Author Archive

Solfa and Rob Carlile’s ‘Setanta the Brave‘ will now feature on Toronto-based Musical Theatre Radio as part of the Sampler Platter, an initiative to promote and play new, original musicals.

Tracks from the show will be broadcast regularly as part of the station’s programming, from March 2022.

Episode and musical air dates can be viewed here.

‘Rose of Jericho’ was awarded as a semi-finalist in the open category of the UK Songwriting Contest 2021.

The song was inspired by its namesake flower, which blooms in harsh weathers, and is a symbol of resilience.

It is dedicated to sufferers of baby loss, a tragedy experienced by 1 in 4 pregnant women in the UK.

The song was recorded by Adele Clarkson (voice) and Solfa Carlile (piano).

Solfa is in the process of writing an Irish musical, ‘Setanta the Brave’, based on the legend of Cúchulainn.

Some songs from the work-in-progress were presented in a sold-out preview concert at the Toulouse Lautrec in London in September 2021.

Some songs from the work can be heard at Solfa’s theatre Soundcloud page here.

Two songs ‘Nautilus‘ and ‘The Next Page‘ (from ‘A Brief Engagement – the Jane Austen Musical’) were chosen as new works to be performed at Titchfield Festival Theatre’s New Writers’ Concert in July 2021.

Sheet music for Nautilus is currently available on Repertwa, and copies of ‘The Next Page’ can be requested via the ‘contact page’ on this site.

The Spotlight Chamber music series at Triskel Arts Centre continues with a performance of ‘Saul and the Witch’ on Saturday 23rd November.

The series will finish with the premiere of a solo ‘cello piece, performed by Aoife Burke on Saturday 14th December.

Solfa is the featured composer for the 2019 Spotlight Chamber Music series at Triskel Arts Centre, Cork. Solfa’s work is featured in a series of weekend lunchtime concerts taking place from September to December, culminating in the premiere of a new piece for Aoife Burke, cellist, in early December.

The series is funded by Arts Council Ireland, and features world-class Irish musicians performing new pieces alongside canonic classical works such as those of Mozart and Brahms. Spotlight began on Saturday 7th September with a concert in Cork, featuring the string quartet ‘Fables’ (2013). This concert was reprised in Dublin at the Hugh Lane Gallery on Sunday 8th December.

The next concert takes place in early October and features the solo flute piece, ‘Dystopia’, which will be performed by flautist Fiona Kelly.

Details of the concert series are available here.

A new choral piece will be workshopped and performed by ‘Ex Ore Equi’ at the Daniel Corkery Summer School in Inchigeelagh, Cork. The theme of the concert is Irish soldiers in World War I, and the text for the work comes from Francis Ledwidge’s poem ‘Ireland’. Ledwidge was an Irish poet who served during the Great War and died at the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.

The piece, ‘Inis Ealga’ will receive its premiere on 24th July at 8pm in St Finbarre’s Church, Inchigeelagh. More information on the concert and summer school is available here.

Ex Ore Equi, a UK-based choir, are led by Tom Shorter of Shorter House . The piece will subsequently be published in Shorter House’s catalogue of new choral works.

The Life of Cuthbert, a cantata based on St Cuthbert, was performed at the Durham Vocal Festival on Friday 8th February. The large-scale work, commissioned by Cantata Dramatica and written in collaboration with librettist Nick Pitts-Tucker, was completed in 2018 and received its world premiere at the festival. It was performed by the Durham University Chamber choir with soloists from around the UK and was conducted by James Burton, choral director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The concert took place at Durham Cathedral. A shorter version of the work was performed earlier in the week for primary-school aged children as an introduction to classical music.

Solfa’s previously-commissioned work, Three Byzantine Hymns, is now published and available for hire from Cantata Dramatica.

Solfa’s work was recently performed in a concert celebrating female composers at Dublin’s Seanad Eireann, on Friday 23rd November. William Dowdall performed ‘Dystopia’ alongside other works, for the concert which was recorded for Oireachtas TV. Details are available on the CMC website.

This coming Sunday, 18th November, Exultate singers will perform ‘Between Sea and Sky’ at St George’s Bristol. The concert will also feature works by Toby Young and Nick Bicat.

Between Sea and Sky was commissioned by Cantata Dramatica in 2017.