We all remember that feverishly exciting day in Belvedere College in February 2006 . . . the midpoint of the RTE Living Music Festival, when a full day of contemporary music was presented by, among others, the Crash Ensemble, to the absolute thrall of the capacity audience. Encapsulating the festival vibe by cramming four or five concerts into one day is a sure-fire way to attract and impress an audience, a method the Crash Ensemble has employed in the second of two events taking place next weekend, which have been collectively and quirkily christened, 'Shindig'. The shindig has been organised to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the foundation of Crash Ensemble, the genesis of which is owed to the company's artistic director, Donnacha Dennehy, and to pianist Andrew Synott and clarinetist Michael Seaver.

Sounding something more like a political rally than a musical performance, the first event next weekend (12 October) is presented under the banner 'Free State' and takes place, like the second event, at SS Michael and John Church in Temple Bar, Dublin 2. A concert dedicated to the music of contemporary Irish composers, new works by Gerald Barry (Crash Ensemble commission) and Julie Feeney will be highly anticipated, as will the performance of the winner of the 'Open Call for New Electronic Music' competition initiated specifically for this weekend's festivities. The other submissions for the competition will be made available to the ears of interested parties throughout the weekend in a listening booth in the church.

That said, if you can find time amidst the five concerts on Saturday (13) to attend the listening booth, it would be an achievement unto itself. The first performance of the marathon day takes place at noon and the last finishes at 10.30pm that night. It appears that specifics of each concert are not something that it is intended for us to be partial to so that is all the information I can give you.

I can however tell you that the second Dublin performance of Donnacha Dennehy's 'Gra agus Bas', that which features Iarla O Lionaird, will feature alongside the European premiere of Dennehy's piano/electronics work, 'Stainless Staining', and the first performance in Ireland of Terry Riley's 'Ancient Giant Hairy Nude Warriors Racing Down the Slopes of Battle' (yes, that is the title) since its premiere at the Louth Contemporary Music Festival last May.

Undoubtedly, the musicians of the Crash Ensemble will be looking forward enormously to working again with conductor Alan Pierson, the artistic director and conductor of the New York ensemble Alarm Will Sound, which was heralded as the "future of classical music" by the New York Times.

His reputation in contemporary music precedes him throughout the world even at this early stage in his illustrious career and having worked personally with many of the composers whose work will feature throughout the marathon day, there are few who would be more qualified for the task in hand.