Discovery Trail: Music Rooms

Saturday 24 June 2017 | 12pm, 2pm, 3:30pm
For Ages 6+
Tickets: €5 per person (20% off for Members) | Click here to book your ticket.

The Ark have teamed up with Project Arts Centre, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios and the Gallery of Photography to present 3 fun and fresh mini-concerts as part of a walking music discovery trail through Temple Bar.

A chance to get a taste of 3 fresh family music performances at an early stage whilst getting to see a number of behind-the-scenes buildings and spaces in Temple Bar.

The Ark approached a number of musicians to come up with a new idea for a music performance for children and this is your chance to see what they’ve come up with! You’ll also get to see some interesting spaces in The Ark’s neighbourhood so it will be a walking musical adventure.

Location 1: Swells and Shoots
A dynamic cello and viola duo create a performance based on a short piece of music by composer Judith Ring called Swells and Shoots. The music has a lot of fun sounds in it with the musicians playing the instruments in unusual ways to create crazy sound effects as well has having lots of great melodies.

When the composer wrote the music she was inspired by how plants like vines and creepers grow by twisting, grabbing, swelling and shooting off in different directions. Our two performers will use these kinds of movements as they play, moving between solo and duo music moments.
Devised and performed by: Kate Ellis (cello) and Lisa Dowdall (viola)
Composer: Judith Ring

Location 2: Toy Piano mini-concert
The toy piano is an intriguing instrument – a really small piano which has a whimsical look and sound. The famous American composer John Cage brought the instrument into the public eye with his piece Suite for Toy Piano which remains a favourite among performers. Recently the instrument has become popular again with many contemporary composers writing music for the instrument. The music in this concert is a mixture pieces with some additional instrumentation (mechanical music box and metal pipes/tins in the David Lang). The music in this concert is performed by pianist and composer David Bremner.
Musical Director: Johnathan Nangle
Performed by: David Bremner (toy piano)
Composers: Jonathan Nangle and David Lang

Location 3: Happiness Stan
Happiness Stan is a psychedelic music fairy tale by world famous 1960s band The Small Faces that makes up the entire B side of their no.1 hit album Ogden’s Nutgone Flake (1968). The iconic album was ground-breaking and nearly 50 years on, it is still one of the most wonderfully weird records ever made. The kaleidoscopic music, imaginative story and whacky humour went on to influence the likes of Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene and Blur, and even spawned prog-rock, hard rock, heavy metal and punk rock.

Our band who call themselves The Happy Faces will perform a selection of these classic rock songs that tell story of Happiness Stan who is on a quest to find the missing half of the moon. Along the way, he travels on the back of a giant fly, journeys to the cave of a hermit and discovers that a breakfast cereal may be the meaning of life.
Composers: The Small Faces
Performers: Shane McGrath (vocals and guitar), Cian Nugent (bass guitar), Julia Mahon (keyboards), Shane Atlas (drums, vocals).

Bookings: www.ark.ie or 01 6707788