Deirdre Gribbin: The Composers’ Fund
‘Soul Outsider’ – A new recording on Crash Ensemble Label
‘Soul Outsider’ is a largescale work commissioned by Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA Freud Collection for performance in Dublin, Belfast and London in 2021/22. Based on Lucien Freud’s female portraits, it reflects on relationships between sitter and artist examining the psychological struggles behind Freud’s work and his mental health. Recording on Crash Records will allow me to pursue partnerships outside conventional Concert Hall settings and enable listeners to access my work through music streaming and online platforms. I will use this recording to connect with areas of mental health and science, exploring potential of positive change to mental well-being through music.
Deirdre was awarded a ‘Major Individual Arts Award’ from Arts Council Northern Ireland in 2019. She is a Fulbright Fellow. She has written extensively for orchestra, including UNSECO award-winning ‘Empire States’. performed by BBC Symphony, RTE and Danish Radio Orchestras and featured at Lincoln Center, New York. An Aldeburgh Festival commission, ‘Hey Persephone!’ won the Arts Foundation Opera Award. She has written for BBC Radio, ‘The Possessed’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Her DNA-coded string quartet ‘Hearing Your Genes Evolve’, featured at Berlinale Film Festival.
She is also a recipient of PRS Woman in Music Award for ‘Reflected Glory’ at Huddersfield. Her violin concerto ‘Venus Blazing’ toured the UK and in 2019 lent its name to a festival of Women’s music at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Current commissions include West Cork Music, Dublin New Music, Wellcome Trust. Her music is recorded on NMC and Sky Pictures ‘My Kingdom’ starring Richard Harris.