Past Events

All Posters by Mick O' Shea

Sonic Vigil 11 -  In Your Own Time And Place, 14-16 Sept 2023

funded by an Chomhairle Ealaíon/the Arts Council of Ireland / supported by Cork Opera House

In Your Own Time and Place is a three-day celebration of musical improvisation featuring:

  • the Irish Premiere of Daniel Weintraub's ground-breaking documentary on Pauline Oliveros
  • Renowned experimental music group Quiet Music Ensemble
  • Ireland's celebrated improvisation duo Quiet Club with saxophonist Cathal Roche
  • Memory Echo: a short film featuring Pauline Oliveros by Andrew Deutsch
  • The eleventh iteration of Cork's unique improvisation marathon, Sonic Vigil.

Sept. 14th: 4:30pm @ Cork Opera House
Deep Listening: The Story of Pauline Oliveros, a film by Daniel Weintraub
Tickets: €5/€3
The Irish premiere of a brand new film on iconic composer/improvisor/philosopher Pauline Oliveros (1932-2016), one of the most extraordinary and influential musicians of recent times.

Sept. 14th: 8pm @ Cork Opera House
Quiet Music Ensemble
Tickets: €10/€7
Ireland's unique experimental music group Quiet Music Ensemble performs music by Irish and international composers including Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri, Anna Murray, Irene Murphy and the world premiere of a new work by dancer Inma Pavon.
Both events on the 14th for: €12/€6 (details on ticket website)

Sept. 15th: 6pm @ The Guesthouse
The Quiet Club + Cathal Roche
Memory Echo (short film)
Drunk Pig Cafe
Tickets: €10 (including food)
Cork's foundational duo The Quiet Club are joined by extraordinary saxophonist Cathal Roche. Concert also includes Memory Echo: a short film featuring Pauline Oliveros by Andrew Deutsch with music by Stephen Vitiello and Danny McCarthy

Sept. 16th: 12pm - 6pm @ Cork Opera House
Sonic Vigil with special guest David Toop
The improvisation marathon Sonic Vigil has been a remarkable presence on Cork's arts scene for more than 15 years. This, the eleventh, includes music, film, sound-art and movement, and features world-renowned writer/improvisor David Toop alongside 23 Irish and international artists, performing to a timetable nobody gets to see until the day itself!
(Performers: Danny Mc Carthy, Mick O' Shea, Irene Murphy, Karen Power, John Godfrey, Imna Pavon, Harry Moore, Vicky Langan, Anthony Kelly, David Stalling, Robin Parmar, Tony Langlois, Sean Taylor, Cathal Roche, Katie O' Looney, Anne Marie Deacy, Claudia Barton, Andy Ingamells, David Bremner, Billy Kemp, Pierre Berthet + Rie Nakajima. )

SONIC VIGIL 10 @ St. Peter's Church, Cork
Oct. 21st, 2pm - 8pm, 2017
Entry: €5
Now in its 10th year, we present SONIC VIGIL, a marathon of new and improvised music, sound art, live electronics, installations and more.
Sonic Vigil emerged from an increasingly vibrant Cork-based improvisation scene. It was founded in 2005 to create an annual celebration of radical musics unrepresented elsewhere in the country. It is a unique event that has taken place in some of Cork's iconic cultural venues and has established Cork as Ireland's leading centre for Sound Art, free improvisation and other forms of experimental music. Its influence and audience has spread beyond the Republic; recordings of previous Vigils are commercially available, and in 2016 members of the core Vigil team performed a 'Vigilette' in Berlin's renowned improvisation venue, Ausland.
The marathon includes local and international artists, many of whom are working together for the first time. The audience is free to come and go during the 6-hour event, and to walk amongst the performers. Sonic Vigil is a multifaceted and collaborative series; CD, LP and DVD releases, concerts, presentations, installations, workshops, residencies and many other events are presented as preludes to the marathon itself.
Sonic Vigil is curated by a multidisciplinary team comprising composers Karen Power and John Godfrey and visual/Sound artists Danny Mc Carthy, Irene Murphy and Mick O' Shea.
​Performers: Anthony Kelly, Katie O Looney, Harry Moore, Nick Roth, Olesya Zdorovetska, Cathal Roche, Catherine Sikora, Elizabeth Hilliard, Eimear Reidy, Robin Parmar, Karen Power, John Godfrey, Danny Mc Carthy, Irene Murphy, Mick O' Shea, Ian Wilson, Dan Walsh, Solamh Kelly, Tomomi Adachi, David Stalling, Inma Pavon

SONIC VIGIL 9: 2015
May 2nd, 2 pm - 8 pm, St. Anne's Church, Shandon, Cork city
Admission €5
with special guest
Christina Kubisch
Every year since 2005, Cork has played host to Ireland's most significant free improvisation event. SONIC VIGIL brings together outstanding improvisers, sound artists and field recordists from Ireland and abroad in a multi-hour celebration of cutting-edge, radical sonic experimentation. 18 remarkable musicians are placed into a randomly-generated timetable, producing instant, unknowable and unexpected interactions: sounds of kaleidoscope beauty, teetering on a tantalising abyss of risk make for an immersive, mesmerising and ever-evolving experience.
SONIC VIGIL 9 features special guest Christina Kubisch, the renowned multi-award winning German composer, recordist and installation artist. Kubisch's work spans multiple media and includes an extraordinary number of performances at many of the world's most significant festivals, recordings on many different labels, and diverse solo exhibitions. Kubisch appears at 6 pm.
Hein Schoer, musician and soundscaper and developer of the remarkable Sounding Museum - a trans-cultural exploration of the sonic identity of our world - appears at 4 pm.
Audience members are free to come and go as they please, and are invited in amongst the musicians, encouraging an exploratory approach to hearing and allowing an exceptional sense of intimacy that breaks down performer/audience divides. Unparalleled anywhere in Ireland or abroad, SONIC VIGIL displays an approach to performance and sound that is unique, extraordinary and inspiring.
Sonic Vigil is supported by Cork City Council, Gruenrekorder and the Goethe Institute. Sonic Vigil 9 is managed by Danny McCarthy, Mick O'Shea, Karen Power, Irene Murphy and John Godfrey.
Sonic Vigil 9 features Arif Ayab, David Bremner, Mikael Fernstrom, John Godfrey, Paul Hegarty, Anthony Kelly, Danny McCarthy, miXile, Harry Moore, Irene Murphy, Katie O'Looney, Mick O'Shea, Robin Parmar, Karen Power, Caroline Pugh, Nick Roth, David Stalling, Sean Taylor

SONIC VIGIL 8: May 2 + 3, 2014
Fri 2nd May

  • Talk by Karen Power "Can you hear the Artic?" The Guesthouse Ipm
  • Soundwalk with Danny McCarthy"Be HEARd Listening'
  • National Sculpture Factory and performance by CAVE


Sat 3rd May Concert St Anne's Church, Shandon, Cork 2pm-8pm
Performers: Natalia Beylis - Tore Boe - Andrea Bonnino - Danny McCarthy -CAVE - The Quiet Club - Masimo Davi - Aine O'Owyer - Derek Foot - John Godfrey - Claire Guerin - Paul Hegarty - Anthony Kelly - Fergus Kelly - Vicky Langan - Tony Langlois - larla O Lionard - Laney Mannion - Mixile - Irene Murphy -Olesya Zorovetska - Han Earl Park - Robin Parmar - Karen Power - David Stalling - Queef - Michelle O Rourke - Nick Roth - Softday - Mick O'Shea - Jeff Weeter

SONIC VIGIL 7

Curated by Cork-based artists Danny McCarthy and Mick O'Shea, who are internationally renowned both for their visual work and their ground-breaking sonic explorations as duo the Quiet Club. Their invited guests include prominent solos and collectives from the Republic, including Harry Moore, Katie O'Looney, Karen Power, Jesse Ronneau, Tony Langlois, Paul Hegarty and Anthony Kelly plus Gruenrekorder artist Tobias Schmitt (Frankfurt).


The Vigil features Ireland's unique Experimental Music group, Quiet Music Ensemble, which will be giving world premieres of 8 new pieces by up and coming composers from Ireland, Scotland and the USA: Andrea Bonino, Francis Heery, Alexander Hunter, Donal Mac Erlaine, Rachel Ni Chuinn, Robin Parmar, Conal Ryan, Charlie Sdraulig.
Hosting the Vigil this year is St. Anne's Church, Shandon, which is renowned as home of the 'Shandon Bells', the trademark sound of the city. The Vigil includes a brand new piece for the bells by composer/improviser David Stalling.
Cork City has one of Europe's hottest improvisation scenes, and the Sonic Vigil is the climax of the year's events. This is an event of extraordinary sounds, incredible diversity and cutting-edge creativity. There's nothing else like it in Ireland!

SONIC VIGIL 7- Off shoots......
Sonic Vigil team curated 4 off-shoot events as preludes to Sonic Vigil 7:

  • Chris Watson
  • Stephen Vitello
  • Nad Spiro
  • Anthony Kelly + David Stalling

SONIC VIGIL 6 - 2011

Curated by Mick O' Shea @Triskel Arts Centre

Program of 20 segments for each act:

  • Ed Devane 2:30-3:00

  • Kevin Tuohy+Liam Slevin (IRL) 3:00-3:30

  • Gunter Berkus (DE) 3:30-4:00

  • The Quiet Club+Katie O'Looney (IRL/USA) 4:00-4:30

  • John Godfrey (IRL) 4:30-5:00

  • Jeff Weeter+Karen Power (USA/IRL) 5:00-5:30

  • Mersk (IRL) 5:30-6:00

  • Anthony Kelly+David Stalling (IRL/DE) 6:00-6:30

  • Andreas Bick (DE) 6:30-7:00

  • Robin Parmar (CAN) 7:00-7:30

  • Tom Lawrence (IRL) 7:30-8:00

  • Harry Moore (IRL) 8:00-8:30

  • Francis Heery (IRL) 8:30-9:00

  • Merzouga (DE) 9:00-9:30

  • images by Video artists Claire Guerin

SONIC VIGIL 6 - vinyl LP Launch Concert
Sun 19th May, 3 - 4.45pm

Cork Artists Collective, The Guesthouse and Farpoint Recordings are pleased to announce a launch event at the Lewis Glucksman Gallery for the new Sonic Vigil vinyl LP. There will be a special live performance featuring many of the artists who appear on the LP. These include The Quiet Club, John Godfrey, Karen Power, Anthony Kelly and David Stalling, Kevin Tuohy plus others
The LP itself is also something rather special…14 tracks recorded during Sonic Vigil 6 at Triskel Christchurch, it features contributions by artists such as Andreas Bick, Karen Power and Jeff Weeter, Merzouga, Robin Parmar, The Mersk Collective, Gunter Berkus, John Godfrey and Tom Lawrence amongst others. The Sonic Vigil LP is presented in a full colour gatefold sleeve as an individually hand numbered edition of just 250, all copies pressed on seductive blue vinyl…

SONIC VIGIL 5:July 17th, 2010
The event, which is curated by the Quiet Club, incorporates eight hours of sound events and takes place at St Finbar's Cathedral in Cork and will feature among others David Toop as special guest.
Programme for the day
1:00 – 1:30 pm Karen Power (New piece written during residency at The Guesthouse. Quadraphonic sound and live electronics)
1:30 – 2:00 pm Softday (Sean Taylor & Mikael Fernstrom)
2:00 – 2:30 pm Lasse-Marc Riek
​2:30 – 3:00 pm John Godfrey + Jesse Ronneau
3:00 – 3:30 pm Sunfish (Harry Moore & Tony Langlois)
3:30 – 4:00 pm David Toop
4:oo – 4:30 pm The Quiet Club (Mick O'Shea, Danny Mc Carthy)
4:30 – 5:00 pm D'incise (Peter Laurent)
5:00 – 5:30 pm MERSK + SoundEye Poets (Maggie O'Sullivan, Trevor Joyce)
5:30 – 6:00 pm John Byrne
6:00 – 6:30 pm La Société des Amis du Crime (Paul Hegarty & Vicky Langan)
6:30 – 7:00 pm Roland Etzin & Kevin Tuohy
7:00 – 7:30 pm Anthony Kelly & David Stalling
7:30 – 8:00 pm The Concerned Parasites ubh Körka Gweena (Giordai ua Laoghaire)

SONIC VIGIL 4: 2008 (details to be added)

SONIC VIGIL 3: 2008 (details from poster)

SONIC VIGIL 2: 2007details from poster / booklet

SONIC VIGIL 1: 2005 (extracted from booklet from SV 2)
SONIC VIGIL runs from 12:15pm – 12:15am, Saturday, 26th November to Sunday, 27th November at St. Fin Barres cathedral
The first Sonic Vigil initiated by Cork Artist Collective took place in November 2005 as part of the Art Trail programme. It was located in St. Fin Barre's Cathedral and was curated by Mick O' Shea and project managed by Mary Cremin. It was a 12-hour continuous event which included 25 sound artists performing from 15 minutes past 12 noon to 15 minutes past midnight. The performers were free to choose a location, or roam the Cathedral and interact with the space, the visitors and the other performers. There was no structured programme for the various electronic, acoustic and electroacoustic performances within the12 hour frame; some performed continuously for long sessions, spanning the whole of the 12 hours and others for short episodes. The vast space of St. Fin barre's Cathedral enabled the discovery of new sound pieces by those wandering and exploring the installed acoustic architecture of Sonic Vigil. Soup, prepared in the space provided sustenance for performers and the continuous stream of visitors.
SONIC VIGIL is a sound project supported by Art Trail and the Arts Council. The event is the seventh in a series of annual exhibitions curated by the Cork Art Collective in St. Fin barres Cathedral. SONIC VIGIL is a 12 hour concert of improvised and experimental electronic music and sound works. The concert aspires to create a dialogue between the artists through the use of sound. They will adapt electronic and digital technology to create an unconventional soundscape. This multi-layered soundscape will accentuate the architectural aspects of the church and intensify the experience for the audience. The artists involved have performed both nationally and internationally.
The artists include: Áine Mangaoang, Harry Moore, Alex Rose, Michael Shanahan, Brendán O Ruaidh, Irene Murphy, James Ojeie, Vicky Langan, Colm Rooney, John Godfrey, Danny McCarthy, Brian O Shaughnessy, Dave Colohan, Loz, Fitzgibbon, David Lacey, Mick O'Shea, Dobz, Paul Hegarty, Fergus Kelly, Paul Vogel, Gavin Prior, Giordai Ua Laoghaire
SONIC VIGIL is curated by Mick O'Shea, Cork Artists Collective ​