Eimear Reidy

Music

26 November 2022

Eimear Reidy was commissioned by The Dock to create a cello piece in response to the exhibition 'Hopefully' by Paul Hallahan which examines the transitional period between night and day.

The Dock Arts Centre · Eimear Cello commissioned work

About the Artist(s)

Eimear Reidy is a cellist with a diverse musical practice ranging from Historical Performance Practice to Sound Art. Eimear has performed in some of Europe’s finest concert halls including The Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Vredenburg, Utrecht, Symphony Hall Birmingham, Krakow Philharmonic and The National Concert Hall, Ireland. In 2014 Eimear founded the early music ensemble The Hibernian Muse, the trio recorded and released an album of the music of Turlough O’Carolan for RTE Lyric FM.

Eimear is a keen improviser and has performed with musicians such as The Quiet Club, Strange Attractor, and Laura Hyland as well as solo performances in The Guest House, Plugd Records, Zolala, Sonic Vigil, Féile na Gréine, The Dock Arts Centre, Spike Cello festival and the Kat Laughs festival. Eimear has written music for a variety of settings including theatre, art installation and dance performances. In 2018 Eimear wrote 'This Island' in collaboration with Robert Curgenven. This piece was for solo cello and field recordings from Heir Island. It was performed at The Sirius Arts Centre and as part of Skibbereen Arts Festival.

Eimear is part of a duo with Natalia Beylis. The duo released their album Whose Woods These Are in 2021 to critical acclaim and have since performed at festivals and various venues throughout Ireland including The Dock Arts Centre, Idir Dha Thra (Ennistymon) Test Site (Cork) and Tradition Now (National Concert Hall, Dublin). Eimear’s Debut solo album Things That Happened At Sea was written and recorded whilst on residency in Cill Rialaig (Kerry) and was released in 2021 on Nyahh Records.

“Her intensely lyrical use of the instrument shines through, gentle bows of the strings summoning soft groans and shivering luminescence. It’s almost animistic at times, as though she’s captured the sound the instrument makes as it hums to itself in private. The opening plucks and strums of ‘Prelude’ come in like a series of shudders, while ‘III’s’ fluttering tones conjure images of staring out to sea, which may be prescient as this tape was recorded in a famine village turned artist’s retreat atop cliffs in County Kerry. The mood switches between ghostly spaces and forlorn laments, but most rewarding is the gap left for the imagination. Reidy’s vivid playing leaves behind a tantalising mystery which pushes you into piecing together the story alluded to in the title.” -Daryl Worthington, The Quietus

"A soundtrack for a planet being born...Eimear Reidy channels a timeless spirit on this sonic narrative, conjuring the rawest emotions before splitting them into infinite, ancient elements. This music feels like something that’s existed within us for millennia, but only now has someone been able to tap into its visceral nature and extract it for all the world to hear. Exquisite.” -Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis