Nialler9’s top Irish music of the moment

Last weekend’s New Music festival finally delivered on its celebratory promise

Laura Jurd is one of jazz's fastest rising stars but her band Dinosaur has a sound that's pure early 1970s electric funk

The upside-down provision of opera in Ireland neglects works people want to hear most

Mark Padmore’s singing is riveting, with an exceptional sense of intimacy and adaptability

Norway’s top opera job is being taken up by Annilese Miskimmon. The post comes with its own dramatic history

The diverse members of the Palestrina children’s choirs in Dublin might have the voices of angels, but there’s devilment there too

Kilkenny’s 10-day immersion in Bach was a box-office success and provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

Known locally as ‘Taj Miceál’, its landmark green dome towers over the city skyline

The Wexford-bound Silent Night explores the horror of war through the prism of the unofficial Christmas Eve truce of 1914. Its composer and librettist talk about the making of a Pulitzer Prize winner

Irish Youth Opera production gives young singers ‘something to aspire towards’

As the only studio album released by the singer in his lifetime, Grace represents all that was lost with Buckley’s tragic early death

The real question now is whether Elaine Kelly will get the opportunities to build her experience and repertoire

When reviewing, the composer’s invective was extreme. He is no less frank when writing about his own life, alcoholism and recovery

President tells of poignant moment when memories of IRA father flooded back

A deep and diverse cross-section of Benjamin Britten’s output

The tenor John Elwes met Benjamin Britten as a young chorister at Westminster Cathedral, the two sharing a penchant for schoolboy humour

Jim Golden: born July 6th, 1935; died June 15th, 2013

London Letter: House of Lords votes overwhelmingly to approve same-sex marriage legislation

Roland Dyens was in charming form at the Guitar Festival of Ireland, while Mantra Percussion tried to take the Drogheda Arts Festival by storm

A new biography of the British composer not only claims that he died of syphilis but also documents how his controlling singlemindedness sometimes undermined the music he made