Joe Cleere Amongst Artlinks Bursary Recipients
June 3, 2008 – 10:53 am | by CarlowMusic.comArtLinks, a five-county Arts partnership initiative between Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow County Councils and the Arts Council, is pleased to announce details of the successful recipients of the 2008 ArtLinks Bursary Awards – Annual Awards that are open to all creative practitioners who are resident in these counties and who are registered with ArtLinks.ie.
Of the Five ArtLinks Bursary Awards of €8,000 awarded for 2008, two have been awarded to two young talented musicians; Joe Cleere, a contemporary singer/songwriter, from Co. Carlow and Alison Comerford, a violinist Co. Kilkenny.
The County Carlow ArtLinks Bursary recipient, Joe Cleere, is a young full time music artist living in Tinryland and has proven to be innovative, ambitious and self-motivated. In 2006, Joe won the Perri 2fm Song Contest and used the prize money to build his own studio, Fretless Records. Currently he works as a Sound Engineer for Fretless and is on the verge of releasing his debut album East/West, which will be launched in February 2009. The first single will be released in Radio City Dublin on September 13th and in a venue in Carlow. On receiving the ArtLinks Bursary, presented by Carlow Cllr Michael Doran, Cleere says “this award is of huge benefit to me and the album. For example just this week I’ve booked the CD mastering in New York with the same engineer as The Strokes, Sonic Youth, and Bob Dylan, what an opportunity! I’m so glad my two year project can be finished and launched with the attention it deserves”.
Joe also provides guitar lessons to 15 students per week and group tuition to two classes per week at Ballinabranna National School, Co Carlow. However he still finds time to perform live at various venues including; a tour in Slovakia, and around Ireland.
As an artist, Cleere is very much concerned about how his music impacts on the local Community here in Carlow and whilst working on his current album “East/West”, he has been assisting and recording local bands most of which are from Carlow and between the ages of 12 and 21 years old. In recent times there have been a number of success stories from these projects. Just to name one of a few examples, the band Acid Rain all aged between 12 and 14 were recently the youngest band ever in the regional final of the 2FM School of Rock Concert and Shakey’s “Irish Party” reached number 26 in the Irish Charts.
Joe is very passionate about what he does and explains ‘As an artist I believe that quality of expression is of the utmost importance. To me, music should be an emotional communication, telling stories, teaching lessons, having fun, but most of all a gift from the present to the future’.
Joe’s music and lyrics are written by himself, the main subject matter of each of the songs differs throughout his recent album East/West with themes that include world politics, inequality, fair trade, war, social strata and relationships. Joe has put a huge effort into keeping the lyrical content meaningful and poetic in style.
If you would like to see Joe performing with his band you can do so during the Éigse Carlow Arts Festival June 7-15 2008 at Voodoo Carlow, at the Music Factory, Tullow St. Carlow on June 12th at 9pm.
County Kilkenny ArtLinks Bursary recipient, Alison Comerford, has been playing violin since the age of four, starting with Regina O’Leary in St. Canice’s N.S., Kilkenny. Currently a Leaving Certificate student at Loreto Secondary School, Kilkenny, in September 2008 Alison will start her studies in the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, a conservatoire of international renown for its magnificent music faculty and its Music Degree, to which she was selected on the basis of competitive audition and interview. Intensive study lies ahead for Alison where outside of her school studies she is also expected to attend summer schools, master classes and perform.
Alison has faced many challenges in her musical progress thus far. One of them has been finding a suitable violin teacher. Currently her mother drives her to Cork for lessons with Gregory Ellis. ‘As there is a shortage of teachers at the higher end of the scale, travelling to Cork or Dublin is the only option for someone who intends to make music their career’, says Alison. ‘One of my hopes on being awarded my degree is that as well as being able to become a professional musician I will also be able to return home and provide lessons of a level which is as yet unattainable in the South-East.’ On receiving the ArtLinks Bursary from Kilkenny Arts Officer, Mary Butler, Alison said, ‘having the support of the ArtLinks Bursary will allow me the freedom and time to make full use of this opportunity and to dedicate myself wholly to this course.’ Alison will also be playing in a chamber orchestra made up of music students from through out the UK and Ireland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Recital series on 20 August.
ArtLinks is an innovative, regional user-led Arts programme, providing information, courses and networking services along with professional development assistance and funding opportunities for all creative practitioners, amateurs and professionals, in the South-East. The website carries the profile of over 750 creative people, from circus performers to mural artists, jazz musicians, theatre playwrights, arts managers, educators, visual artists, sound designers, writers, poets and festival organisers and is highlighting the excellence of the Arts in the ArtLinks counties. Registration is Free and is open to both individuals and groups, both amateurs and professionals.
ArtLinks Director, Cathy Fitzgerald, encourages other musicians, bands, orchestras, music teachers and music colleges to take part as well. ‘If you practice or teach an art form whether it be dance, music, literature, visual arts, theatre and film and haven’t registered with ArtLinks yet, do log on to www.artlinks.ie and join. The strength and vision of ArtLinks will grow with you and your fellow musicians becoming a link in ArtLinks.’
