Free Performances By The RTE Contempo Quartet At The Granary Library

The RTÉ Contempo Quartet, one of the most exciting and vibrant chamber ensembles performing today, and Limerick City and County Council Arts Office have announced a series of free lunchtime performances at the Granary Library, Limerick. The Father & Sons concert series which includes Haydn, “The Father of the String Quartet” and his XXI Century Irish Disciples (composers & performers) will take place at 1pm in the City Library on the last Friday of each month starting on Friday, February 27th until June 2015.

The series of free and accessible lunchtime concerts taking place at the Granary Library have proved very popular over the last few months with office workers, parents with small children and older persons providing an appreciative audience. Since its formation in Bucharest in 1995, the RTE Contempo Quartet has performed over 1400 concerts world-wide in prestigious venues such as St Martin-in-the-Fields, Berliner Philharmonie, Palazzo del Quirinale Rome, Carnegie Hall and the Opera House Tel-Aviv, in front of world personalities, such as Prince Charles, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, EU Ministers & Michael D Higgins.

The ensemble has won numerous international prizes, taking first prize at competitions in Munich, Rome and London, and worked alongside artists of the highest calibre including Emma Johnson, Yuko Inoue, Hugh Tinney, Chen Zimbalista, Jérôme Pernoo, Peter Donohue and Martin Roscoe. Collaborations with other distinguished quartets have also been a feature, such as the Amadeus, Arditti, Vanbrugh, Casals and Endellion. The Limerick concert series is a Limerick City and County Council Arts initiative in collaboration with RTE Contempo Quartet, The Granary Library supported by the Arts Council, the Contemporary Music Centre (CMC) and RTE Lyric FM.

Admission is free and the CMC will invite all the Irish composers to attend the concerts and briefly introduce their pieces.

The Spring Programme is as follows:

 1pm Friday, February 27th

Joseph Haydn – “Razor” string quartet, Alec Roth – “Klee Pictures”, Boccherini – “Fandango” guitar quintet and Guest artist: Alec O’Leary, guitar.

1pm, Friday, March 27th

Joseph Haydn – “Compliments” string quartet, Deirdre McKay – “Mr. Shah stares to heavens”, Menotti, Gian Carlo: Cantilena & Scherzo for harp and string quartet and Guest artist: Cliona Doris, harp.

1pm, Friday, April 24th

Joseph Haydn – Opus 76 no 1, from “Erdódy” quartets, Ian Wilson – “Her charms invited”, Boccherini Cello Quintet in C Major  and Guest artist: Christopher Marwood – cello.

1pm, Friday, May 29th

Joseph Haydn – “Emperor” string quartet, John McLaghlan – “Where we are/Planets”, Bill Whelan – Quintet for voice & string quartet and Guest artist: Deirdre Moynihan – soprano.

1pm, Friday, June 26th

Joseph Haydn – “Quinten/Fifths” quartet, Donnacha Dennehy – “Push-pulling”, Mozart – Flute quartet and Guest artist: William Dowdall, flute.

For more information, check out Limerick City and County Council Arts Office’s website here.
Check out their Twitter here.
Check out RTE Contempo Quartet’s website here.
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