A Show for Curious Eyes & Ears
April 2019 - Stomptown Brass performs at Ireland’s first ever annual international music festival for young audience with the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
a brand-new
interactive show…
…to charm, captivate and engage the curious eyes and ears of a younger audience
about the Show
At BIG BANG Dublin! 2019 – Ireland’s first ever international music festival for children – Stomptown Brass, in association with The Ark, premiered a brand-new interactive show designed to charm, captivate and engage the curious eyes and ears of a younger audience. The show is a raucous, non-stop, high-energy performance that combines music, movement and plenty of audience participation! It begins with a blistering New Orleans-style street parade, weaving and winding its way through the crowd, with the kids following close behind (imagine the Pied Piper, but with funky brass!). Then, carving out a performance area right in the heart of the crowd, the band staged an interactive “live rehearsal”, where they call on the kids to help them create more of their magical music. By introducing the fundamentals of rhythm, melody and harmony, Stomptown Brass (with lots of the help from the audience) build a fresh set of songs from the ground up. Finally, the band take to the stage for a fully professional performance, complete with call-and-response chants, precision clapping and groovy dance moves leaving the younger audience cheering for more!
about the Ark
The Ark is a dedicated cultural centre for children. They create opportunities for children, along with their families and friends or with their school, to discover and love art. Through their work with leading Irish and international artists children can enjoy performances in our unique child-sized theatre, view engaging exhibitions or participate in creative workshops.
Last April, the Ark presented Ireland’s first ever annual international music festival for young audiences, with lots of amazing music performances and exciting installations for children aged 2 to 12. To celebrate the end of BIG BANG Dublin 2019, they commissioned Stomptown Brass to create a show for family audiences to bring the band’s joyful, loud and upbeat brass street performance to Meeting House Square.
about BIG BANG in Dublin
BIG BANG is a festive ode to adventurous music and sound art for young audiences. Several big cultural houses in Europe (and since 2019 also the NAC/CNA in Ottawa, Canada) transform their venue into an adventurous musical labyrinth every year. On their journey, the young audience is faced with and will experience a colourful musical programme of music performances, sound installations and concerts. BIG BANG is not just a festival for young audiences but also involves them as participants.
The first festival of its kind in Ireland, BIG BANG Dublin will bring you amazing music events for children aged 2 to12. Expect a colour and curious programme full of different styles of music by musicians from Ireland and from across Europe.
special mentions
Special thanks to Aisling O’Gorman for the invitation to create a show specifically for this event. The performance is presented by The Ark in partnership with MusicTown Junior, and in collaboration with Zonzo Compagnie with the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
Creative direction by Rob Grant & Liam Ryan
Produced by Liam Ryan
Music & Lyrics written by James O'Leary
Images courtesy of The Ark. Photographer Laura Sheeran.
performers
Rob Grant - Trumpet, Lead Vocals
Liam Ryan - Trumpet
Luke Byrne - Saxophone , Vocals
James O'Leary - Trombone, Vocals
Finnian Kelly - Trombone
Brian Larkin - Tuba
Brendan Dorothy - Drums
Darragh McGrath - Bass Drum
