Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble

17/06/2026

On Friday evening, as part of our season finale, we’ll premiere ‘Nicht Mehr’, a piece by QUB Music student Ben McCormick. Ben is just about to graduate and we’re delighted to support students through their careers as the Ensemble-in-Residence at Queen's University Belfast. Read more about Ben and his piece below and book your tickets for this special concert here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991037485717?aff=oddtdtcreator

I'm a new composer based in Northern Ireland and I'm interested in a vast array of repertoire including Baroque, Classical, 20th Century, Contemporary Classical and Electronic music. I am influenced and inspired by the works of Mahler, Kaija Saarahio, Ravel, Mortan Feldman and Ligeti. My piece 'Nicht Mehr' began as a university project but as I was writing the piece I reflected on some personal events that were happening at the time as well as world events like war and civil unrest. As a result I named the piece "No More." I chose German due to the brutal nature of some of the music and the brutal nature of the language itself. When composing the piece I never imagined it would make its way to a Hard Rain concert and I'm very grateful for the opportunity and I do hope this is only the beginning. The first 2 or so minutes of the piece begins with a number of complex, spectral structures and I repeat certain gestures but at the same time slightly alter them to create somewhat of a memory effect. In the latter half of the piece the piano plunges into its deepest register with dark, dissonant chords. As the piece comes to a close I include a quote from a famous, late Romantic composer which I'm sure some of the audience will recognise. If you know the piece it is quoted from I believe it fits the narrative quite well.

Arts Council of Northern Ireland

16/06/2026

This weekend, for our 25/26 season finale, we celebrate the 70th birthday of renowned composer Piers Hellawell with a very special portrait concert in the venue that has been home to so many important moments across his career.

We’ll present compositions from the last 40 years with works for ensemble as well as solo works to ensure the ensemble lives up to its name. Join us on Friday evening in the Harty Room Queen's University Belfast at 7:30pm to round off an incredible season of contemporary music.

Ticket booking (free for QUB staff and students) 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991037485717?aff=oddtdtcreator

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Contemporary Music Centre QUB Music

15/06/2026

The final episode of our special Composer Conversation series with featured composer Piers Hellawell focuses on his relationship with Queen's University Belfast QUB Music, and why a concert celebrating his 70th birthday in the Harty Room is so special.

Join us for this portrait concert of Hellawell's works on Friday 19th June, where we will also celebrate the end to an incredible 2025/26 season!

More info/ticket booking here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991037485717?aff=oddtdtcreator

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Contemporary Music Centre

In the final episode of our special Composer Conversation series wi...

11/06/2026

We’re back with another episode in our series of Composer Conversations as Piers Hellawell tells us about the special relationship he has with Hard Rain and why he enjoys collaborating with the group.

Come and celebrate Piers’ 70th Birthday as we perform a portrait concert of his works spanning the past 40 years. Friday 19th June - Harty Room, QUB.

More info/booking here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991037485717?aff=oddtdtcreator

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Contemporary Music Centre QUB Music

In this second episode of our special series of Composer Conversati...

10/06/2026

Given that our final concert of the season is a portrait concert of Piers Hellawell we’ve recorded a special series of Composer Conversations with him. In this first one, Piers discusses how the programme of the concert reflects his compositional approaches.

You’ll see all these incredible compositions by Piers live on Friday 19th June at 7:30pm in the Harty Room, QUB Music.

Book your tickets here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991037485717?aff=oddtdtcreator

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Contemporary Music Centre

Given that our final concert of the season is a portrait concert of...

09/06/2026

Join us for the final concert in our Night Music series at The Harrison belfast. This recital will feature one of our former young artists, Rohan Harron who has just finished his studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

This recital will see Rohan present Responses and Reimaginings - an evening of modern, solo violin repertoire from across Europe and America, blending culture and tradition with contemporary sounds. Come and join us at the bar for a drink, accompanied by fantastic performing. Wednesday 17th June at 8:30pm in The Harrison Chambers of Distinction.

Tickets are free! Book yours now here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991204728946?aff=oddtdtcreator

Arts Council of Northern Ireland

08/06/2026

Next week we’re delighted that we’ll be joined by local soprano Jenny Bourke who will perform Piers Hellawell’s ‘Fatal Harmony’ at our Season Finale.
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Jenny is a music graduate of Queen’s University Belfast and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Her operatic roles include Lucy Lockett The Beggar’s Opera, Mother Goose The Rakes Progress, Sorceress Dido and Aeneus, Shepherd boy Tosca, Kate Pinkerton Madame Butterfly, Third Lady Magic Flute, Florence Pike Albert Herring, Queen of the Gypsies Bohemian Girl, Dorabella Cosi fan tutti, Flora (cover) La Traviata with Castleward Opera, RCS, Opera Fringe.

Jenny is a recognised and established vocal tutor within Northern Ireland, recently qualifying as a Vocal Health First Aider. Her personal performances have taken her to New York, Beijing, Paris and all over the UK and Ireland and she is delighted to have joined her home company, Northern Ireland Opera, in 2022. Since then she has performed as a soloist at several recital events for NIO, Chorus for La Traviata and Tosca, covered the role of Flora Bervoix in La Traviata and sang in the Salon Series ‘Seawrack’ and ‘Les Nuits D’ete.’ More recently she sang the role of the Stepmother in the company’s well received production of The Juniper Tree by Philip Glass and Robert Moran followed by her main stage debut in 2024 as Filipeyvna in Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky. In 2026 Jenny was delighted to join the internationally-acclaimed period ensemble, Arcangelo in a recording and performance of Handel's Saul in London and a European tour of Haydn’s Creation with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. She will end 2026 with a European and American tour of the Messiah with Emmanuelle Haim’s Le Concert D’Astree and the LA Philharmonic Orchestra.
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Come and see Jenny on Friday 19th June in the final concert of our season at 7:30pm in the Harty Room, QUB Music. More info/tickets 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991037485717?aff=oddtdtcreator

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Contemporary Music Centre

06/06/2026

Join us for our Season Finale! In two weeks we present our final concert of the season when we’ll celebrate the music of Piers Hellawell, one of Ireland’s most distinguished composers, and round off an incredible year of new music.

In a long and distinguished career, Piers Hellawell has produced a body of work characterised by boundless invention, genuine discovery and deep integrity. In celebration of his 70th birthday, this portrait concert reflects upon his outstanding solo and chamber music and his enduring creative partnerships. Hard Rain are privileged to have enjoyed a long-standing collaboration with Piers, both through his compositions and as one of the UK’s most distinguished educators: Professor of Composition at Queen’s University of Belfast 1981–2024, and Honorary Professor of Composition at the University of St Andrews.

Here we present works spanning the past 40 years in the venue that has been home to so many important moments in Hellawell’s career.

Book your tickets here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991037485717?aff=oddtdtcreator

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Contemporary Music Centre QUB Music

03/06/2026

Thank you to everyone who helped make our Beijing to Belfast concert so special, especially Xiaogang Ye for writing such an impressive new piece for Hard Rain ‘Selin Cuo’. We were delighted to host Professor Ye, and Guo Haiou (Executive Director of the Beijing Modern Music Festival) at this premiere performance to a packed concert hall. Our collaborative programme also included new works by NI Chenkang, YU Pengfei, ZHANG Shuhao, SHI Fuhong and BAI Chao as well as Simon Mawhinney (QUB Music), Richard Causton and Yue Song who were in attendance. Many thanks also to guest violinist Marie Schreer for her wonderful playing!

Huge thank you to British Council/ British Council Northern Ireland for funding this project through their programme. And to our principal funder Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Chinese Consulate for their thoughtful and insightful responses to this special event.

We’ll be back in a few weeks with the final concert of our season when we’ll celebrate the music of Piers Hellawell, one of our closest collaborators, ahead of his 70th birthday!

Photos by Thomas Jackson

27/05/2026

Tomorrow we’ll be preparing rehearsals for our Beijing to Belfast concert funded by the British Council/British Council Northern Ireland. We’ll be joined at that concert by Richard Causton, Professor of Composition at Cambridge University, as we perform his piece ‘Phoenix’. Richard tells us a bit in this video about how he approached writing this piece 20 years ago.

Come and see ‘Phoenix’ for yourself this Saturday 30th May at 7:30pm in the Harty Room, QUB Music. More info/booking here 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1987117736642?aff=oddtdtcreator

Arts Council of Northern Ireland Arts – British Council

Richard Causton, renowned composer and Professor of Composition at the University of Cambridge, tells us about his his compositional approach and the backgro...