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‘The Upper Hand’ by Jane Hackett and Alice Presencer, 2019, James Joyce Street, Dublin.

Kirkos Ensemble is an experimental/contemporary music group based in Dublin.

Michelle O’Rourke, Tonnta, Kirkos in Andrew Hamilton’s O’ Rourke. 

Vexations by Robbie Blake, Listening Bodies, Smock Alley, Dublin. (Photo: Borg Doras Benediktsdóttir)

I have been a core member of Kirkos Ensemble since 2013, acting as lead violinist for the past number of years.

Kirkos create immersive contemporary performances, premiering new works by Ireland’s leading composers, exploring conceptual performance works, experimental movements and creating unusual sight specific performances. Kirkos is an ever evolving ensemble who are open to encouraging artists from every form to engage with it’s new venue, Unit 44 in Dublin. 

This group has expanded my perceptions of what music, sound and composition mean in relation to my own work. Being a part of this ensemble has given me a chance to explore and develop my artistic journey to date and below are some examples of this.

  • New Music Dublin 2021: For Private Use

    An experimental anthology to help you hear, see and taste your environment in new ways, and redefine what you mean by the word performance. My two pieces (Blink Piece and Vienna Soundwalk were featured amongst other collaborative works).

  • Biosphere:

    Free, outdoor-based experimental encounters. Radical works exploring the relationship with Dublin’s natural and built environment as we confront the climate crisis.

    Decay is Inherent in All Things written by Robert Coleman was part of this series.

  • Dublin Fringe Festival: Music for Cranes

    Dublin is being torn down and transformed.Every route through town forces you past the shell of a place you used to love: a venue, a café, a community space. It’s impossible to imagine Dublin without cranes, the symbol nobody asked for. But what if they were used to build something that would benefit us all? In an outdoor performance reading Dublin’s cranes as musical notation, we’ll play music to them – and to you – remembering Dublin’s past.

  • Listening Bodies: Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin

    A four hour exhibition of live and installation music given by ten performers across all spaces in Smock Alley.The culmination of a long-term collaboration between Kirkos and Tonnta, this immersive experience builds from mentorship from internationally acclaimed artists, including German composer David Helbich and Irish performance artist Amanda Coogan.

  • Wildnerness Notes: Experimental Film Society

    A work of experimental film and contemporary music created in collaboration by some of Ireland’s most original film makers and composers.

  • Kirkoskammer: Powerscourt Theatre

    A collection of duo violin works by Robert Coleman, Susan Geaney, Jonah Haven and more.

  • Culture Night: Unit 44

    A launch of Kirkos’s new venue, Unit 44 in conjunction with the Contemporary Music Centre, presenting new works by composers and constucting a salad for the audience to enjoy.