Featuring Liam Ó Maonlaí, Mel Mercier, Niwel Tsumbu, Paul O’Donnell, Eamonn Cagney, Mary Hickson, Dylan Gully and Niall Vallely

The Pavilion, Carey's Lane

 Saturday 2nd October, 8pm, €20+ booking fee

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The TRASNA ensemble was established in 2009 as a School of Music (University College Cork) response to the developing intercultural landscape of Cork.  The ensemble performed for the first time in February 2010 in the Pavilion, Carey’s Lane Cork, where the huge potential of the group was evident. TRASNA went on to headline the closing event of the Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures where they collaborated with a Moroccan Gnawa ensemble, traditional Irish music Powerhouse Guidewires, virtuoso Basque Txalaparta duo Ttukunak and dancer Colin Dunne.

TRASNA is the ideal foundation on which to build a musical collective capable of representing the rich diversity of contemporary Cork musical life. The ensemble is founded on the principal of intercultural musical collaboration and diversity and offers great potential for dynamic interaction with musicians from a broad spectrum of musicals styles.

TRASNA will be just home from representing Ireland at the Shanghai World Expo when they take to the stage for the Cork Folk Festival.  TRASNA is Liam Ó Maonlaí, Mel Mercier, Niwel Tsumbu, Paul O’Donnell, Eamonn Cagney, Mary Hickson, Dylan Gully and Niall Vallely.  They will be joined for this performance by Francesco Turisi.

The project is motivated by the desire to bring together musicians and listeners from the diverse communities in Cork, to include the students in UCC School of Music.  This is part of the new resonance Mel Mercier wants to sound out over the city, part of his long term vision for the UCC School of Music to become part of the cultural infrastructure of Cork by embracing, facilitating and celebrating it.

Liam Ó Maonlaí is an Irish musician, collaborator, facilitator and recording artist. In addition to his work with Hothouse Flowers, Liam has released 2 solo albums, which will form the foundation of this performance, Rian (2005) and To be touched (2009).  Liam went to Mali in January 2006 where he played at the renowned Desert festival with Uillean Piper Paddy Keenan and participated in the making of a documentary. Himself and Paddy played with musicians from the greater region from very well known artists to local tribes people. Liam has also travelled extensively in Australia, Japan, America, Europe, Scandinavia, Morocco and India and has played and continues to play with the traditional players of these places. ‘I believe séan nos carries a sense of the soul of the land and the people who are awake in that land. I feel, when in the company of other cultures, the singing of this style opens a window into what it is that connects us. Every country has it's own séan nos.' 'words particularly English words are not enough. They have been used to lie on a grand scale. They continue to be used to manipulate and confuse. Music has a purpose that remains to be seen. The potential is beyond imagination.'

Niwel Tsumbu (Democratic Republic of Congo) Niwel moved to Ireland in 2004 where he quickly made friends with the Irish music scene. He began playing with many local bands and formed the groups Sumu, Jazzmu and Motema.  Dylan Gully (Brittany France) also has a long-standing relationship with Cork, having formed Balkin/Gypsy extravaganza Txutxucan here back in September 2008, he is back in the county to work on a new album with the group. Niall Vallely is one of Ireland’s leading concertina players.  Paul O’ Donnell is a lecturer (UCC School of Music) and performer specializing in jazz. He is interested in jazz and popular music performance, harmony, improvisation, interpretation and arrangement, and the music of Thelonious Monk.  Eamonn Cagney is a past pupil of the UCC School of Music and is already well immersed in the intercultural space that exists in the city of Cork. He performs with Niwel Tsumbu in Songs of the Nation. Mary Hickson is a past pupil of the UCC School of Music and is currently teaching their Ewe Dance Drumming module. Mel Mercier is the UCC School of Music’s recently appointed head of school where he lectures on Irish, African, Indian and Indonesian musics.  Son of Cheftan’s bodhrán player, the late Peadar Mercier, Mel plays bodhrán, bones and a range of international percussion instruments.