Grammy award winning composer comes to Kildare

AN INTERNATIONALLY renowned composer and musician will come to Kildare next month for a special show.

This October, Music Network brings the acclaimed British Grammy Award winning pianist, composer and improviser, Bill Laurance, to Kildare and Ireland as part of a national tour from 18–25 October.

The event presents audiences with an opportunity to experience Laurance at his most intimate: alone at the piano, exploring the music of his acclaimed 2025 album Lumen alongside work from across his solo career.

The composer will perform at St David’s Church in Naas facilitated by the Riverbank Arts Centre on Friday 23 October.

Described as his most personal and expressive album to date, Lumen brings Laurance back to the piano, the instrument at the centre of his musical life. Speaking about the upcoming tour, Laurance said "Performing solo is total freedom. It’s about letting the music tell you what to play, fully immersing yourself in the vulnerability of what the moment decides. 

"Alongside repertoire from my latest solo piano album Lumen (ACT Music, 2025), the concert will feature wide open improvisations, in which every performance is completely different. I have so many unforgettable memories performing in Ireland and I’m so looking forward to being back for this upcoming solo piano tour.” 

The apparent ease with which Laurance moves between musical worlds can be traced back to his formative years at the University of Leeds. 

Rather than choosing between them, Laurance allowed those influences to coexist, gradually forging a musical language that draws on English classical traditions, electronica and jazz-rock alongside contemporary grooves and an intense commitment to improvisation.

Laurance has developed a distinctive compositional voice in which melody, rhythm, atmosphere and improvisation continually intersect. His music can feel cinematic and expansive one moment, stripped back and intensely personal the next.

That breadth is also reflected in an extraordinary list of collaborators. Laurance has recorded or performed with artists including David Crosby, Salif Keita, Morcheeba, Terence Blanchard, Lalah Hathaway, Laura Mvula, Jacob Collier, Chris Potter and Lionel Loueke, as well as the Metropole Orchestra and WDR Big Band. 

Tickets €18–€30. Booking at riverbank.ie.