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Killaloe Music Festival 2021 will take place from June 4 – June 6 virtually from St. Flannan’s Cathedral, Killaloe Co. Clare. There is an exciting lineup of events this year and tickets are free with optional donations. Killaloe Music Festival 2021 will take place from June 4 – June 6 virtually from St. Flannan’s Cathedral, Killaloe Co. Clare. There is an exciting lineup of events this year and tickets are free with optional donations.

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Killaloe Music Festival 2021 is jampacked with music for everyone

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Killaloe Music Festival 2021 will take place from June 4 – June 6 virtually from St. Flannan’s Cathedral, Killaloe Co. Clare. There is an exciting lineup of events this year and tickets are free with optional donations.

 

Killaloe Music Festival 2021 is jam-packed with music for everyone

By I Love Limerick Correspondent Tara Byrne


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Katherine Hunka is the artistic director for this year’s music festival and is the leader of UL based Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Katherine Hunka is the artistic director for this year’s music festival and is the leader of the UL based Irish Chamber Orchestra.

The 9th Annual Killaloe Music Festival will be live-streamed virtually from St Flannan’s Cathedral, nestled between the historic twin towns of Ballina-Killaloe Co. Clare from Friday, June 4 – Saturday, June 6, 2021.

This year’s reimagined programme will invite an international audience through a very special series of free live stream events. It will delve into new digital realms and will be presented by RTÉ lyric FM’s Paul Herriott.

Katherine Hunka, the Artistic Director of this year’s Killaloe Music Festival 2021 said, “this is the first year that I’ve got to pick what we play and I love that, it’s like being in a sweet shop! There is lots of music I’d love to bring to people but I had to choose so the most difficult thing has been deciding what not to play.” Katherine is the leader of the Irish Chamber Orchestra since 2002 which is based at the University of Limerick and has had many renowned international tours from West Cork to Singapore and everywhere in between. She has created a festival like no other, supporting Irish musicians from around the globe to join in the celebration of music.

Commenting on the programme she said, “Bach is so beautiful in a cathedral. The setting of the cathedral in Killaloe is such a spiritual setting, I knew I would love to hear Bach in there. So, the music of JS Bach will be running throughout the weekend. Then, Mendelssohn is a guy who actually brought Bach’s music to the attention of the world. People didn’t know about Bach anymore. Felix Mendelssohn and his sister Fanny really let everyone know about this extraordinary composer so I thought it would be nice to have them both. Also, there are so many fabulous women composers who just aren’t heard. The first thing I’m doing in the festival this year is to have a gorgeous chamber choir called Comhar who were founded in Limerick a few years ago and they are going to sing music by Felix and his sister Fanny. You would not hear any difference in the quality of both the composer’s work whatsoever. With this I am sort of making a point which is that yes Mendelssohn was a fabulous composer but so was his sister and because she was a woman, she just never had the same airtime so I would love people to hear that.”

She added, “I put in stuff that I think we will have an absolute ball with because it’s an online festival this year, things have to jump through the camera and onto people’s screens. We have wind players, string players, clarinet, horn and bassoon and we are all going to finish the festival with a bit of Schubert. There is also fantastic late-night stuff going on. We’ve got Zoe Conway, a trad fiddler and a singer and her husband plays the guitar. Then, Diane Daly who is local to Killaloe has done an extraordinary thing where she plays her fiddle but in all kinds of different locations and it will all be put together into one beautiful visual feast. There is something for everyone there, it’s all free.”

The Killaloe Music Festival 2021 is welcoming back two of Ireland’s finest artists to this year’s festival, Charles Harper and Limerick native, Paul O’Brien. Curated by Patricia Haselbeck, the works will be on display through the website for the duration of the festival.

The Killaloe Music Festival podcast is also live on Spotify. Hosted by Carl Roewer, the podcast shines a spotlight on some of the exquisite musicians featuring in this year’s programme.

The organisers have contracted nursing homes throughout the Republic and the Irish Prison Service inviting them to log on and enjoy the stunning programme of wonderful music on offer over the three days. They have also asked two of the local schools to provide self-portraits which will be placed on the pews to provide the musicians with a very colourful cardboard audience.

Before each of the evening concerts, the bells of St Flannan’s Cathedral will ring out to remind everyone to log online. The organisers are hoping to have loudspeakers outside the Cathedral to effectively bring the music to the community. Katherine said, “I want to encourage people not to presume that classical music isn’t for them. I’d love people to feel like they can just come and give it a go.”

Tickets for the Killaloe Music Festival 2021 can be booked through the website for free with optional donations if people so desire. Each ticket will provide access to all concerts featured in the programme. Booking is essential. For more information, you can email [email protected].

To book a ticket go HERE 

For more stories about Killaloe Music Festival go HERE 

 

2021 Killaloe Music Festival Programme:

Friday, June 4

8.00 PM – ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, KILLALOE

Evening Concert

 

Johann Sebastian Bach: Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor (version for violin and choir) Katherine Hunka, violin: with Comhar

 

Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn: A selection of songs sung by Comhar

 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major Carol McGonnell, clarinet: Diane Daly, violin: Siun Milne, violin: Joachim Roewer, viola: Christopher Ellis, cello

 

10.00 PM – ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, KILLALOE

Late Night Concert

 

Johann Sebastian Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G major BWV1007  Christopher Ellis, cello

 

Eugène Ysaÿe: Violin Sonata Op. 27 No. 2 An imaginative interpretation by violinist Diane Daly with movement and effects

 

Saturday, June 5

11.00 AM – ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, KILLALOE

Rising Star Concert

 

Bach: Suite No. 3 in C Major

 

Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 1 in e minor, op. 38

 

Martinů Variations on a Theme of Rossini

 

Zoë Nagle, cello: Clara Siegle, piano

 

3.00 PM –  ST. FLANNAN’S CATHOLIC CHURCH, KILLALOE*

(*POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT YEAR’S FESTIVAL DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS)

Family Concert

 

The Far Flung Trio performs their own version of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf as well as light-hearted tunes from all over the globe.

 

Katherine Hunka, violin: Dermot Dunne, accordion: Malachy Robinson, double bass

 

8.00 PM – ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, KILLALOE

Evening Concert

 

Felix Mendelssohn: Song without Words Christopher Ellis, cello: Finghin Collins, piano

 

Malachy Robinson: “For the Atoll” Premiere of a new work by Malachy Robinson with poetry by Jane Robinson. Far Flung Trio – Katherine Hunka, violin: Dermot Dunne, accordion: Malachy Robinson, double bass: poet,  Jane Robinson

 

Ernst von Dohnányi: Sextet in C major Op. 37  Katherine Hunka, violin: Joachim Roewer, viola: Christopher Ellis, cello: Carol McGonnell, clarinet: Finghin Collins, piano: Hannah Miller, French horn

 

10 PM – ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, KILLALOE

Late Night Concert

 

Zoē Conway, fiddle: John McIntyre, guitar: joined by festival musicians

 

Sunday, June 6

1.00 PM – ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, KILLALOE

Lunchtime Concert

 

Robert Schumann: Adagio and Allegro Op. 70 Hannah Miller, French horn: Finghin Collins, piano

 

Felix Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words Finghin Collins, piano

 

Robert Schumann: Fantasiestücke Op. 73 Carol McGonnell, clarinet: Finghin Collins, piano

 

 

3.00 PM – ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, KILLALOE

Children’s Concert: ‘Let’s Play Together’

 

 

8.00 PM – ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, KILLALOE

Festival Finale

 

Franz Schubert: Octet in F major D803 Katherine Hunka and Diane Daly, violins: Joachim Roewer, viola: Christopher Ellis, cello: Malachy Robinson, double bass: Carol McGonnell, clarinet: John Hearne, bassoon: Hannah Miller, French horn

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