Seven exciting new music projects supported to tour across the UK and Republic of Ireland through PRS Foundation’s Beyond Borders

UK and Ireland-based organisations, music groups and composers will receive funding through the co-commissioning and touring programme Beyond Borders. The exciting cross-border projects are:

• Kirkos Ensemble (Republic of Ireland) and New Music Dublin present Carbon Neutral Music – Kirkos Ensemble will devise, perform and tour Carbon Neutral Music, an artistic and practical response to touring internationally in the climate crisis.

• Linda Buckley (Scotland) and Chamber Music Scotland present Thar Farraige (Over Sea) – Commission and tour of a new chamber work by Irish composer Linda Buckley for string quartet, small pipes and electronics.

• BAN BAM (Republic of Ireland) and Improvised Music Company present BAN BAM Tour 2023/24 – A UK and Ireland tour of three new works from female and gender-minority composers commissioned as part of the BAN BAM Commission & Development Award

• Ed Bennett (England) and Contemporary Music Centre present Sherman Pectu Duo Tour – 3 composers will write works for viola and percussion to be performed by the Sherman/Petcu duo alongside other premieres of Irish music.

• Ben Lunn (Scotland) and Drake Music Scotland present Sparking Renaissance – Six Composers will collaborate closely with Welsh pianist Siwan Rhys to develop cutting edge new works for piano for an album to be released by NMC Recordings

• Gwyneth Glyn (Wales) and Lorcán Mac Mathúna and Knockengorroch present The Real Merlin – Musicians from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England (Northumbria) will create multi-lingual new work inspired by the poetry of ‘Hen Ogled’ (the Old North)

• James Thompson (Northern Ireland) and Moving On Music present ADJUNCT Ensemble Tour – Tour of UK and Ireland with the newly formed ADJUNCT ensemble, led and directed by NI Composer and musician Jamie Thompson.

Beyond Borders was established in 2010 to support high quality co-commissions and tours, stimulating collaboration between composers, performance groups and music organisations across the four different UK countries and, since 2014, the Republic of Ireland.

Previous Beyond Borders successes have included Songs of Separation, a collective of 10 female English and Scottish folk musicians whose album won ‘Best Album’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2017, and David Fennessy’s ‘Panopticon’, commissioned by Hebrides Ensemble and Psappha, which won the Scottish Award for New Music for Small Scale work. Martin Green’s ‘Flit’, combining live music and animation which reflects on first hand stories of migration, also won over audiences and critics nationwide in 2016, and was funded through Beyond Borders.

Beyond Borders is a co-commissioning and touring programme run in partnership with Creative Scotland using National Lottery funding, Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Arts Council of Ireland / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

Find out more about Beyond Borders