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Louth Contemporary Music Society (LCMS) celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a special festival edition, Coming Together, taking place in Dundalk 19 - 20 June 2026.
Founded in 2006, LCMS has spent two decades creating spaces for shared listening, connecting international artists and audiences through adventurous contemporary music. Over that time, it has welcomed composers of the calibre of Arvo Pärt, Terry Riley, Kaija Saariaho and Philip Glass to Dundalk, while building a loyal and engaged audience.
Marking this milestone year, Coming Together unfolds across five concerts over two days in a series of intimate and atmospheric venues including St Nicholas’ Church of Ireland, the Oriel Centre at Dundalk Gaol, St Vincent’s Chapel and The Spirit Store.
The 2026 programme brings past and present into dialogue, pairing brand-new works with music dating back to the 1930s, much of it rarely heard in Ireland. Highlights include the world premiere of a new LCMS commission by Austrian composer Beat Furrer, performed by Cantando Admont and an international ensemble of soloists.
There is also a rare opportunity to experience the raw, strange music of American composer Harry Partch, whose radically original practice explored new musical sounds using specially adapted instruments. His U.S. Highball and 10 Lyrics of Li Po will be presented by Charles Corey and Luke Fitzpatrick, a repertoire seldom heard live, particularly in Ireland.
‘Coming Together’ is also the title of a piece we’ll hear by another American, Frederic Rzewski, politically charged, enraged but also in a way joyous, music that stands and shouts.
The festival closes with celebrated Grammy-nominated bass-baritone Davóne Tines, whose work sits at the intersection of opera, spirituals, gospel and contemporary composition. Described as “changing what it means to be a classical singer” (The New Yorker), Tines brings his genre-defying approach to Recital No. 1: Mass, moving between Bach, Caroline Shaw and Spirituals in a powerful reimagining of the recital form.
Reflecting on the anniversary, Éamonn Quinn said: “LCMS has grown around the idea of people coming together in a room and listening together. Over the years, audiences have become increasingly open and curious, engaging deeply with the music we present. The 2026 festival reflects that spirit, bringing artists and listeners together through the experience of live music.”
Festival Highlights
Coming Together – Furrer & Rzewski
Friday 19 June | 8pm | St Nicholas’ Church of Ireland
The festival opens with a major programme of works by Beat Furrer, performed by Elina Viluma-Helling (soprano), Cornelia Sonnleitner (mezzo-soprano) of ensemble Cantando Admont and an international group of soloists, including the world premiere of a new LCMS commission Litanei. After the interval, Frederic Rzewski’s Coming Together is performed with Darragh Morgan, Carol McGonnell, and singer Daisy Press as narrator.
Frey’s String Trio
Saturday 20 June | 1pm | Oriel Centre at Dundalk Gaol
Swiss composer Jürg Frey returns to Louth for a performance of his String Trio, a work of hushed intensity, presented in the atmospheric setting of Dundalk Gaol.
Furrer’s Prophecies
Saturday 20 June | 3pm | St Vincent’s Chapel
An all-Furrer programme performed by Cantando Admont, featuring in mia vita da volpe, Lotófagos and Prophezeiungen.
Harry Partch: U.S. Highball
Saturday 20 June | 5pm | The Spirit Store
A rare opportunity to hear music by American composer Harry Partch, whose radically original work sits outside the conventions of Western classical music. U.S. Highball and 10 Lyrics of Li Po are performed on adapted instruments by Charles Corey and Luke Fitzpatrick. A Highball Cocktail Reception will take place before the performance.
Davóne Tines – Recital No. 1: Mass
Saturday 20 June | 8pm | St Nicholas’ Church of Ireland
The festival closes with Davóne Tines, one of the most compelling voices in contemporary music today. Recital No. 1: Mass reframes the mass as a meditation on belief, identity and transformation, combining Bach, Caroline Shaw, Spirituals, a profound ending to Coming Together.
The event is funded by the Arts Council and the Arts Service of Louth County Council. Supported by RTÉ Supporting the Arts and the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.
Tickets & Information: www.louthcms.org
