Saint Sister to be beamed from Derry's Guildhall as part of Other Voices' Courage series

The electro folk duo - comprising Derry's own Gemma Doherty and Belfast-native Morgan MacIntyre - will be joined by members of the ‘New Music’ collective Crash Ensemble on July 9.

Their performance will be live streamed on to an international audience from Derry on YouTube, Facebook and rte.ie from 8 p.m.

It's part of the Other Voices 'Courage' project which is aimed at delivering uplifting, inspiring performances from brilliant artists to the public during the COVID-19 emergency.

Saint Sister formed in 2014 in Dublin where Doherty was teaching harp and piano and Macintyre was working in a bookshop.

In 2018 their debut LP ‘Shape of Silence’ was met with critical acclaim and nominated for the Choice Music Prize and the Northern Irish Music Prize.

They have toured extensively across the globe over the last few years on their own and in support of Hozier, Keane, and Lisa Hannigan.

Some highlights include a stunning NPR Tiny Desk Concert, SXSW and Glastonbury. Their latest release ‘Dynamite’ is the first of a new batch of self-produced tracks, recorded with Rían Trench in The Meadow, Co. Wicklow, and mixed in Berlin with Benedikt MacIsaac. More material will be released throughout the rest of 2020.

Crash Ensemble, meanwhile, were founded in 1997 by composer and artistic partner Donnacha Dennehy. The group has worked with some of the most distinctive living composers including Terry Riley, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Louis Andriessen, Arnold Dreyblatt, Kevin Volans, Glenn Branca, Nico Muhly and Gerald Barry.

Tonight Tuesday, to get you in the mood, a performance by Neil Hannon, Cathy Davey and Eve Belle, will be streamed live from Glenveagh Castle in Donegal from 8 p.m.

Both performances are likely to be aired at a later date on RTÉ 2 where a first series of concerts is currently being shown on Thursday nights.

'Courage' is a partnership between Other Voices, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, RTÉ and IMRO.

IMRO Chief Executive Victor Finn said: “In times of crisis we often turn to music creators and artists for their unique ability to interpret and reflect on the world in which we live.

"Music is a collective experience which can overcome physical distance and is the perfect antidote to the growing sense of alienation and isolation we have all felt in recent times – even more so, now we are being asked to actively practise social distancing.

"The Other Voices’ Courage series brings some of our finest Irish music creators to the world stage from a number of unique locations around Ireland in what we hope will be inspiring and unforgettable performances.”

Other Voices founder and director Philip King said: “We are delighted to present this second season of Other Voices Courage as part of the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is about bringing people together through music, and recognising the essential and powerful contribution that artists continue to make to our lives. We are inspired by the response here in Ireland and globally to the first season of Other Voices Courage, and our artists and crews have helped to bring beauty, solace, strength and a sense of belonging to people at this time of national and global crisis - is ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.

"The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has played a leading and imaginative role in making it possible for our artists and crews to work together to create and present Other Voices Courage.”