Madam, - The report headed "National centre plans to stop representing NI composers" (The Irish Times, August 25) brings to the fore a debate that the Contemporary Music Centre (CMC) has been trying to activate for some seven years.
A number of organisations across all the art forms are, like ourselves, funded on a cross-border basis by the two arts councils on this island. This has generally been regarded as not only the most effective, but also the best-value approach in promoting the creativity of artists from both sides of the Border.
However, it has been acknowledged by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (and in Michael Dervan's report) that funding to CMC over the 12-year period of this relationship has not matched the level of services provided.
It is a pity then that, so recently after the enlargement of the European Union to 25 countries, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland should bring forward, without due discussion, policy changes whose effect will be to discontinue funding to this organisation and isolate composers in the North from their peers in the international networks through which CMC operates.
As a professional organisation with a duty of care to these musicians, we have qualms about the likely effect on their careers of these proposed strategic changes. We also fear for the future of cross-border co-operation in the arts, which should be one of the bright beacons in the post Good Friday agreement era. - Yours, etc.,
EVE O'KELLY, Director, Contemporary Music Centre, Dublin 8.