‘Trad meets Baroque’ is Ciara Sudlow’s happy place, blending new and old with creativity and research while reflecting her musical values and background. These concerts combine traditional Irish music (trad) with 18th-century European Baroque art music in Ireland, integrating aural traditions with contextual research. Sudlow tells stories surrounding the music, tracing the Irish influences on Italian, Czech, and German composers who visited, and their contributions to trad music in return. The repertoire for the upcoming shows at Dublin HandelFest centers around a scribble in Handel’s Messiah manuscript of 1742 titled ‘Der Armische Irische Junge.’ Music from 18th-century print and aural tradition is paired with notated compositions by O’Carolan, Geminiani, Bocchi, and Kotzwara, inviting audiences to participate along the journey. But how did Sudlow get to perform these shows?
The Theresia Orchestra Ambassadorship program offered Sudlow the exciting challenge of reaching new audiences through digital and in-person projects in her home country. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Empower project, the initiative targets young people and those who may not usually engage with classical music. It was during her ambassadorship, while also apprenticing with the Irish Baroque Orchestra, that the idea for ‘Trad meets Baroque’ took shape. It enables her to connect trad music lovers with classical music fans, attracting a diverse audience. As ambassadors, they were asked to consider their goals, who they wanted to reach, and the impact they wanted to make—crucial questions for all early-career musicians. By exploring these questions throughout creating the concerts, Sudlow finally feels ready to fully engage with the answers.
To understand the evolution of this concert program, Sudlow shares a bit about her musical experiences. As an Irish-Australian, she spent much of her childhood learning Irish trad music with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Australia. It was a social, relaxed environment where they weren’t told to hold their violins up higher or that their quaver notes were not equal and in time enough. It was often taught by ear, encouraging experimentation and improvisation. Sudlow played fiddle, accordion, whistle, flute, banjo, guitar, bodhrán, and even sang!
Sudlow also studied classical violin and was intrigued by the complexity and challenges of comprehending this music. She strongly believes that the most impactful performances aim for creativity and communication, not perfection. Discovering the freedom and creativity possible in historical performance practice during her studies inspired her further. There are many surprising stylistic similarities between the way trad music is performed today and the way 18th-century sources teach. As an early musician, Sudlow also gets to play multiple instruments: three violins set up for different periods, viola, and viola da gamba. Balancing both musical worlds as a trad fiddle/banjo player and a classical/baroque musician gives her a unique perspective on these styles.
Sudlow’s experimentation with combining the two styles began at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with support from her incredible teachers. Antoinette Lohmann, who also comes from a folk music background, and Shunske Sato, who often asks Sudlow to play Irish tunes in lessons and even came to an Irish pub session to see what it was all about, provided invaluable support and open-mindedness, giving Sudlow the confidence to develop her own approach.
Organizing ‘Trad meets Baroque’ has been a steep learning curve for Sudlow. There’s extensive work in contacting venues, organizing musicians, and finding instruments, all before researching and arranging the music. Calling venues with an Australian accent from a Dutch phone number often met with uncertainty and confusion. After many rejections, she found the perfect venue for last January’s performance in Kilkenny, a 16th-century merchant house. It was well worth the effort, as they sold out and had a positive response. The audience was a fantastic mixture of ages and experience. Speaking to people afterward, Sudlow discovered that many came from a trad music background, others often attended classical concerts, and some had very little experience attending music performances. People said they felt welcome and relaxed, valuing the journey Sudlow brought them on by explaining the context of the music in an engaging way. They were enthusiastic about singing along, and Sudlow encourages asking questions and clapping whenever it feels right. She believes performers have the responsibility to communicate effectively to make audiences feel comfortable.
The Kilkenny performance experience made Sudlow realize the importance of meeting venue managers in person. People are more likely to help someone local they have met and chatted with, and it allows musicians to see the space in advance of preparing the program. Organizing venues when presenting ‘Trad meets Baroque’ in Australia was simpler due to Sudlow’s established connections. She hopes to develop a similar network in Ireland. For the upcoming Dublin concerts, cellist Doireann Kelly, also general manager of the Irish Baroque Orchestra, was crucial in establishing venue relationships. After the success of the Kilkenny show, Sudlow proposed including the show in the Irish Baroque Orchestra’s HandelFest to CEO Aliye Cornish-Moore. They discussed all the possibilities and decided on two performances: one at Dublin Castle’s Chapel Royal, which links aristocracy with art music, and the other at the Cobblestone pub, renowned for Irish trad music. This offers the best of both worlds and a chance to experiment with contrasting spaces and audience engagement.
With each performance, the program evolves, grows, and changes. Sudlow has directed it each time in collaboration with different inspiring musicians in her network, but she hopes to see it expand to include more instruments in the future. For Dublin HandelFest, Sudlow is joined again by Ellen Bolger on harpsichord, Netherlands-based cellist Xander Baker, and Australian bodhrán player Jet Kye Chong. Jet and Sudlow started the Irish/Scottish band The Hár in Australia, and he’s joining them here ahead of their Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows.
Participation in young artist training programs like Theresia Orchestra’s Ambassadorship, Irish Baroque Orchestra’s Apprenticeship, and the OAE’s Experience scheme has been invaluable for Sudlow. These opportunities have helped her develop the skills, experience, and confidence to share this incredible music and understand that she has a unique perspective that is just as interesting and engaging as anyone else’s. The world needs more programs supporting young, passionate individuals to explore their creativity. Looking ahead, Sudlow aims to create new concerts that bring people together, share important stories, and hopefully make a small positive impact on a world facing much hate, injustice, and insecurity. Remembering history and encouraging creativity is more important than ever.
