NEW MUSIC DUBLIN
New Music Dublin is Ireland's foremost contemporary music festival, showcasing adventurous, experimental, and modern compositions that challenge traditional perceptions of music. A strong literary thread runs throughout the 2026 NMD programme: the RTÉ Concert Orchestra will give the world premiere of Kevin O'Connell’s Paradiso, based on Dante’s third cantica, while Gerald Barry’s Salome receives its Irish premiere from the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland. Elsewhere, Gare St Lazare Ireland will present a work-in-progress adaptation of Marcel Mihalovici’s chamber opera The Last Tape, based on Samuel Beckett’s play Krapp’s Last Tape, and Donnacha Dennehy's Grammy Award-winning Land of Winter will be performed by Crash Ensemble, one of a trio of appearances from the Ensemble. Find out more here (Various venues, Wednesday 15th to Sunday 19th April)
FILM: FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER
Father Mother Sister Brother is veteran writer/director Jim Jarmusch's triptych about adult children navigating complex ties with distant parents in the US, Ireland (specifically Dublin's Stoneybatter and Ranelagh areas) and France. Exploring awkward reunions, unspoken tensions, and moments of quiet connection, it’s a tender, meditative work best suited for those who savor subtle, slow-burn character studies. And then there's that cast: Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Indya Moore and Luka Sabbat all excel (Selected cinemas nationwide)
ART: JACKIE NICKERSON
Stateside is a sweeping and fragmented visual diary of a decade photographer Jackie Nickerson spent living and working across the United States. Bringing together photographs taken in locations ranging from Chicago and New York to Utah and Hawaii, the work captures a series of raw, recurring impressions of contemporary America. Jackie talks to RTÉ Arena below (Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, Co Louth, until 9 May 2026)
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OPERA: YOUTH OPERA IRELAND
Take that, Timothée Chalamet, Part One: Formed just last October, Youth Opera Ireland (YOI) has assembled 65 youth voices between 8 and 16 year olds, having auditioned over 200 potential participants. These young talents, from a variety of counties including Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Longford, Kilkenny, Clare, Wicklow and Waterford will be performing the Irish premiere of a new work, The Wish Thief, a youth opera co-created by Royal Ballet & Opera Youth Company (RBO) and composer Leighton Jones and librettist Jonathan Ainscough (Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, April 11th)
DANCE: BALLET IRELAND
Take that, Timothée Chalamet, Part Two: Ballet Ireland presents Bold Moves, Dare to Dream, a programme that challenges expectations of what a night at the ballet can be. The programme features new works by Olivier-nominated choreographer Arthur Pita and rising Irish choreographer Ruaidhri Maguire - expect sharp storytelling, bold physicality and a soundtrack that moves from classical to cult pop, featuring everyone from Eartha Kitt to Barbra Streisand (O'Reilly Theatre Belvedere College, April 10th to 18th)
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