Guitarist, composer, and MacArthur Fellow Mary Halvorson has been described as "a singular talent" by JazzTimes.
Over the past two decades, the rising jazz talent has worked with such diverse musicians as Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, John Dieterich, Trevor Dunn, Bill Frisell, Tomeka Reid, Marc Ribot, Ches Smith, and John Zorn.
On Friday 15th May, she performs in the National Concert Hall Studio with her brand‑new quartet project, Canis Major, presenting a night of new and original compositions.
We asked Mary for her choice cultural picks…
FILM
Perfect Days, a film by Wim Wenders that follows the life of a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. A beautiful, hard‑to‑describe film. Watch it on your next Delta flight instead of a rom‑com.
MUSIC
This is probably my most recommended album of all time, and for good reason: Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom (1974). A totally unique and personal portrait from one of my all‑time favourite musicians. The first time I heard it I was deeply moved, and I’ve listened to it thousands of times since.
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BOOK
Ocean Vuong’s latest novel, The Emperor of Gladness. I loved his first book, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, and this one is even better. It somehow manages to be beautifully dark, poetic, and also laugh‑out‑loud funny. Highly recommended.
PLAY
I know next to nothing about theatre, so I’ve asked my friend Janie Slavens, who I trust 100%, for a recommendation. She suggests Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Adventure at The Bushwick Starr in Brooklyn — a puppet musical that is supposed to be weird and wonderful.
TV
How To with John Wilson is a deeply creative show diving into wildly different themes of life in New York City, including "how to erect scaffolding" and "how to make small talk". The footage he captures of the city, and the characters he encounters, is just incredible.
GIG
I recently went to see the Yvonne Rogers Trio in NYC (with Henry Fraser on bass and Kayvon Gordon on drums). All three are fantastic musicians, and they played at Close Up, my favourite new NYC venue, which has great music every night except Tuesday, followed by jam sessions.
ART
In a couple of weeks I’m going to see Tehching Hsieh: Lifeworks 1978–1999 at Dia Beacon. I’ve heard amazing things about this exhibition, and it’s great that there is finally a retrospective of this radical artist’s life and work.
TECH
Check out Oblique Strategies: an app designed by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt, described as "a card‑based method for promoting creativity". If you get stuck on anything at all, it provides wildly varied and interesting suggestions and solutions.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
A week on the beach with a book, a magazine, and no technology whatsoever.
Perspectives: Mary Halvorson and Canis Major perform at the National Concert Hall, Dublin on Friday, May 15th 2026 - find out more here
