“Honourable mention goes to the violinist Jane Hackett whose playing of Fauré’s Romance sans paroles is truly beautiful. The audience is visibly moved by the sentiment.”
Showreel
I am a violinist, whose work spans many artistic forms.
Since completion of BA and MA Performance Degrees in the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and the University of Limerick respectively, my work has led me in varying directions from regular performances with Ireland’s leading orchestras to devising and premiering new contemporary works, broadcasting children’s radio, co-creating performative cross collaborative shows internationally and exploring many ways in which the violin and body can produce sound.
Being diagnosed with a chronic condition a number of years ago, my way of working has inevitably evolved, leaving space for a more deliberate and meaningful approach to my work and life. I interact with sound differently each day and aim to create music experiences for various types of audiences including concerts for d/Deaf people and those with chronic conditions.
TAKT Kulturverein Concert Series, Brick 15, Vienna, 2024-The Body That Breathes-Installation Performance. Funded by Culture Ireland, Stadt Wien Kultur, Rudolfsheim Fünfhaus. Photo: Amélie Meißner
The Body that Breathes-a 'silent' concert experience,Unit 44 Dublin. Concept/Direction,Jane Hackett, co-devisor-George Higgs and Dublin Theatre of the Deaf. Funded by the Arts Council of Ireland. Photo: Sanda Sameika
Work
Being a member of the contemporary music group, Kirkos Ensemble since 2013, has most effectively challenged my perspective of traditional music making and has allowed me the space for exploration and adaptation within my arts practice.
My research and development with sound continues to shift as I navigate my own relationship with it. Disembodying and re-identifying with a multi layered performance practice has been a complex feat, one which continues to evolve through deep listening, improvisation and connecting with movement. This continuing journey has led to interesting collaborations with contemporary dancers, circus performers, Hindustani vocalists, poets and composers.
Alongside Kirkos Ensemble, I am a core performing member and Collaborative Projects Director of chamber collective, Musici Ireland, developing the group's cross genre artistic productions and broadening partnerships internationally. This includes commissioning new works by composers, touring abroad and developing a creative ethos for Musici players to experiment and explore.
I have been kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, South Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council, Culture Ireland and Arts and Disability Ireland, receiving Bursary, Agility, Individual Artist, Capacity and Resilience and Lyric FM Awards and have been chosen as Music Network and DLR’s ‘Established Musician in Residence 2024’ which will involve developing a new sound work for Deaf and hearing audiences in collaboration with Dublin Theatre of the Deaf.
Recent music cross form productions includes ‘The Body that Breathes’ in collaboration with George Higgs and Dublin Theatre of the Deaf, ‘A Mother’s Voice’ alongside Musici Ireland (Dir. Beth McNinch) and ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Slow Travel’ co-created by Kirkos Ensemble. These productions have been funded by various organisations/funding bodies including the Arts Council of Ireland, PRS Foundation, Culture Ireland, Triskel Arts Centre and will tour the US, Luxembourg, Ireland, Germany, Scotland and the UK in contemporary festivals throughout 2024/25.
“A Mother’s Voice does a beautiful job of centering survivors and transforms powerful testimony into performance with thoughtfulness and care. This is important work, blending activism and artistry, and I hope many other audiences have the opportunity to experience it.”