Mel Mercier: The former UCC/UL academic on his gamelan project and life in 'retirement' 

Since leaving academia last year, Mercier has been devoting much of his time to the incredible gamelan orchestra he founded. We'll see the fruits of his labours at a special concert at the Everyman in Cork 

Mel Mercier. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

To call Mel Mercier a man of many talents is something of an understatement. The Dublin native began his musical journey as a bodhrán and bones player, following in the footsteps of his father Peadar, who played with The Chieftains. He went on to study music at UCC, eventually heading up the UCC School of Music and Theatre before taking over from his great friend and mentor, the late Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, as chair of performing arts at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick.

 In tandem with his career as an academic and teacher to generations of Irish musicians, across classical, traditional and contemporary genres, Mercier has built an impressive CV as a composer, particularly in theatre. He was nominated for a Tony award in 2012 for his sound design on the Broadway production of Colm Tóibín’s The Testament of Mary and more recently collaborated with Gare St Lazare on their acclaimed Beckett trilogy, How It Is.