An award-winning composer and Visiting Professor at the School of Creative Arts on the University of Ulster’s Magee campus has just been shortlisted in the Best Opera category at this year’s Irish Times Theatre Awards.

Postcards from Dumbworld, which was written by Professor Brian Irvine in collaboration with writer/director John McIlduff, incorporates elements of contemporary classical, improvisation and popular music. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Dublin on February 27th 2010.

Professor Irvine is currently Composer-in-Association with the Ulster Orchestra and has toured extensively throughout Europe, Russia and USA with his own critically acclaimed 12-piece ensemble.

In his role as Visiting Professor of Music at Ulster, Professor Irvine is helping to promote the School of Creative Arts’ interdisciplinary agenda through his ongoing work in opera, film, animation and television to give fresh impetus to the synergies between New Media and Creative Arts.

He is currently involved in an innovative film and music composition outreach project which the University of Ulster’s School of Creative Arts has developed in association with the Ulster Orchestra.

The project brings together film, drama and music professionals, musicians from the Ulster Orchestra, staff and students from the School of Creative Arts and pupils from local schools.

Since October 2010 pupils from the participating schools have been working closely with staff, students and professionals from the University of Ulster to write, direct and edit a series of short original films.

They have also collaborated to create original scores for each of the completed films. The scores will be performed by Ulster Orchestra musicians at two specially organised film screening events  this week in the Recital Room, Foyle Arts Building at the Magee campus (Friday, January 28) and in the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast (Saturday January 29). Both performances are at 6 pm.