Local musicians with autism sought for new residency programme
Applications are now open for a residency opportunity in county Cork for a professional musician who is autistic.
The residency is being offered by Music Network and Ionad Cultúrtha and will be located in Ballyvourney, West Cork.
Ionad Cultúrtha is an arts centre located in the Ballyvourney village.
The residency is designed to provide a significant development opportunity specifically for a professional musician who is autistic and who has a strong track record in music performance.
This year’s selected musician will receive a bursary of €8,000 and will have access to a dedicated space during October and November 2025 to develop their creative practice and create new work and/or artistic collaborations.
They will also engage with the wider community, working alongside an experienced facilitator to deliver a programme of inclusive music activities, and showcase their work live in concert at the end of the residency in November/December.
The idea for the residency was conceived in recognition that many autistic musicians face barriers toward career progression that others may not.
The main purpose of the residency is to provide time and space for a musician-in-residence to develop their practice intensively.
This year’s residency follows the appointment of Patrick Stefan in 2024 as the first ever musician-in-residence in a residency specifically for a professional musician who is autistic, a partnership between Music Network and St John’s Theatre and Arts Centre, Listowel.
Speaking about the opportunity, Patrick said: “I hope that this residency can be seen as a success for future rollouts in other venues as I feel it has really helped me.
“I come away from it feeling like I know myself a bit better and there's a softening of the edges around this stigma.
“I'm very happy that there is such a welcoming of understanding of how autism is now perceived in the arts,” he added.
Patrick will visit Ballyvourney on 22 August to perform a special concert featuring the world premiere of a new Irish language commission he has written at Ionad Cultúrtha to mark National Heritage Week.
Artistic Director of Ionad Cultúrtha, Liadh Ní Riada said: “We are looking forward to empowering artists who have unique challenges in developing their work.
“The Ionad Cultúrtha is delighted to afford artists the opportunity to create in our space and we hope that this is the start of recognising the need for more equality and inclusivity in the arts.”
CEO of Music Network, Sharon Rollston, added: “We are delighted to partner with Ionad Cultúrtha to offer this residency, only the second of its kind, which we see as a valuable opportunity not only to support an autistic musician but also to learn from them as they spend time at the venue as Musician-in-Residence.”
An online information meeting for people potentially interested in applying for the residency will take place on Thursday 14 August at 11am.
The deadline for applications is Monday 1 September at 2pm. Applications can be made online or by email. The online application form, guidelines, and registration for the online information session are available now at musicnetwork.ie or by contacting programmesadmin@musicnetwork.ie.