Irish composer Robert Coleman was recently announced as the 2017 winner of the Jerome Hynes Young Composers’ Competition, awarded by the National Concert Hall.

The feeling afterwards is like that after wandering through a well-curated art exhibition – a quietness, a gentle tiredness, as the new ideas just encountered formulate into questions. Some of the questions will be voiced, perhaps immediately after the concert, perhaps later in the pub, perhaps later still in an anecdote (or a review), but most will not.

Alt Notes is a series looking at another alternative to the alternative music scene in Ireland. With musical diversity at its height around the country, this series is dedicated to bringing the contemporary and experimental musicians and composers of Ireland to your attention.

The Winners of the 9th West Cork Chamber Music Festival Composition Competition have been announced

For atmospherics and attention to details of presentation, Kirkos score a bullseye.