Some schedule changes at RTÉ lyric fm this month sees the return of The Lyric Feature and new shows for Seán Rocks and Aedín Gormley.
The station also continues to celebrate Black History Month. Every day this month, listeners will hear prominent musical figures honouring the lives of Black musicians.
The Lyric Feature consists of 14 new programmes exploring aspects of Irish cultural life.
The centerpiece of the season is a six-part series Root and Branch, a timely collaboration between ecologist Anja Murray and musician Brían MacGloinn looking at Ireland’s native trees through the lenses of science and folklore to see what lessons we can draw for our own fragile ecological era.
The Lyric Feature also goes behind the scenes at Music for Galway’s community opera Paper Boat: An Opera for Galway and the Wexford Festival Opera, to show the processes behind people and communities coming together to develop large scale creative works.
Arena’s Seán Rocks has commenced with his new programme, Seán Rocks on Sunday, guiding listeners through three hours of compelling music; from baroque to romantic, including folk and contemporary.
Seán says: “On Sunday afternoons I hope to share the wide variety of music I’ve been listening to, keep you up to speed with the theatre, concerts, books, films and tv that have been entertaining me and reflect on revealing moments in recent Arena interviews with musicians, actors, writers and artists.”
Aedín Gormley will host a new Friday afternoon show from 1.00- 4.00pm called Aedín in the Afternoon, while also continuing to present Movies and Musicals on Saturdays between 1.00 – 4.00pm.
Aedín in the Afternoon features a mix of movie music, jazz and classical favourites alongside recommendations on what to watch, read, and listen to as the weekend approaches.
Aedín comments: “I’m really looking forward to being on air a little earlier in the week, building up to the weekend, highlighting what is happening in the arts world and sharing my love of all kinds of great music on Fridays with our listeners.”
Other new additions include Piano Passions, on Weekend Drive with Evelyn Grant, Saturdays at 6.00pm, where pianist Úna Hunt explores some piano music associated with Ireland that counts among her favourite repertoire. Ambient Orbit on Sunday nights from midnight to 1.00am, features a carefully curated mix of ambient sounds and field recordings to allow the listener to reset and escape the noise of everyday life.