In this episode of Unusual Music Exchange, Ailbhe joins me to listen to the viola, the violin, some guitars, a horse-hair harp, some outside jazz and a sewing machine. Ailbhe’s great to speak with and her music is wonderful. She answers questions such as, Why wouldn’t you play with vibrato, and How is the viola like the sax?
If you like what you hear, keep an ear out for some music Ailbhe and I are putting out on Rat-drifting soon.
This interview is sponsored by YYZ Artists’ Outlet.
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Artist Bios
Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh
Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh is an Irish viola player living in Glasgow. She grew up playing classical music but became increasingly interested in improvisation and undertook a degree in jazz performance. After graduating, her focus shifted to early and Baroque music which led her to explore the tonal possibilities of gut strings in both amplified and acoustic contexts. Her amalgamations of influences from improvised, traditional and early music styles can be heard on her solo recordings Oreing (Fort Evil Fruit 2017) and The Rounds (KRUT 2021).
Unusual Music Exchange
Unusual Music Exchange is an evolving platform for sharing unusual music of any genre. It may function as a magazine, a podcast, a community, a radio show, and a de facto record label. UME begins with the pleasure of listening to unusual music, whether experimental, rock, classical, pop, folk, hip hop, or whatever. It may also be a space to think about music as art, art as music, and just what these things are in our lives.