Synopsis
Music in Ireland has evolved greatly in the last 100 years. Immigration, emigration, and the influence of ‘world’ and international music have created a vibrant music scene ranging from rock to classical, and Celtic to Hip Hop. This series will follow Bill as he organises a live performance showcasing all of these often-disparate cultures and styles playing together to create a unique Irish voice. It will stand as a personal journey for him through contemporary Irish music.
The only stipulations are that the music chosen has to be played live in Ireland, preferably by people resident in Ireland, and that the amount of artists chosen to represent each style be proportionate to its popularity in Ireland today. Each episode will deal with the logistics and personalities involved in realising such a great night in live music. The final episode will be a live performance held in the National Concert Hall, with all of the chosen artists playing the songs they have worked on together through the series.
Episode 1 - The composer rents the office (Ground Zero) and brings together a group of artists, critics, music lovers, event organisers and members of various ethnic and social groups. Their mission is to investigate the contemporary Irish music scene in Ireland, and decide what artists have the potential to be chosen to play on the night. They tour the country, visiting homes, community halls, live venues and musical organisations speaking with and listening to a wide variety of fascinating individuals and impassioned musicians from different cultural and social backgrounds. At the end they meet again with their reports and draw up a short list of potential artists.
Episode 2 - The process of bringing the chosen artists together begins. They will meet in small groups in venues around the country. The most varied groups will meet at first to see how, say, punk and traditional, or hip-hop and classical might be able to play together as one voice. The composer and his team bring them through the process. This will be the great challenge, and great opportunity, provided by the series. The audience will be able to watch as these strong personalities clash, and then resolve their conflict through the music. They will get to know the characters well, to understand their passion for music and the culture from which it is borne.
Episode 3 - All of the artists get to come together in the National Concert Hall to prepare for the big night. At this stage it is about figuring out what works and what does not. The songs and lyrics of the night will be decided upon, the final line-up will be confirmed and any problems or conflicts will be ironed out.
Episode 4 - The audience finally get to watch the live gig with some surprise appearances by famous and iconic musicians. The show will effortlessly fuse these disparate musical forms, unifying their themes and styles into one voice that speaks to all Irish people, regardless of race, sex or social standing.
[...] The Great Irish Session / An Irish Voice [...]