Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome to the House. I hope she and her team had a nice break over the Christmas period. I would say it was a well deserved break. I want to be associated with the congratulations to the Oscar nominees, especially "An Cailín Ciúin". It is one of the finest films I have ever seen. Even thinking about it makes me emotional. It is powerful and I recommend that anybody who has not seen it do so.

On our first day back in session, it is lovely to be speaking about unmistakably good news. The Bill formalises and reinforces a process that has already been completed, namely, the transfer of the National Symphony Orchestra from RTÉ to the National Concert Hall. It is a process that has generated a great deal of optimism and goodwill and could signal a revitalisation of the orchestra's capacity and connection with the public.

The Minister's commitment of funds to secure the continued existence of an important part of our collective cultural heritage sends a very positive signal that Ireland is a country that values music and the people who make it. I always say that music is so important because at its best it is a powerful emotional experience that we can share with our friends and loved ones and with total strangers. When a great show ends and the applause dies down the audience sits in a moment of silence readjusting to normal life. I have lived that experience many times. In a society that can feel increasingly automatised and so many factors drive us towards consuming vacuous media at home by ourselves, coming together to hear live music is restorative and life informing. As a performer myself, I absolutely love it and I am sure the Minister has experienced it herself.

Supporting the arts is not just about an abstract notion of preserving culture or even the direct tangible maintenance of performance. It is about preserving public spaces that allow for the collective experience of joy and exhilaration that art and music can inspire in us. I am very hopeful that the move to the National Concert Hall and the funding provided to facilitate it will contribute to the orchestra being restored to its former glory. The orchestra was becoming a little bit run down in the latter years of its residence in RTÉ, with dwindling numbers and even several years without a principal conductor. This decline in staffing was an act of abject cultural vandalism. It is heartening to see the Government take action to reverse it. I hope this move will see the orchestra restored not only in number but also in morale and ambition.

TU Dublin academic Dr. Adrian Smith wrote an article about this transition that was very helpful in bringing me up to speed with the recent history of the orchestra. He mentioned the demoralising effect of the reliance on freelance performers to make up most of the unfilled vacancies. This is a very important point. Music has often been a precarious and uncertain profession. If the orchestra is in receipt of public funding, it should be employing musicians on good, secure contracts. Employers paying people with State money should model the ethical and responsible practices to which we would aspire to see throughout the labour market. The recent pandemic showed just how vulnerable musicians are to losing their livelihoods. Thankfully, the Minister listened when musicians and performers banded together to ask for help in that instance. Otherwise we would have emerged from the Covid restrictions into a barren cultural landscape. The withdrawal of pandemic era supports from musicians before the sector fully recovered from the impact of Covid has been a real blow for many in the unfunded sector.

I celebrate unreservedly the increased support for the orchestra and the Arts Council. The basic income for artists pilot scheme is an exciting and innovative idea. The Minister has a lot to be proud of. I have to say though that I do think about the uncertain future faced by many unfunded musicians. I worry that they do not get the support they need. Sometimes there is a reductive understanding of classical music as an elite pursuit. Steps have been taken to make it more accessible to modern audiences. Orchestral performances of iconic film scores and the presence of orchestras at popular musical festivals are innovative. Democratic methods are broadening the appeal of classical music.

It is also important that the orchestra can travel and play in various parts of the country. This is a shared asset. The largest possible section of the population should be able to benefit from it. An open and welcoming culture of music appreciation and learning has the potential to bridge cultural divides and inspire people to pursue their passions. I warmly welcome the Bill and I congratulate the Minister, her staff and the team in the Department on all of their efforts in this area. I also thank my colleague Senator Warfield for his lovely compliment.