New Music Dublin is Ireland’s foremost contemporary music festival, taking place in Spring each year within the National Concert Hall and other venues throughout Dublin. It is a true partnership project, as whilst the festival is programmed and managed by New Music Dublin CLG, it only exists through very significant support from partner organisations including the Arts Council, the National Concert Hall, RTÉ, Culture Ireland, the Contemporary Music Centre, RIAM, and Irish performing groups including Crash Ensemble, Evlana and Chamber Choir Ireland.
These organisations, and the people who work within them, give extremely generously of their time and resources to create, collaboratively, an annual festival which provides an accessible, high-profile platform for the broadest possible spectrum of Irish new music-making within a national and international context.
The central objectives of New Music Dublin are:
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To give an equitable, diverse and inclusive platform to performers and music-makers from across the spectrum of Irish new music to show their work to the widest audience, both live and broadcast, within Ireland and internationally;
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To increase and develop a diverse and representative audience for new music-making across Ireland;
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To increase and develop accessible participation in new music-making in Ireland;
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To create opportunities for composers, performers and new music-makers from Ireland to develop their national and international links;
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To create and develop opportunities for collaboration and cooperation between Irish and international ensembles, new music organisations, composers and performers, to promote best practice, and collaborate towards shared artistic and organisational goals;
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To create opportunities for younger and emerging composers and new music performers from all backgrounds across Ireland to develop their professional skills, to grow their national and international connections, and to help them realise their professional and artistic ambitions.
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To respond to the climate crisis by developing new ways to fulfil New Music Dublin’s objectives whilst reducing our overall environmental impact, in collaboration with our partner organisations.
New Music Dublin is a Company Limited by Guarantee, No. 663004
National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin D02 N527, Ireland
Contact: info@newmusicdublin.ie
For New Music Dublin
Festival Director: John Harris
Festival Producer: Jon Pearson
Marketing: Kerry Fitzgerald
Social Media Management: Phoebe Nevins
Website Management: Jo Taaffe
The Board, Staff and Executive of New Music Dublin CLG are committed to compliance with the Charities Regulator’s Charity Governance Code
New Music Dublin Child Protection Policies Procedures and Consent Forms 2025
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 - DOWNLOAD HERE
New Music Dublin Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy - DOWNLOAD HERE
Current board members:
Karlin Lillington, Chair
Kieran Tobin
Professor Patricia Flynn
Ian Smith
Harry Martin
Brian Lynch
Declan Smyth
Karlin Lillington is an award-winning journalist and columnist with the Irish Times, focusing on technology, with a special interest in its political, social, business, arts and cultural aspects. She also has written for publications including The Guardian, New Scientist, Wired.com, Salon.com and the Sunday Times. She has particular expertise in digital rights. Karlin served on the board of Irish national broadcaster RTÉ from 2009-2014 and was a board member for the Dublin International Piano Competition. She is an advisory board member for FuJo, The Institute for Future Media Democracy and Society at Dublin City University, and for the Schuler Democracy Forum at the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts & Humanities Research Institute at Trinity College Dublin. She was an advisory board member of the Science Gallery. Karlin is an active supporter of classical and new music and opera. She holds a PhD in Anglo-Irish Literature from Trinity College Dublin. Appointed to NMD board: 2019
Kieran Tobin was born and educated in Dublin, where he graduated from UCD in 1974 as a Chemical Engineer. After a number of senior engineering roles in the pharma and healthcare sectors, he joined Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard in the mid-80s, and spent the balance of his working life in this company, at Director level, with commercial, marketing and corporate communications the key areas of responsibility. Kieran was Managing Director of Fitzgerald and Co. the wine subsidiary of Irish Distillers. He also chaired a number of industry wide groups including the Wine and Spirit Association and Drinks Industry Ireland. Music has always been a passion of Kieran's, and this led to a 30-year involvement with the National Concert Hall initially as a patron and through commercial sponsorship. Kieran was Chairman of NCH for a number of years and a director from 2011 to 2016. He chaired the Board of Great Music in Irish Houses for four years, until 2011, having been on the board since 2003. He is also currently a director of Camerata Ireland. Kieran was also a board member of Tennis Ireland, the 32 county controlling body of the sport, from 2010 to 2018. A regular concert and opera goer, he greatly enjoys cinema and live theatre also. Appointed to NMD board: 2019
Professor Patricia Flynn is Associate professor of music in Dublin City University where she is currently Head of the School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music. Author of several books and reports, her research centres on music development in Ireland and national infrastructure for the arts. Projects include those with Music Generation and Local Authority arts offices. A former board member and Chair of the Contemporary Music Centre, she is chair and founding member of the North Dublin-based arts programming organisation GlasDrum. Appointed to NMD board: 2019
Ian Smith studied horn and piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was appointed as Co-Principal Horn with the RSNO/Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 1971 and also worked with the London Symphony Orchestra. Ian was a founding member and director of Scottish Brass. In 1993 Ian joined the UK Musicians’ Union as Scottish & Northern Ireland organiser and founded the UK Folk & Roots department. Ian was a member of the board of governors at the RSAMD (now RCS), vice-chair of the Scottish Musicians’ Benevolent Fund and executive board member of the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund (Help Musicians UK). As head of music at the Scottish Arts Council/Creative Scotland, he co-founded the Youth Music Initiative, which has seen more than £180M in additional government investment targeted at instrumental and singing teaching. Ian established an international touring programme through Showcase Scotland and a recording fund. In 2013, Ian joined the European Music Council executive board and in 2015 was elected president. Ian also served on the International Music Council executive board, based at Unesco in Paris. In 2016 Ian joined the International Society for the Performing Arts board in New York and in 2017 became treasurer and executive board member. In 2017, Ian joined the board of Glasgow multi-media arts organisation Cryptic, which programmes and directs Sonica, now part of the Scottish Government’s EXPO Fund. In 2018, Ian joined the Red Note Ensemble (Edinburgh) board, thus serving two of Scotland’s most significant arts organisations. Ian was elected vice-chair of the Red Note Ensemble in 2022. In September 2020, Ian and his wife relocated to Ireland to be closer to their daughter and family in Co Laois. In 2022, Ian joined the board of Chamber Choir Ireland. More recently Ian has also joined the Durrow Development Forum board. Appointed to NMD board: 2022
Harry Martin has worked at the forefront of the independent and alternative music sector for over thirty years. Most of this time was spent at the helm of esteemed independent record label Domino Recording Company, growing the business from a small south west London based label, to become a globally acclaimed music company renowned for innovative and quality music across many genres. Harry has previously served on the board of the Association of Independent Music (AIM) UK, from 2006 to 2010 and then again from 2015 to 2020. He was instrumental in the establishment of AIM Ireland in 2021. He is also currently on the board of the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast. He is an avid music fan with a passion for all genres. Appointed to NMD board: 2023
Brian Lynch is the Group Finance Director of the Connacht Hospitality Group based in Galway and also plays a leading part in the Group’s leading ESG strategy in the region. Brian holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from UG, is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, an Alumnus of the Timoney Leadership Institute and is an Executive Business Coach. Brian holds a number of board positions including non-executive board positions with Helplink Mental Health based in Galway and New Music Dublin. He is also an alumnus of the Royal Irish Academy of Music and is a classically trained pianist with a passion for classical, jazz and contemporary music.
Declan Smyth is an independent Business Arts Consultant offering advisory/ consultancy services to Arts and Cultural professionals. A business professional with over 40 years business experience who provides support, guidance and business advice to artists across all Art and Culture platforms to enable them achieve sustainability as they develop new projects within their respective communities. Prior to setting up on his own he held various management positions in the Public, Private and Financial Services sectors. His involvement in the community over the years extended to both business and community where he was involved with the local Chamber of Commerce and served as President. His subsequent involvement in community organisations was to always to nurture and enhance the wellbeing of communities. Throughout his career he always had a keen interest in theatre, film and music and in 2018 he was awarded his BA in Arts Management from IADT Dublin. He is currently on the board of Irish National Youth Ballet.