Duke Special among musicians received grants for the purchase of new instruments

Composer Duke Special is among Northern Irish performers to receive funding as part of a program aimed at helping musicians replace old, worn-out instruments and buy new ones.

A Belfast songwriter is set to use his grant to buy an electromechanical instrument that was once used to create the sound of The Beatles.

Twenty professional musicians are participating in a £101,990 investment from the Northern Ireland Arts Council’s Musical Instruments program for individual artists.

Capital funding for the program was provided by Stormont’s Department of Communities.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons met some of the musicians this week at the Ulster Museum.

He said: “It’s great to meet some of the local musical talent who will benefit from these grants and hear about how the scheme will support their careers.

“From classical musicians and film composers to the unique sounds of the Duke Special, this grant will help support the local music scene as it continues to distinguish itself on the global stage.

“I look forward to new compositions and hope this funding will help inspire a new generation of musicians.”

Composer Peter Wilson, known professionally as Duke Special, was awarded £5,033 to purchase a Mellotron M4000D, an electromechanical musical instrument that predated the synthesizer.

The instrument became popular in progressive rock, and The Beatles used it on tracks such as Strawberry Fields Forever.

The instrument’s digital expansion cards contain hundreds of additional sounds, including drum loops and musical passages derived from the Optigan, a lesser-known vintage sampler.

Wilson intends to use the instrument to write songs for a new theater production to be commissioned by the Lyric Theater in Belfast.

Musician and harpist Anne Harper received £6,692.88 towards the purchase of a Dusty Strings FH 36 S maple harp with kamac strings.

Ms Harper has performed in classical and traditional music, both Traditional Irish and Ulster Scottish, and has also worked for ArtsCare NI as a music presenter and storyteller in County Down. Since 2015, he has been designing and conducting music master classes.

Songwriter Chris Bateman from Ballymena, who received £2,500 to buy a high-quality acoustic guitar and develop his songwriting and performing skills. He performs under the name Batesy.

Jilly Campbell, Co-Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “This important scheme will help support the work and careers of individual artists through grants to purchase or replace instruments.

“Northern Ireland is renowned around the world for its musical talent.

“This funding will help support this legacy, benefiting many artists across a wide range of genres, including classical, jazz, traditional, contemporary and electronic music.”

Additional grants under the program will be awarded to bands and professional and non-professional performing groups later this month.