Ambassador bids Bon Voyage to Musical Group Snakes and Ladders

Left to Right: Ambassador Foley, Daniel Figgis and Eugene Downes

On March 10th, Ambassador Thomas C. Foley hosted an event in the rotunda of the U.S. Embassy to bid Bon Voyage to Snakes and Ladders as they headed off to New York to premier an original commissioned piece at the World Financial Center.

The World Financial Center is a large complex of buildings in lower Manhattan which host some of the world’s leading financial institutions.  Since 1988 the building management has used the open spaces on the street level to highlight the visual and performing arts.  For their 20th anniversary they commissioned a variety of works to highlight the visual and performing arts.  Only one commission this year went to a group that was not American.  That group was the Irish group Snakes and Ladders and composer Daniel Figgis.

Several of the musicians gave preview performances of pieces which will be played at the St. Patrick’s Day festival in New York.

Snakes and Ladders will be performing in conjunction with the St. Patrick’s Day festival in New York.  The goal of Snakes and Ladders is to expand audience expectations of contemporary Irish music and explore the intersection of music technology and new modes of composition.  Daniel Figgis has brought together an extraordinary group of Irish musicians to showcase their original works.  The performance will culminate with Figgis’ composition, “Photo Finish (with shortcuts)”.

The event at the Embassy was attended by some of the leading figures in both the arts and tourism.  Ambassador Foley opened the event wishing the group success in the United States.  Eugene Downes, the CEO of Culture Ireland also addressed the group emphasizing the importance of cultural exchanges between the United States and Ireland.  Several of the musicians gave preview performances of pieces which will be played at the St. Patrick’s Day festival in New York.