a concert featuring rap, R&B, drill and pop; and the Indiependence festival has been awarded €265k to present PaircLife, an outdoor concert series at Tramore Valley Park in Cork.

In classical music, Lyric Opera has been granted €233k for a production of The Mikado, and Breda Cashe Productions have received €208k for an opera adaptation of James Joyce’s The Dead, which will be produced at the Gaiety.

Ashwood Music Administration has also been granted €42k for a new theatrical music work by composer David Downes and playwright Adam Wyeth, to be performed by Olwen Fouéré, Owen Roe, Hugh Tinney and Adrian Mantu.

Leagues O’Toole’s Foggy Notions company has been awarded €79k for a new Dún Laoghaire folk music festival, and Vantastival has been awarded €74k for a two-day rock and folk event at Beaulieu House and Gardens in Drogheda.

The funding follows a pilot scheme that was run last year. Commenting on the awards, Minister Martin said:

I know this funding will assist in the employment of performers, artists, technicians, creative and performance support staff across the sector, bringing much-needed employment to many who have not had work for many, many months. I look forward to the high quality artistic output, as demonstrated in the pilot, which has been so important and enjoyed by so many.

See the full list of recipients below. For more, visit www.gov.ie.