The Dublin Guitar Quartet

The Dublin Guitar Quartet are exclusively devoted to contemporary music. Performances include a mix of celebrated works of the guitar quartet repertoire and modern works by internationally acclaimed composers such Steve Reich, Henryk Gorecki and Arvo Part. They are developing the electric side of guitar quartet performance and are producing arrangements for this medium. The DGQ are the first professional Irish guitar quartet and their unique approach has led to several tours and performances abroad. The quartet is committed to performing new Irish works. In March of 2004, Lyric FM broadcast their Mermaid Arts Centre concert over two installments of the ‘Horizons’ programme. This concert included a world premier of Four Guitars by internationally acclaimed composer Kevin Volans. The composer became interested in the group on hearing their arrangement of a work he originally composed for New York’s Kronos Quartet and this inspired him to compose a radical new work for their repertoire. The quartet also gave a performance at the National Concert Hall as part of the Dublin Electronic Arts Festival 2006 (D.E.A.F.) This included a premiere of new work by Donnacha Dennehy. The concert was broadcast on Bernard Clarke’s Nova on RTE Lyric FM. In 2007 the group commissioned seventeen members of the YCC (Young Composers' Collective) to produce a set of 1-minute miniatures. These were performed during the Printing House festival of New Music at Trinity College. They have also been successful in bringing contemporary music to unlikely audiences. They have played as guests of ‘rock’ groups such as The Redneck Manifesto (Dublin) and Final Fantasy (Canada) performing in venues such as Vicar St., Whelan’s of Wexford Street, the Project Arts Centre, Crawdaddy and the Roisin Dubh, Galway. They also gave the opening concert at the inaugural Guitar Festival of Ireland (2004) which included performances by John Williams and Louis Stewart. In 2005 the quartet undertook a tour of Ireland in which they performed in venues such as Galway’s Town Hall Theatre, the Market Place in Armagh and Crawdaddy at the Pod in Dublin. The quartet were also invited to perform at the Crash Ensembles' ten year anniversary concert last October. They recently premiered an arrangement of Philip Glass's 4th string quartet in Bantry House, Cork on December 5th 09. In July 2008, the quartet was honoured to share the stage with legendary American composer Philip Glass at a Louth Contemporary Music Society concert at St. Patrick's Cathederal, Dundalk. The quartet performed arrangements of two of Glass's string quartets, Mishima and Company and were given a complimentary introduction by the composer himself. Their debut album, Deleted Pieces was released in March 2005. The disc includes works by Henryk Gorecki, Kevin Volans, Leo Brouwer and the Redneck Manifesto. They are currently working on two releases. The first is a Music Network/Arts Council funded recording of works by established and emerging Irish composers for classical guitar quartet. They have recently completed mixing a recording of arrangements for electric guitar quartet by internationally established composers. Four guitars, contemporary classical music.