Press Release : Ensemble Ériu are proud to announce a nationwide tour for The Stargazer suite of music based on the paintings of Jack B. Yeats, presented with Ensemble Music and funded by The Arts Council.

The suite, commissioned by The Model in Sligo with the assistance of the Arts Council’s Traditional Arts Commissions Award is a one-hour work of original music composed by Neil O’Loghlen and Jack Talty of Ensemble Ériu in response to selected paintings by Irish artist Jack. B Yeats.

The tour will also offer insights into how the compositional approaches adopted were influenced by the selected works of Yeats, taking the 7 piece contemporary Irish traditional ensemble to 5 of Ireland’s finest venues in Galway, Carrick-On-Shannon, Cork, Wexford, and finally Dublin.

In showcasing both the suite and the works that have inspired it, the winners of the 2015 Gradam Comharcheoil TG4 will be bringing both their music and the works of Jack B. Yeats to a new audience.

It marks a significant development for Ensemble Ériu since releasing their self-titled debut album to critical acclaim in 2013, as this suite is based purely around original composition as opposed to the arrangement of pre-existing repertoire in the Irish traditional music canon.

As well as performing the suite in its entirety, the band will also draw upon older material and preview some new works from their forthcoming second album, which will be released in 2016.

This is the new live track just released. It's from a BBC Session they did in Belfast recently.

The tour will bring Ensemble Ériu to the following cities and venues:

• Galway :: Tuesday 29 September :: St. Nicholas Collegiate Church :: Presented by Tunes In The Church :: details + tickets here
• Carrick-On-Shannon :: Wednesday 30 September :: The Dock :: details + tickets here
• Cork :: Thursday 1 October :: Triskel Christchurch :: Presented by Triskel Arts Centre :: details + tickets here
• Wexford :: Friday 2 October :: Wexford Arts Centre :: details + tickets here
• Dublin :: Saturday 3 October :: Freemasons’ Hall :: Presented by Improvised Music Company :: details + tickets here

Ensemble Ériu and Ensemble Music recognise the financial support of the Arts Council in making this tour possible.