
It was Summer 2017. I was gearing up to run my second Liverpool Irish Festival, having started a year-ago-to-the-day when an email dropped in to my inbox. It was from a musical artist: Sue Rynhart.
A friend-of-a-friend
It’s always notable when someone comes to you via another contact. You hope it is because you provided a positive space for creativity to flourish. This email referenced the incredible Ailís Ní Rhían, with whom I had worked on a showing of Sklonište. Perhaps the content of Sklonište — a 60-minute cinematic and musical reflection about the longest siege in modern warfare (Sarejevo,1996) — made the recommendation even more memorable.
Thus began Sue’s and my creative friendship, proving when one friend exits another can enter. Creatively, we’ve now worked together on River Festivals, bar gigs, theatrical performances and creative dialogues.
New album
This year brings Sue’s newest studio album release, with songs she has written, influenced by Gothic short stories. As Sue says, the album considers “…the departure of a signalman from this world to the one he saw in a premonition; a curiously insightful cat intercepting the absconsion* of his owner; a great elm tree, deeply rooted on the banks of the Liffey in Chapelizod, observing the comings and goings of many souls over centuries; a rusty old kettle, dredged from the deep lake on the River Shannon, departing its dormant existence into a new life in a song… The songs are encapsulated by folk songs of love, loss, isolation and renewal”.
* secretive withdrawal
Departures
Sue released her single, Elm, on Fri 13 Sept 2024 and her album, Say Pluto, hits shelves/ streaming sites on Fri 11 Oct 2024. The music is composed and performed by Sue Rynhart (voice and acoustic guitar), Huw Warren (piano) and Dan Bodwell (double bass). “This new work is an exciting departure for me, from singing my previous songs to performing two existing folk songs and my new compositions, with the accompaniments arranged by Welsh pianist Huw Warren”.
Although the songs emerged following Sue’s completion of a residency at Centre Culturel Irlandais (Paris), the recording sessions at Fieldgate Studios captured the trio’s collaborative efforts, with the studio’s renowned acoustics providing a suitable backdrop for the intricate arrangements. The result is an album that showcases a more introspective and folk-oriented side of Sue’s work, without losing the clarity and depth for which she is known.
Recognition
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- “Beautiful!” – Salt Peanuts
- “Enigmatic, bewitching sung poetry” – All About Jazz
- “Utterly unique” – Irish Times
- “Beautiful vocalist…wonderful composition” – BBC.
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Gifts leaving the nest
As a programme curator, I always think of artists as incredibly brave to release their creative expressions into the world. The process of allowing ideas to leave your mind, via your hand or voice, and sharing them with others is one of bravery and generosity. This act of letting something you have nurtured out and into the wild is itself a departure. It’s akin to sending a child to school or handing in a big project to a boss. It causes you to question:
- how well will they/it be received?
- how will it feel when you hear back about it?
Sue’s voice is strong, and agile, flitting like birdsong across tremulous notes. Her lyrics contain great depth and history but can also create quick (imaginary) nicks and cuts or generate laughter. Sue’s music is always a journey springing from one place to another, causing you to question her allegories and find kinship with the experiences she sings of.
#LIF2024
The Festival is always delighted to re-welcome Sue back to Liverpool. Sue will run a part of this year’s in-person Cultural Connectedness Exchange Network day. As well as this, she’ll will sing at our launch (Liverpool Irish Centre, 17 Oct; hence releasing this article online today!).
“It’s a great honour to sing at the Festival’s launch. The Festival has been a huge support to the development of my writing, singing and music career. I’ve made lots of friends along the way and I’m very much looking forward to meeting more of the Festival goers and singing with them, too!”.
Sue Rynhart, 2024.
We wish Sue every success with Say Pluto and the songs it shares. We encourage readers to visit Sue’s site, attend a gig and really engage with Sue’s music. Listeners will be beguiled by it’s unique warmth, and terrific skill. Sue’s music has not left my playlists since we met. I’m proud to count her among our roster of developing artists, whose careers we follow and celebrate.
Emma Smith, Artistic Director and CEO, Liverpool Irish Festival, Sept/Oct 2024.