Animated Graphic Novel
for clarinet/bass, violin, cello, percussion and piano
Dur. 45’
Commissioned by Causa Creations
Premiered by Macdara Ó Seireadáin/cln, Bogdan Sofei/vln, Jakob Koranyi/vlc, Alex Petcu/perc and Daria van den Bercken/pno during the Music for Galway Cellissimo Festival in the Black Box on 19 May 2024 and then presented at 3 partnering European festivals: Fairplay Chamber Music, Järna, Sweden 15 June 2024, Valdres Sommersymfoni, Norway 22 June 2024 and Piano Biënnale Musis Arnhem Concert Hall, The Netherlands 30 March 2025.
Songs of Travel (2023)
Created in collaboration with the Vienna-based boutique game development studio Causa Creations, Songs of Travel is an animated graphic novel with a specially curated soundtrack that explores various aspects of and collectively paints a vivid picture of the topic of migration through the personal stories of five individuals as they fled their troubled homelands in search of new beginnings in Europe:
Light, a non-binary Syrian refugee who fled to the United Arab Emirates during the 2014 Syrian war and arrived in Vienna after years of hardship and war in Syria and the UAE and is now living in Austria where they are recognised as a gay man, not as non-binary. Light’s fight continues.
Vân, born in East-Germany in 1995, the daughter of hard-working Vietnamese contract workers who came to Germany in the 1980’s and stayed on after the Peaceful Revolution, opening a flower shop in Chemnitz. Vân must deal with the hate directed against foreigners and the duality of being Vietnamese-German.
Michele, the son of Francesco Cicora, an Italian coal miner who died in Belgium’s worst-ever mining disaster at Bois du Cazier in 1956. Of the 262 bodies, 14 were never identified and in 2021, upon Michele’s request, the bodies were exhumed and DNA testing of the 14 ‘unknown’ victims was carried out. Unfortunately Francesco’s identification was unsuccessful.
Hasan, the son of Turkish parents, his father an economic refugee, who came to Austria at the age of 1 from Istanbul and is now living in Linz as a photographer and using his artform to explore his Turkish roots and history.
Olya, a Ukrainian lawyer and a refugee who was born in Donetsk and had to flee her place of birth twice: first when she left her home in 2014 and fled to Kyiv and then when she fled from Ukraine once war erupted again in 2022 fighting her way through various obstacles with her cat.
“Songs of Travel isn’t your average game - it packs a punch and promises an immersive experience that explores the aspirations, ambitions, and personalities of migrants looking to start afresh in Europe. Through beautifully animated visuals and captivating narratives, you will dive deep into the personal stories of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Add to those contributions from Irish composer Elaine Agnew, who brings a specially curated soundtrack that amplifies the title’s immersion. Music is a crucial aspect and adds depth to each individual’s story.”
As an audio installation, Songs of Travel is currently part of a group exhibition Substanz at Vienna’s Künstlerhaus from 1 November - 9 February 2025. In collaboration with the United Nations ‘Langer Tag der Flucht” (Long Day of Flight), Songs of Travel first featured as an audio installation at Vienna’s Medienwerkstatt in October 2024. On 6th March 2025 the Belfast-based Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble will perform Songs of Travel at Queen’s University followed by a performance at the Piano Biënnale Musis Arnhem Concert Hall in the Netherlands on 30th March 2025.
Songs of Travel is now available on the App Store and Google Play, free of charge
“It’s more than just a game - it’s a real life matter that is cleverly covered within the confines of a brilliant visual novel.”
Opera
An opera for Galway
Dur. 60’
Commissioned by Music for Galway and Galway 2020 European City of Culture and premiered as a concert performance in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Galway 23rd April 2022, conducted by Sinead Hayes/Mark Duley, featuring soloists Gemma Ní Bhriain, Bríd Ní Ghruagáín, Rory Dunne, Brendan Collins, Paper Boat Ensemble, Athenry Music School & Coole Music and Arts Young String Ensembles, St Patrick’s Brass Band, Collegium Choir, Choristers of St Nicholas Schola Cantorum, Coole Harmonies and Guests.
Libretto Jessica Traynor.
Paper Boat (2021/22)
Produced in association with Irish National Opera, Paper Boat weaves together history, mythology and current events to tell a story of human endurance, inspired by the diverse communities who engage with the cultural and spiritual hub that is St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church which has stood as a spiritual “safe harbour” in the centre of the city for 700 years.
Synopsis
On midsummer’s eve, a young homeless man, and a mysterious mother and a child arrive in St. Nicholas’ Church to claim sanctuary from very different threats.
But an army from the past is gathering outside the doors, threatening to repeat the destruction of Galway perpetrated by Cromwell’s army centuries ago. Now the people of Galway are being asked to risk their own safety to protect the strangers who have come seeking their aid, and the leaders of the fourteen tribes must decide.
Through a courageous act of empathy, and the support of the Young Man, the Mother and Child are allowed to stay. The Mother leads the people in a blessing of the city, and the ghost army is vanquished.
“At the heart of Paper Boat is the community of Galway and St Nicholas’ Church, a community who not only contributed to the creation of the words and music, but also formed the core of the performing cast, supported by professional musicians. Jessica Traynor created a beautiful libretto from which the music seamlessly emerged, from songs of struggle “Where I come from the sky has no moon, … the sea had no tide…” to The Song of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors with its relentless quirky accompaniment. Ghost Army interludes, ably performed by St Patrick’s Brass Band, and adult and youth choruses leads to the finale where the Mother leads a blessing of the city of Galway - a setting of The West’s Awake to new words. Even though the premiere called for a re-imagining of the original opera concept due to the pandemic, in a weird way it has benefited from three postponements, a re-write and a little slimming down!”
“To the people of Galway, famed for your welcome, your endurance of siege and famine, I beg for sanctuary.”