Culture
Fifth Annual Killaloe Chamber Music Festival Showcasing Irish Talent
Pictured: Fiachra Garvey who will be performing at the Fifth Annual Killaloe Chamber Music Festival
Fifth Annual Killaloe Chamber Music Festival Showcasing Irish Talent
The fifth Annual Killaloe Chamber Music Festival under Artistic Director Joachim Roewer opens in St. Flannan’s Cathedral, Killaloe, Co. Clare on Friday, May 26 and runs until the May 28, bringing a series of concerts from outstanding Irish and international artists. The programme includes music by Mozart, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Beethoven and Shostakovich and will delight music lovers of all ages in the wonderful setting of Killaloe’s 13th Century Gothic Cathedral overlooking Lough Derg. The event attracts a growing number of visitors to the picturesque heritage twin towns of Killaloe-Ballina.
Alongside the popular series of evening concerts taking place in the Cathedral, there are also a number of hidden Festival gems. Catch Peter and the Wolf at Saturday morning’s ‘Coffee Concert’ at Wood & Sons at 11 am or soak up the magic of early black and white cinema with live piano and violin accompaniment at the ‘Late Night Concert’ in the Cathedral on Saturday night. Despite the late hour, tickets for the late show are snapped up as it’s a truly magical way to experience Charlie Chaplin’s The Immigrant (1917) and Georges Mélies’ Le voyage dans la lune (1902). Our top tip for families would be Sunday’s Children’s Concert at 3 pm which takes place in the glorious setting of the Cathedral.
The Festival opens on Friday, May 26 at 8 pm with the Vanbrugh Quartet performing Borodin’s String Quartet No.2 followed by Brahms’ String Quintet op.111. Irish pianist Hugh Tinney will also perform Beethoven’s Piano Sonata op. 81a “Les Adieux”.
On the evening of Saturday, May 27, the concert begins at 8 pm with Stravinsky’s ‘The Soldier’s Tale’ with Katherine Hunka on violin, clarinettist Katherine Spencer and pianist Fiachra Garvey. Hugh Tinney joins soprano Sylvia O’Brien in Beethoven’s ‘Irish Folk Songs’ and the Vanbrugh String Quartet will play Shostakovich’s String Quartet no. 3.
Sunday, May 28 welcomes back pianist Fiachra Garvey at 8 pm performing Mozart’s 12 Variations on “Ah, vous-dirai je Maman” KV265. Soprano Sylvia O’Brien joins Fiachra in three Mozart lieder. The evening will conclude with Arnold Schonberg’s String Sextet, Transfigured Night op.4.
The complete Festival programme is now available online Tickets range from €5 to €25, with discounts for children and students. Tickets are also now available from the Glór box. The Killaloe Chamber Music Festival is generously supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, RTE lyric FM, Clare County Council and Wood & Sons.
For the complete Festival programme click here
Tickets are already on sale from the Glór box office on 065 684 3103.