In this piece Kathleen Turner talks about her influences, her work and thoughts on Limerick’s music scene
The unifying thing in my work is music, but it has a lot of threads. I write and record my own music, which is part and parcel of being a teaching artist at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. I’m very lucky to be in a space where I can bring all the parts of my work in music together.
I’m a community musician at heart, so most of my work up to this point has been connected to that in some way. I love the sense of connecting people through music – regardless of whether it’s in a gig, a choir, or a school.
After graduating from the Irish World Academy initially, I was lucky enough to be hired by the wonderful Irish Chamber Orchestra as their Community Engagement Manager.
I loved working with them, devising community programmes, including Sing Out with Strings. I’m so delighted to see that the programme is now in its 11th year, and steered brilliantly by the new manager, Kathrine Barnecutt. I’m SO proud of the participating schools, representing Limerick at home and farther afield.
Now I am Course Director of the MA Community Music at the Irish World Academy, teaching, writing, researching and singing. It’s a special place to work every day – I find the place and the people incredibly inspiring.
I’ve always loved singing, and it was a very normal part of my life from an early age. I went to a primary school where songs were a part of the normal day – they had songs in music class, but also in science, maths, religion. It was a brilliant way to learn. My family love music, both my parents sang growing up and we went to a Methodist church where hymn singing is the norm. So I suppose that’s where I learned to harmonise – my voice was always too low to sing the melody so what are you going to do? Sing the third below!
I have two fabulous sisters, one of whom made music her career for a long time. I grew up watching Juliet on stage, telling stories to audiences, listening to her lyrics, which are really poetry. So I had inspiration on a number of fronts.
I’ve already mentioned my sister – a major influence. And right now, I’m looking around at leading women, solo artists for inspiration.
I find local artists like Emma Langford, Ann Blake, Emma Fisher, Sarah Moore Fitzgeralnd and Joanne Ryan very inspiring. They’re involved in different art forms, but they’re all expert at what they do, and are each carving their own path boldly.
And the wonderful thing about them all is that they cheer each other on. That’s why Limerick is such a special place to be as an artist – people genuinely do want to cheer you on.
It’s a rare and gorgeous thing. Further afield, I look at people like Roisín Ingle, Amanda Palmer, Marian Keyes, Taryn De Vere… not necessarily involved in music, but again, carving their own path as artists. That gives me energy.
The process of every song is different, but I tend to write a song about something if I need to work it out – if it’s a thought, a worry, a joy that is lingering, I’ll explore it in a song, and then I’ll get some peace.
This new album features a lot of that. The title track, Like a Lion, came from a need to put a lot of worry and anger into a really positive place, full of joy. It wouldn’t leave me alone.
I found myself walking down the street, in taxis, at work, having to nip out to get my phone and record little snippets as the words and melody kept arriving.
After I finished my PhD, I had the chance to give copies of it back to the schools involved. The principal of St Mary’s National School gave me some time at a school assembly to show the kids the ‘big book’ (my thesis) that they had helped me create.
I gave the book to the school, and sang them a song from the research that they had inspired me to write.
It felt like the years of study were worth it for the feeling in the room that day. I felt incredibly grateful.
Limerick is such an amazing place to be from a music perspective these days. Everywhere you look there are artists making inspiring work – it’s an incredible list. Look at Powpig! Denise Chaila! Murli! King Pallas! God knows! Windings! Emma Langford! The list is long and the work is brilliant. And I love that all those musicians are multi-strand artists – they make music, poetry, sound design, theatre. They don’t box themselves in, and I find that very inspiring.
Plus, look at how Powpig developed, making music and doing exams! Mighty!!
2019 has been a busy year! I love teaching at the academy, I have a fabulous class of community musicians and work in a number of the other programmes. And I’ve been working on Like a Lion since the Spring, with the wonderful Sean Óg Graham.
He’s a fantastic musician and producer, and his studio is based up in Portglenone. We’ve been organising sessions between his schedule with Beoga and mine at the academy.
It’s been a lovely process, but now we’re both really excited to put the songs out into the world.
So that’s how the year will end – launch in Dolan’s, two videos to record that week, (both of those will be released in the new year – and I have to give a big thank you to Creative Ireland and Limerick City and Council Council for making those possible! ), and doing my best to share the music and build on the wider creative project I have planned. That’s pretty ambitious – it involves live band, choir and aerial dance – so who knows where that will lead, but I have some imagining / planning / writing to do over the holidays.