Irish born Colm O' Foghlú (Director, Ember Productions) is renowned for his work writing and directing shows such as dance-theatre show Gaelforce Dance which toured throughout Australia, Europe, Asia and North America reaching a total audience of 4 million people. His other work includes Irish Thunder for Busch Gardens and for television, the soundtrack for The Land of Sex and Sinners. Recently Calm has been Musical Director for Riverdance and is responsible for the hugely popular Celtic Dawn for Fáilte Ireland. Colm's qualifications include has an M.A. in Drama and Performance Studies at University College Dublin and is currently busy as Artistic Director of An Béal Binn and as Co-Director of Ember Productions www.emberproductions.ie. Colm remains a sought after artistic & musical and delighted that he not only has the time to teach on the Pusle College Degree Course but he took the time to talk to Pulse News about his successful career.
Q1. You studied music and dance from a very early age. Was music a big influence in your life growing up?
I was really lucky that I went to Scoil Oilibhéir, an Irish primary school in Coolmine. The teachers there have a wonderful interest in dance and music. There were loads of opportunities for the pupils because of the staff and the ancillary teachers. Most of the original dancers in Riverdance would have attended the O'Sé School of Irish Dance which has a long history with the school. I was never a brilliant dancer but it is an invaluable resource that I can call on when writing music for dance.
Q2. You are a highly trained musician, studying in the Royal Irish Academy of Music and The College of Music. Do you lean towards the theory or practical side of music?
I'd like to think that I'm practical but I suppose the exposure I've had to theory informs whatever I do. Most of the time it's not a conscious thing, it becomes intuitive. Music has a duality about it because it comes from somewhere between the heart and the head, while the initial starting point might be that moment of inspiration the rest of the process is probably more to do with perspiration.
Q3. You went off to study a B.Mus. in University Cork where you studied with Micheal Ó Suilleabháin. It must have been an amazing experience, tell us about it.
UCC, at that time, was the only course in Ireland that encouraged musicians of all genres and because of that we had the fantastic opportunity to explore African dance drumming, Javanese Gamelan and South Indian Konnakol as well as Jazz, trad and more conventional forms of Art music. This approach really suited me and has had a huge impact on the kind of music I make. Micheál Ó Suilleabháin was the main reason that I went to Cork though and I was really fortunate to have studied composition with him. Apart from being a brilliant pianist, he is also a gifted composer and arranger. His patience and generosity along with his amazing communicative and analytical skills make him an inspirational teacher.
Q4. You embarked on your first solo project Echoing in 1996/97. What was the influence behind its creation?
Before Echoing I worked with Catherine Consindine who was known for her work with Aslan, Mary Coughlin and many other high profile artists. She was one of the most sought after freelancers in Dublin. We went around looking for the right studios and the natural consensus was to go with Pulse College Studios. The influence behind Echoing was Riverdance, which was release about a year after Riverdance came to fruition. The concept was to fuse Irish Music with other elements. Exploring how the whole idea of Sean Nos might work with different musical styles was an exciting challenge from a musical point of view. There was no auto tune to record on, as a result a completely different approach as required to today's music production. Any time you had to edit you had to splice and drop the tape so there was no margin for error but you developed and craft art around it. The advent of protocols opened up endless possibilities and options.
Q5. You wrote, composed and directed Gaelforce Dance, a dance theatre show which opened in New Zealand and toured throughout Australia and Europe. How did the idea behind this project come about?
I worked with a flute player in Dublin called Carol, Ireland being such a small community, I just happened to bump into her in Australia. She was asked to work for the Original GealForce a sophisticated cabaret show. They wanted to transform it into a theatrical show that toured internationally, that's when I was asked to become involved. As a result of my background as a dancer I instinctively knew what they were looking for. My role was to compose, create and finish the orchestral score with only a 5 week turnaround. It was a tight time frame but turned out to be a great success
Q6. Gaelforce played to over 4 million people. What an achievement. How did it feel to have your creation become such an international success?
None of us realised what a success it was going to be because it all happened so fast. We were playing the most prestigious venues from The Royal Albert Hall to Carnegie Hall. When you're standing in such iconic venues when you not only performing on stage but the entire musical score that you composed is being played, you have to pinch yourself. It was important for me to take the time to stand back and appreciate that these are once in a lifetime moments that might not happen again. It's a very surreal.
Q7. You have travelled all over the world with your work are there any places or projects that stand out most in your mind?
On The 2nd of January 2010 I was commissioned to write a violin concerto for the Burren Symphony Orchestra. I got to the opportunity to work closely with Mairead Nesbitt who has an international reputation for her work with Celtic Women" and the "Lord of the Dance". It was an amazing experience to have a full symphony orchestra at my disposal playing my concerto. What made it even more special was that I was just the composer and was not performing. I got to just sit, enjoy and experience firsthand the positive reaction of the audience members to my work. The surroundings were also magical it was in a beautiful concert hall post Christmas and it was black tie, everyone was dressed up, it was a very special night.
Q8. Other high profile projects that you worked on include "Irish Thunder" and "The Land of Sex" and sinners. Tell about your role in these productions.
Irish Thunder was created with Busch Garden's the same corporation who own Budweiser and they have theme parks all over the US. Every 4 years I am commissioned to create a new production showcasing Irish culture. All of which so far has been recorded in Pulse and Windmill Lane Recording. It gave me a great opportunity to work with such great Irish Talent and show off that talent to an international audience. Because of the budget you are not put under such huge time constraints, which means you can experiment with different sounds and arrangements.
The Land of Sex and Sinners was a co commission between RTE and the Australian Film board. It was a 2 hr documentary on the history of the attitudes to sex from the stone age to present time. I wrote the sore for the production and in the end every scene was underscore. What made this a particularly interesting project to work on was that historical time periods had to be referenced in the music, but it still had to have a contemporary feel.
Q9. You were currently Musical director for one on Ireland's most Iconic production Riverdance. What was that experience like?
The great thing about Riverdance is that is that it is so internationally recognized that to say you were a musical director for the production needs no explanation. It is such a global brand that to be associated with it is a perceived mark of quality and it was great fun.
Q10. You currently teach on the Pulse Colleges' degree course. How did this collaboration come about?
Tony Perrey has eyes and ears to the musical ground. He went to great efforts to make sure I was happy in the studio. He very aware of what's happening in the industry as a result he saw that my musical work reflected the theory of my education. He identified an opportunity that I could work with Pulse College Students to help them develop a theoretical and analytical approach to their work. Teaching remains an interesting and exciting challenge.
Q11. What part of teaching do you find the most satisfying?
The energy and enthusiasm that students have, make teaching really rewarding. They are so engaging it's hard not feel inspired.
Q12. You yourself have taken the challenge of going back to college to study modern drama. How have you find life as a student?
I had been working in Theatre as far back as 1998, I went back to college to get more theoretic side of drama. This gave me a greater understanding of theatre production from a director's point of view which really enhanced my work. It was more difficult to go back as mature student thought; you put yourself under huge pressure on yourself. It's tough bur rewarding.
Q13. What are the top tips that you can give Pulse Students who are set to graduate next summer?
Every situation gives you the opportunity to learn something new. I have learnt more from working with people like Debbie Smith for example. She is so experienced and very kind and generous with both her time and talent. Every time students get the opportunity to work with someone likes Debbie it makes you be better at what you do.
Walking into a place like Windmill Lane Recording Studios and working with such talent it inspires you want to create the best work and it's important to always appreciate these moments and experience.
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