John D'Arcy
I am a composer, performer and researcher based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and my work draws on Irish folk song, vocal improvisation and participatory song-making. I work in collaboration with audiences and groups of communities, exploring social, cultural and environmental histories through the use of archives, found text, oral histories, folklore and traditional melodies. I have composed collaborative songbooks and performances with communities around the River Tolka, Brain Injury survivors, community gardeners and genomic healthcare patients. During residencies at PS2 Gallery, The MAC Belfast and Open House Belfast I have produced a number of original site-specific performance works for public spaces in Belfast.
I was a member of the steering group for Belfast's successful bid to become a UNESCO City of Music and currently sit on the Belfast Regional Music Board. I have been awarded by Office of Public Works Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and commissioned by Northern Ireland Screen, National Museums Northern Ireland, Freelands Foundation, University of Oxford and Goethe-Institut London.
My work has been broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster and Resonance FM, and programmed by The Science Museum London, Belfast International Arts Festival, Belfast Film Festival, Household Belfast, and Happy International Samuel Beckett Festival.