Fergus Sheil of Irish National Opera is refusing to remain despondent for long at the enforced shelving of his production of Carmen at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre

Donald Glover’s high-concept album is oddly underwhelming; a ‘successful’ Abel Tesfaye is a bit hard to love; and Mozz’s sonically finest album in years is let down by its lyrics

It’s hard to know how 2020 will unfold, but the Galway Cello, created from local timbers as part of the European City of Culture programme, will stand the test of time

Stevens disappoints with an unremarkable New Age/ambient collection of songs

The Great Bard never wrote an opera, but his plays inspired more than 200 of them – and his spirit pervades

Son of funk-pop legend comes into his own; JJ72 alumna gestates a highly personal second album; melancholy-but-hummable Nashville songwriter channels Aimee Mann

For art-rocker Sophie Allison, blue is the colour – but so are grey and yellow, on her beguiling new album

A Dublin hip-hop trilogy finishes dark but strong; Anglo-Indian legends negotiate post-Brexit Britain; and two Beautiful South alumni serve up some sardonic pop

A rock legend is feeling elegiac rather than egotistical; a seminal Northern Irish trio revisit past victories; and a London artist supplies some uneasy listening

The band are all about opposing forces – and it’s evident in their lyrics, which switch between hostility and vulnerability until the two almost merge

Finding a Voice will feature a tribute to Mary Lou Williams, one of the greatest pianists in the genre

It’s almost 60 years since he was fired from the Beatles, but the former drummer has long since come to terms with his past

New Music Dublin is back, bringing with it a stellar array of artists from Crash Ensemble to the Ligeti Quartet

Bieber’s vocal performances defy his critics, a White Ladder 20th-anniversary edition hits new heights, and an ex-Afghan Whig goes it (nearly) alone

Following the Festival of Youth Orchestras, which took place earlier this month in the National Concert Hall, Sarah Taaffe-Maguire met up with some of the teenage leading lights of the future of classical music – and yes, they rehearsed straight through the midterm break

The rapper’s debut LP Stride was widely praised for its lustrous hooks, encompassing smooth R&B tinges, deft vocal flows and a hint of gospel. But after securing his Irish fan base, the Dublin-based artist nominated for an RTÉ Choice Music Prize is now setting his sights overseas

Nada surf show no signs of slowing down with a catchy album that will defy your inner cynic

Fidelio, Beethoven’s only opera, was not well received by contemporary audiences, but it has come to be regarded as a core masterpiece

US punk-pop titans swerve politics in favour of feelgood songwriting, but the results are strangely unsatisfying