Banshee Brass Quintet to Return to Clonmel for Culture Night Premiere

Music lovers in Clonmel will have the opportunity to experience a world premiere, hear the work of a much-loved composer and welcome back an ensemble with a strong connection to the town when Finding a Voice presents Banshee Brass Quintet as part of Culture Night in Clonmel.

Taking place in the wonderful acoustic of the upstairs Gallery of the Main Guard, the performance is designed as a short, repeatable concert, making it easy for audiences to drop in, enjoy some exceptional live music and continue on to the many other cultural events taking place across the town.

The programme brings together two very different composers: festival audience favourite, the pioneering American composer Florence Price as well as contemporary Canadian composer Aliayta Foon-Dancoes. It opens with Price's Adoration, followed by the World Premiere of Tilt by Foon-Dancoes, a new work commissioned by Banshee Brass Quintet.

The premiere is a particular highlight of this year's Culture Night celebrations. Foon-Dancoes is a Vancouver-born composer, violinist and interdisciplinary artist currently pursuing a PhD in Composition at Princeton University. Her work brings together acoustic and electronic sound, visual art, performance and unconventional instruments, and has been performed by ensembles including Attacca Quartet, Sō Percussion, TAK Ensemble and Hub New Music. Her music explores humour, uncertainty, desire and the tensions of contemporary life.

Tilt, lasting approximately 12 minutes, has been written specifically for Banshee Brass, offering Culture Night audiences the chance to hear a completely new work performed for the first time. The premiere continues Finding a Voice's longstanding commitment to presenting music by women composers alongside exceptional performers and to creating opportunities for new music to reach audiences in Clonmel.

The inclusion of Florence Price also offers a sense of familiarity for Finding a Voice audiences. Price's music has been part of the festival's story and has become familiar to many of its attendees. Her work was prominently featured in the festival's 2022 programme by internationally acclaimed pianist Samantha Ege who brought Price's music to Clonmel, performing Irish premières of works by Price and Margaret Bonds.

Price (1887–1953) was an extraordinary pioneering figure in American classical music. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, she studied at the New England Conservatory and later established herself in Chicago. Her music draws on European classical traditions while incorporating African American musical influences, including spirituals, folk melodies and juba rhythms. In 1933, her Symphony No. 1 in E minor was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, making Price the first African American woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra.

For one member of Banshee Brass, the Culture Night performance has an especially personal resonance.

Tuba player Adam Buttimer, a founding member of the Dublin-based quintet, has strong connections with Clonmel. His musical journey began locally with Banna Chluain Meala, and, as a child, he performed with the band at the Main Guard. Years later, he returns to that same historic building as a professional musician, this time as part of one of Ireland's leading young brass ensembles - and with the added distinction of performing a world premiere that he commissioned.

Adam's achievements include winning the RDS Music Bursary in 2024, as well as the Feis Ceoil Senior Brass Recital and the Audrey Chisholm Award. He studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Francis Magee and has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Sibelius Symphony Orchestra, RIAM Philharmonia and National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. He has a particular interest in new music and expanding the repertoire for tuba, making the premiere of Tilt a natural fit for his artistic interests.

Banshee Brass is a multicultural brass quintet based in Dublin, committed to presenting unique, compelling and accessible performances while bringing diverse perspectives to their repertoire. The ensemble has enjoyed a rapidly developing profile in Irish musical life, with engagements including the 2026 Killaloe Music Festival, recitals at the National Concert Hall, the Music for Wexford Summer Lunchtime Concert Series and performances on RTE Lyric FM.

The quintet has also been awarded the ChamberFest Dublin First Prize in both 2024 and 2025, and has performed in some of Ireland's most prestigious venues, including Áras an Uachtaráin, the Long Room Library and the Great Hall of Cahir Castle. Alongside its concert work, Banshee Brass has developed an extensive programme of educational workshops in primary schools across Ireland.

For Finding a Voice, the programme reflects the festival's wider ethos. Founded in 2017 by sisters Roisin and Cliona Maher, the Clonmel festival celebrates music by women composers from across the centuries and around the world, presenting their work through performances by leading Irish and international musicians.

Get Broadway News on WhatsApp

Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.

Don't Miss a Ireland News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...