Ian McDonnell

Ian McDonnell is a Dublin based musician and composer. His work ranges from solo and chamber instrumental works, to mixed media and installation pieces, to improvised electronica and pop music. He is a member of duo Lakker (described in the JMI as 'one of the best electronic acts in Ireland'), Lomelindi, Jenny-and-the-Deadites and Miriam Ingram's band. He has performed at concerts by the Crash Ensemble and in a piano and laptop duo with composer Roger Doyle. His electronic piece 'Coil' was joint winner at Crash Ensemble's recent 'Shindig!' call for works. He has also composed music for theatre and dance, his most recent piece being a sound score for the show 'Out of Time' with dancer Colin Dunne, which will be performed at the Dublin Dance Festival in April '08.

He is a member of the Spatial Music Collective and the Young Composers Collective for whom he has composed various electroacoustic pieces as well as works for the Dublin Guitar Quartet ('55" for Four Guitars'), Kate Ellis ('Nomad') and the New Dublin Voices ('Lux Aeterna'). His next piece, commissioned by the Spatial Music Collective, will be a string quartet with multi-channel electronics, to be performed by the Bridgewood quartet in June '08.

He holds a Masters Degree in Music and Media Technologies from Trinity College Dublin, where he studied composition with Donnacha Dennehy, Roger Doyle and Fergus Johnson. His thesis was a large composition for piano, string quartet, voices and electronics which was premiered by members of the Crash Ensemble and conducted by Fergus Shiel, in June 2006. In October 2008 Ian will be starting a Phd in composition at Trinity College with Donnacha Dennehy.

He also works as a producer/engineer. Currently he is producing an album for dublin based musician Dave Thomas and his band the Square Revolution, due for release later this year.