Deirdre Gribbin
 | Deirdre Gribbin was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1967. She was an award winner in the 2003 UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers with her work Empire States, and won a prestigious Arts Foundation Award for her first opera Hey Persephone! which had an acclaimed run at the Aldeburgh/Almeida Opera Festival. |
Her music has been performed worldwide including The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, UKwithNY Festival, The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and as featured composer at The Taipei Festival, Taiwan.
She has written music for British Academy award-winning film My Kingdom starring Richard Harris, as well as a number of drama commissions for BBC Radio 3 with director Lou Stein.
Numerous commissions include works for National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, The Ulster Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and performances by the London Philharmonia (Music of Today series at The Royal Festival Hall) and pianist Imogen Cooper and Venus Blazing which will tour the UK in the Spring 2005 with violinist Ernst Kovacic, Britten Sinfonia conducted by Pierre Andre, with lighting by Bruce Springsteen's lighting designer Jeff Ravitz and directed by Lou Stein.
The PRS Foundation caught up with Deirdre shortly before she embarked on her 'Venus Blazing' tour to find out what's been on her Ipod lately...
Don Cherry: Multi Kulti (A+M Modern Masters Jazz Series 395323-2)
I often come to CDs from having heard a live performer and Cherry is no exception. I was at the last concert he played in London at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, not long before he died in 1996 and it still remains one of my most memorable concert experiences. Cherry's trumpet playing is exquisite, full of wit and raucous sound, a strange blend of driven energy and throw- away nonchalance, very unique.
For more information, visit http://freespace.virgin.net/donovan.hawley/cherry.htm
Per Norgard: 'Twilight' for orchestra (Da Capo records DCCD 9801)
This work Twilight by Per Norgard continues to be as intriguing to me as when I first heard it in the early 1990's. The music has immense depth and is wonderfully richly orchestrated but without any redundant sounds.
For more information, visit http://www.pernoergaard.dk/eng/indhold.html
Herbie Hancock: Gershwin's World (Verve 314 557 797)
You never do know what you're going to get with this guy. I love the inventiveness and surprise and all the hidden sources in this CD. There is a real eclecticism and in-depth exploration of processes happening in each individual track. The result is highly energetic and displays skilled technical brilliance.
For more information, visit http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/product.aspx?ob=prd&src=list&pid=9909
For more information about Deirdre, visit http://www.deirdregribbin.com