Kit Downes is one of the finest pianists of his generation.
—Jazzwise Magazine
Five years ago the New Ross Piano Festival introduced jazz piano to what had been a purely classical piano festival. So far it has featured Enrico Pieranunzi, Lars Jansson, Gwilym Simcock, Vadim Neselovskyi, Phil Ware, Jim Doherty and Greg Felton. This year its Kit Downes and Scott Flanigan.
Kit Downes is a BBC Jazz Award winning, Mercury Music Award nominated, solo recording artist for ECM Records.
He has performed all over the world playing piano, church organ and harmonium with his own bands ('Troyka', 'Elt' and 'Vyamanikal') as well as artists such as Squarepusher, Thomas Strønen and Django Bates. He has written commissions for Cheltenham Music Festival, London Contemporary Orchestra, Stavanger Konserthus, Rewire Festival, Cologne Philharmonie, BBC Radio 3 and the Wellcome Trust, as well as collaborating with film-makers, video game developers and classical composers.
Kit performs solo pipe organ and solo piano. He also plays in collaborations with saxophonist Tom Challenger, cellist Lucy Railton, composer Shiva Feshareki and with the band ENEMY. He teaches piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music where in 2019 he was awarded a Fellowship. He used to teach at the Purcell School of Music and is also a patron of the Musical Keys charity.
Having originally been an organ scholar at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich, he left to study piano, organ and composition at both the Purcell School of Music and later at the Royal Academy of Music He received a Mercury Music Award nomination, BBC Jazz Award, and a British Jazz Award for his own albums. In 2015, Downes recorded his first album for ECM with Thomas Strønen's Time is a Blind Guide. He was also commissioned, amongst others, by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Wellcome Trust, Darmstadt Organ Festival 2015 (with drummer Jonas Burgwinkel), BBC Radio 2, BBC Jazz on 3, Jazzwise Magazine, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, London Contemporary Music Festival and the London Jazz Festival.
Also in 2015, Downes was asked to join Squarepusher’s live band ‘Shobaleader One’ – interpreting works from Squarepusher's back catalogue for a live band. Downes also collaborated (on a range of acoustic and electronic instruments) with composers Matt Rogers and Mica Levi, electronic musician Leafcutter John, drummer Seb Rochford, filmmaker Ashley Pegg, artist Dave McKean, animator Lesley Barnes and geneticist Adam Rutherford (for the Wellcome Trust).
Between November 2017 and March 2018, he was part of the musical ensemble that composed music and appeared on stage for the Royal National Theatre's production of Network starring Bryan Cranston.
Hailing from Belfast in Northern Ireland, Scott Flanigan is one of the foremost keyboard players on the Irish jazz scene. He performs regularly across the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany, and has recently performed with Van Morrison, the Ulster Orchestra, Larry Coryell, Jean Toussaint, Jim Mullen and Linley Hamilton. As a leader, Scott successfully tours his own contemporary piano trio, as well as a hard-swinging organ quartet. He also runs the successful Scott’s Jazz Club in East Belfast, a weekly jazz club bringing the best in Irish jazz to local audiences.
Equally at home in academia as well as the bandstand, Scott received his BMus degree from Ulster University and his MMus in Jazz Performance from Dublin Institute of Technology. Scott has recently completed his Ph.D in Jazz Performance at Ulster University, exploring and assimilating contemporary trends in jazz piano into his own playing.
Scott is also in demand as a teacher of jazz harmony, improvisation and concert preparation, lecturing in jazz piano at Cork School of Music and at Queens University Belfast, alongside a busy teaching schedule both online and at home in Belfast.
Scott will give short solo recitals in the Dunbrody Visitor Centre on Thursday, September 21st at 11am and 3pm. He will give a lunchtime concert with his trio, Dave Redmond [bass] and Kevin Brady [drums], in St Mary’s Church at 1.05pm. Kit Downes will be in concert in St Mary’s Church at 8 pm. Not to be missed.
About Kit Downes
Kit Downes is a BBC Jazz Award winning, Mercury Music Award nominated, solo recording artist for ECM Records.
He has performed all over the world playing piano, church organ and harmonium with his own bands ('Troyka', 'Elt' and 'Vyamanikal') as well as artists such as Squarepusher, Thomas Strønen and Django Bates. He has written commissions for Cheltenham Music Festival, London Contemporary Orchestra, Stavanger Konserthus, Rewire Festival, Cologne Philharmonie, BBC Radio 3 and the Wellcome Trust, as well as collaborating with film-makers, video game developers and classical composers.
Kit performs solo pipe organ and solo piano. He also plays in collaborations with saxophonist Tom Challenger, cellist Lucy Railton, composer Shiva Feshareki and with the band ENEMY. He teaches piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music where in 2019 he was awarded a Fellowship. He used to teach at the Purcell School of Music and is also a patron of the Musical Keys charity.
Having originally been an organ scholar at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich, he left to study piano, organ and composition at both the Purcell School of Music and later at the Royal Academy of Music He received a Mercury Music Award nomination, BBC Jazz Award, and a British Jazz Award for his own albums. In 2015, Downes recorded his first album for ECM with Thomas Strønen's Time is a Blind Guide. He was also commissioned, amongst others, by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Wellcome Trust, Darmstadt Organ Festival 2015 (with drummer Jonas Burgwinkel), BBC Radio 2, BBC Jazz on 3, Jazzwise Magazine, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, London Contemporary Music Festival and the London Jazz Festival.
Also in 2015, Downes was asked to join Squarepusher’s live band ‘Shobaleader One’ – interpreting works from Squarepusher's back catalogue for a live band. Downes also collaborated (on a range of acoustic and electronic instruments) with composers Matt Rogers and Mica Levi, electronic musician Leafcutter John, drummer Seb Rochford, filmmaker Ashley Pegg, artist Dave McKean, animator Lesley Barnes and geneticist Adam Rutherford (for the Wellcome Trust).
About 52 Studies for Right Hand
Downes wrote 52 piano pieces for right-hand only in 2017 (having injured his left hand). He wrote one piece for every day of his recovery. Also in 2018, Downes worked with Aidan O'Rourke on his latest project – the mammoth tune-cycle “365." Aidan wrote a tune every day for a year in response to a short story collection by James Robertson. The result is a major new body of 365 tunes which Aidan is recording solo and in duos with Downes, guitarist Sorren Maclean and harpist Esther Swift. 365: Vol 1 was released in May 2018.Between November 2017 and March 2018, he was part of the musical ensemble that composed music and appeared on stage for the Royal National Theatre's production of Network starring Bryan Cranston.
About Scott Flanigan
Hailing from Belfast in Northern Ireland, Scott Flanigan is one of the foremost keyboard players on the Irish jazz scene. He performs regularly across the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany, and has recently performed with Van Morrison, the Ulster Orchestra, Larry Coryell, Jean Toussaint, Jim Mullen and Linley Hamilton. As a leader, Scott successfully tours his own contemporary piano trio, as well as a hard-swinging organ quartet. He also runs the successful Scott’s Jazz Club in East Belfast, a weekly jazz club bringing the best in Irish jazz to local audiences.
Equally at home in academia as well as the bandstand, Scott received his BMus degree from Ulster University and his MMus in Jazz Performance from Dublin Institute of Technology. Scott has recently completed his Ph.D in Jazz Performance at Ulster University, exploring and assimilating contemporary trends in jazz piano into his own playing.
Scott is also in demand as a teacher of jazz harmony, improvisation and concert preparation, lecturing in jazz piano at Cork School of Music and at Queens University Belfast, alongside a busy teaching schedule both online and at home in Belfast.
Scott will give short solo recitals in the Dunbrody Visitor Centre on Thursday, September 21st at 11am and 3pm. He will give a lunchtime concert with his trio, Dave Redmond [bass] and Kevin Brady [drums], in St Mary’s Church at 1.05pm. Kit Downes will be in concert in St Mary’s Church at 8 pm. Not to be missed.
