Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble

For the past eleven years Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble have been catalysts in Belfast’s vibrant contemporary music scene.

A world class group of musicians including our Department’s own Dr Sarah Watts, the ensemble is dedicated to the performance of modern and contemporary music and recently celebrated their 10th anniversary season.

For this special Concert, Hard Rain will present Peaceline Perspectives: Voices from a Divided City, featuring evocative pieces by Northern Irish composers. The music is interwoven with voices and soundscapes inspired around Belfast’s Peaceline, which separates the nationalist and loyalist communities. 

This performance showcases works by composers such as Elaine Agnew, Greg Caffrey and Eduard Zatriqi, whose unique musical voices are shaped by their shared Northern Irish heritage.

Part of our Soundlab Specials season – experience thrilling new music for just £5!

Peaceline Perspectives: Voices from a Divided City features highly evocative pieces by Northern Irish composers from the last decade. The music is interwoven with voices and soundscapes inspired around Belfast’s Peaceline, which separates the nationalist and loyalist communities. This performance showcases the work of multiple composers whose musical voices are shaped by their shared heritage. Greg Caffrey’s Tout (a slang term meaning informer) reflects on the horror, danger and mistrust prevalent during Northern Ireland’s Troubles. Elaine Agnew’s I Want to tell you consists of instrumental duos accompanying a pre-recorded voice track of victims, survivors and displaced families affected by conflict, while Eduard Zatriqi’s War Games brings the programme to an impassioned and dramatic conclusion.