Kilkenny performer to showcase unique production

Local musician and songwriter Ali Comerford will perform in concert at The National Opera House in Wexford on Sunday, December 3. 

Ali, a violinist, violist and songwriter from Jenkinstown, Co. Kilkenny, will develop a new project called ‘Just This Once’.... inspired by stories submitted by the public.

People from Kilkenny and further afield are invited to submit stories about something, or someone, that means a lot to them. 

The stories can be happy, funny or sad, they can be about something ordinary or something extraordinary, they can be about anything or anyone as long as it is something significant to the storyteller.

Earlier this month, Music Network and The National Opera House announced the Co.Kilkenny performer as the RESONATE artist-in-residence for 2023.

Now in its 3rd year, RESONATE provides support for professional musicians with a strong track record in music performance to develop new work and/or collaborations. 

Like many musicians, Ali’s work as a performer disappeared at the start of the pandemic. In order to keep working she began to write personalised songs for people, and by working with people in this way the idea formed.

Speaking about the project Ali said: "All of my work as a performer came to an end as the world shut down and I had to look for new ways to support myself and keep my creativity moving. I was writing songs for peoples wedding anniversaries or birthday presents, mostly gifts from partners to each other. People would email me facts about their loved ones, their love story, and I would turn it into a song just for them.

After a while I started to offer this service to people who I felt would really appreciate it in their own lives, people who were dealing with loss or who had done something special. I would offer these songs for free on my social media and it led me to this idea. A personalised concert. One where people are invited, along with an open audience, to hear songs written about them for them.” 

The stories will be showcased at the Jerome Hynes Theatre on the night, with entries accepted until Tuesday, August 8.

Entries can be submitted online at:  https://form.jotform.com/justthisonce/submission