Informal Music Afternoons (IMAs) are a monthly series of live music events produced by the sbo in partnership with The Model. They take place on the first Sunday of each month at 1 pm in the Atrium of The Model – a bright airy space with an acoustic to match.

Each IMA is programmed with music of different genres, with many performers from the Sligo area, but also artists and ensembles from further afield. The set-up is cabaret style with most of the audience seated at tables with the Cafe in operation. The music is taken seriously by all but with no off-putting conventions, and children of all ages are most welcome – and children have free admittance, whereas adults pay €8.

A hallmark of IMA programming is the unusual and the unfamiliar; performers are encouraged to include music that will be new to most audience members.

We always aim at Seriously Good Music!

The Informal Music Afternoon is an ideal way to spend a lazy afternoon, in a cafe-style setting. The idea behind this event is to make classical music accessible for both young and old, by means of an informal gig in a relaxed atmosphere.  Musicians play classical pieces in addition to a non-classical section, namely folk, traditional and jazz.

IMA, Sligo is developed by a group of professional musicians in the Sligo area who share a strong interest in chamber music, a history of successful music organisation, and a passionate belief in generating new ways to present live music to new audiences.

They are: Nicola Cleary, Steve Wickham, Anna Houston, Frances Bell, Lucie O'Hara and Rod Alston.

A Key Partner in the proposed series of IMAs is The Model, who will provide the venue, some publicity on their website and publications, and assistance in practical organisation. It is supported by The Arts Office, Sligo, and will seek to establish links with Sligo Jazz Project, the CMC and Music network.

The proposed series of IMAs is a fairly radical development from earlier series that were organised in the Model prior to its renovation with assistance from The Arts Department, Sligo County Council. The individuals involved are largely the same. The very small level of funding in the earlier series meant that performers could not be offered anything more than expenses – which in-turn meant that normally only instrumentalists from Sligo performed