Sunday 27 October

4 pm, Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Callan, Co. Kilkenny.

The Fincino Ensemble

Franz Schubert Trio in B flat Kevin O Connell String TrioAlfred Schnittke String TrioLudwig van Beethoven String Trio Op. 9 No. 1 in G

The Ficino Ensemble was formed in late 2012 by three professional musicians based in Dublin. The concept behind the ensemble was born both from a mutual appreciation of chamber music and a desire to perform the rarely played and often overlooked repertoire of the string trio, which forms the core of the group.  The ensemble also hopes to promote contemporary Irish composers through the performance of existing music and the commissioning of new works.  

The ensemble is named after Marsilio Ficino.  Ficino, one of the leading philosophers of the Italian renaissance was also an accomplished musician and a strong proponent of the importance of music in an enlightened society.

Saturday 2 November

8 pm, Chapter House, St Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny

Benyounes Quartet

W.A. Mozart Quartet in D minor K421Benjamin Britten Quartet No. 3 Op. 94Franz Schubert No. 14 in d minor ‘Death and the Maiden’

The Benyounes Quartet is rapidly emerging as one of the most dynamic and engaging young British string quartets. In 2012, the quartet won 2nd prize at the 1st International Sandor Vegh String Quartet Competition in Budapest, where no first or third prize was awarded. In addition, they received four special prizes including Best Interpretation of a Bartok Quartet. The quartet reached the final of Young Classical Artist Trust and recently gave their Wigmore Hall debut. Formed in 2007 at the Royal Northern College of Music, the Benyounes Quartet went on to win the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Julius Isserlis Scholarship, funding their studies with Professor Gabor Takacs–Nagy at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Geneve. Here they won the conservatoire’s most esteemed Prix d’Exellence for their Final Diploma.

The quartet continues to broaden its repertoire by initiating collaborative chamber music and cross-arts projects, and has recently founded Quercus Ensemble, a mixed chamber music group based in Northern Ireland. The quartet has collaborated with award winning jazz group Empirical performing in the London Jazz Festival at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. They will also feature on Empirical’s new album, released in Autumn 2013. 

Friday 29 November

8 pm, Chapter House, St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny

Arcadia Quartet

Ludwig van Beethoven  String Quartet Op.18 No.6 in B flat              Leoš Janáček                     String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters” (1928) Claude Debussy                String Quartet in g minor, Op. 10

Formed in 2006 at the Music Academy in the Romanian city of Cluj, the Arcadia Quartet captured hearts and minds as winners of the 2012 Wigmore Hall London International String Quartet Competition.  Each of the four musicians of the Arcadia Quartet has a distinct artistic profile. Coming from different schools and backgrounds and having impressive personal portfolios of achievements, they bring along the variety of their individual artistic experience, harmonized and polished under the auspices of the music school of Cluj. Their concert for Music in Kilkenny includes Janáček’s emotional last work, his second string quartet - ‘Intimate Letters’.  

Music in KilkennySeptember-December 2013

Sunday 17 November

4 pm, Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Callan, Co. Kilkenny

Keith Pascoe violin

Brian MacNamara piano

Mozart/Beethoven Sonatas

L. van Beethoven  Sonata Op. 30 No. 1 in AW.A. Mozart   Sonata KV 378 in B flatW.A. Mozart  Sonata KV 379 in GL. van Beethoven  Sonata Op. 12 No. 1 in D

Changing Perspectives:  This is Concert 5 in the planned seven-concert series devoted to the piano and violin sonatas of Mozart and Beethoven.  In the series violinist Keith Pascoe (of the RTÉ Vanbrugh String Quartet) and pianist Brian MacNamara present a rarely performed cycle featuring all twenty-seven sonatas - the seventeen sonatas of Mozart and ten for piano and violin by Beethoven.  While the Mozart works demonstrate a unique gift of inspiration and are among his finest compositions, the Beethoven set are fascinating in terms of how he developed this format for piano and violin.  We believe this is the first time the performance of a complete cycle of these works has been attempted in Ireland, a tour de force for the performers juxtaposing two mammoth bodies of work.

The final two concerts will take place early in 2014.Funded by the Arts Council.

Sunday 24 November

4 pm, Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Callan, Co. Kilkenny.

Nikolay Khozyainov piano

Joseph Haydn Sonata in b minor Hob XVI:32 Frédéric Chopin 12 Etudes Op.10 Sergei Rachmaninov Sonata No.1 in d minor op. 28Martin O'Leary Blue Toccata Franz Liszt Mephisto Waltz No. 1

“So loud was the ovation [for Khozyainov] after his playing of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto that it must have been depressing for any other competitor within earshot.” The Irish Times

Irish concert-goers are still talking about the spellbinding technique and supreme artistry displayed by Nikolay Khozyainov while winning last year’s Dublin International Piano Competition, and we’re delighted to give you the chance to hear this young lion of the keyboard in full flow.

Hailing from Blagoveshchensk, in the Russian Far East, the 21-year old is one of the most remarkable pianists of his generation. Winner of numerous awards, Khozyainov has already made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall, appeared in concert with the Tokyo Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic and Sydney Symphony Orchestras while touring Europe, Asia and the USA.

Sunday 8 December

4 pm, Castalia Hall, Ballytobin

Benjamin Britten as I knew himA Musical Portrait by John Elwes with Finghin Collins and Brian O'Kane

John Elwes tenorBrian O’Kane celloFinghin Collins piano

The distinguished tenor John Elwes joins Finghin Collins and Brian O’Kane for a celebration of the life and work of Benjamin Britten in the composer’s centenary year. As a boy soprano and Head Chorister at Westminster Cathedral (then John Hahessy), Elwes worked closely with Benjamin Britten and made several recordings with the composer at the piano including the first recording of Britten's Canticle "Abraham and Isaac". Britten later dedicated his "Corpus Christi Carol" to him.

Since taking first prize at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Vevey, Switzerland in 1999, pianist Finghin Collins enjoys a flourishing career. He is Artistic Director of the New Ross Piano Festival and Music For Galway.

Cellist Brian O’Kane is quickly establishing himself as one of the finest Irish musicians of his generation. He came to prominence by taking first prize at the Windsor Festival International String Competition. He is the National Concert Hall’s ‘Rising Star’ in 2013.

‘Benjamin Britten as I knew him’ will interweave music with John Elwes’ memories of the composer and anecdotes about his life and work. It will include a selection of the Songs From Friday Afternoons which John recorded with the composer himself, as well as his settings of Folksongs from the British Isles, the evocative Winter Words song cycle, and the celebrated Sonata for Cello and Piano in C major Op. 65.

Presented by Music Network

Friday 30 August

8 pm Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Callan, Co Kilkenny

Eric Sweeney piano/composer

Mark Roper poet

Composer Eric Sweeney and poet Mark Roper come together for a concert of music and words. Eric will play some of his own short compositions for organ, Mark will read a selection of poems and prose, and at times Eric will improvise as Mark reads.

Mark's readings will include pieces from The River Book, the poetry collections A Gather Of Shadow and Even So, and an essay called Halcyon which has earned much acclaim. In a review of A Gather Of Shadow for Acumen magazine, Myra Schneider said: "Mark Roper's writing sends that shiver down my spine which is the sign of true poetry. His images have become part of my consciousness. What greater praise could I give to this book?"

Eric Sweeney and Mark Roper have performed these highly acclaimed poetry and music recitals in many venues over the last year. The two have collaborated on several projects, producing a piece for Come the Sails, performed during the Tall Ships Festival 2011, and writing an opera together The Invader, to be perfomed in May 2014. In 2012, they facilitated a Waterford City Council funded Poetry and Music Composition Programme in Waterford secondary schools, and, working with Fado, have secured funding to do the same this year

Saturday 14th September

8 pm Chapter House, St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny

Dublin Guitar Quartet

Philip Glass String Quartet No.4, "Buczak"Leo Brouwer Cuban Landscape with RhumbaArvo Part SummaMichael Nyman Song for TonyDavid Flynn ChimurengaSteve Reich Electric CounterpointPhilip Glass String Quartet No.2, "Company"Arvo Part Cantate DominoGyorgy Ligeti Musica Ricerata

Described as a "quartet with a difference" by the Irish Times, the Dublin Guitar Quartet is a one-of-a-kind classical guitar ensemble that occupies a unique space in the wider chamber music world. This October the Dublin Guitar Quartet will release a recording of Philip Glass’ string quartets on the composers own record label, Orange Mountain Music. This is a significant milestone for the quartet and is a culmination of many years work in developing and refining arrangements of Glass’ string quartets. Glass’ String Quartet No. 3, Mishima, was their first such transcription and they have been added and refined the remaining quartets over recent years. “This is a very special arrangement. Arranging for guitars is a very tricky business and you really have to know what you are doing, so I have never done it, but Dave Flynn and Brian Bolger have made these arrangements and they’re really quite beautiful.” Philip Glass

The Dublin Guitar Quartet is supported byMusic Network and the Arts Council of Ireland

Wednesday 25 September

8 pm Chapter House, St Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny

The Callino String Quartet with Tom Dunn viola

W.A. Mozart Viola Quintet in GLeoš Janáček Quartet No.1 “Kreutzer Sonata”Felix Mendelssohn Viola Quintet in A

The Callino Quartet was formed at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in 1999 since when it has toured extensively with performances in Canada, Norway, Hungary, Holland, Lithuania, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and the Czech Republic. The Quartet was selected by the Kronos Quartet in 2010 for a week-long workshop culminating in a performance in Carnegie Hall, New York. They are regularly invited to perform at major halls and festivals throughout Ireland and the U.K. and have performed to critical acclaim in the Wigmore Hall, The National Concert Hall Dublin, Clandeboye Festival in Northern Ireland, West Cork Chamber Music Festival and the Cheltenham Festival.

A native of Yorkshire, Tom Dunn is a member of The London Bridge Ensemble and the Aiso Quartet and, since January 2010, Co-Principal Viola in The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He has held Co-Principal Viola positions in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Mozart Players. In recent years, Tom has appeared as Guest Principal Viola with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, English Baroque Soloists, and The London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Friday 4 October

8 pm Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Callan, Co Kilkenny

Duncan Honeybourne piano

Finghin Collins piano

Benjamin Russell baritone

Arnold Bax Moy Mell for two pianos Joan Trimble The County Mayo for two pianos and baritoneAloys Fleischmann Suite for solo pianoArnold Bax Sonata for two pianos

Finghin Collins joins forces with British pianist Duncan Honeybourne for an Irish tour to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the death in Cork of English composer Arnold Bax, whose identification with Irish landscapes and culture was a defining ingredient of his personality. Recitals in Cork, Dublin and Kilkenny will feature the Bax Sonata for Two Pianos and Moy Mell: an Irish tone-poem, alongside Irish composer (and friend of Bax) Aloys Fleischmann's Suite for Piano, which Duncan has championed extensively in Britain and Ireland and recorded for EM Records. Completing the programme is Enniskillen-born Joan Trimble's song cycle The County Mayo for two pianos with solo baritone, for which the pianists will be joined by young Irish baritone Benjamin Russell.

Friday 11 October

8 pm Chapter House, St Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny

Raphael Wallfisch cello

Redmond O’Toole guitar

Franz Schubert Sonata ArpeggioneManuel De Falla Six Canciones EspagnolesLudwig Van Beethoven Mandolin SonataJoaquín Rodrigo Aranjuez, ma PenséeHeitor Villa Lobos Aria from Bachianas BrasileirasJ.S. Bach Sonata for unaccompanied violin No.1 in g minor BWV 1001 arranged for guitarJ.S. Bach Cello Suite No.1 in G BWV 1007

Raphael Wallfisch and Redmond O’Toole present an intriguing combination of Cello and 8-string Guitar.  Raphael Wallfisch is one of the world’s leading cellists and this year celebrates his 70th Birthday with concerts all over the world including a proms recital in London.  In duo with the lively and distinctive guitarist Redmond O’Toole they present arrangments of Spanish Music by de Falla and Rodrigo alongside Romantic works from Schubert and Beethoven that breath new life and colour into these much loved works. They will also each perform a solo work by J.S. Bach.

 

Operatic Arias & Sacred Classics Concert withThe Michael John Chamber Orchestra and Guest St Canice’s Senior OrchestraRegina Nathan , (Soprano) is excited to be bringing her Concert of “Operatic Arias and Sacred Classics” to The Cathedral Church of St Canice in celebration of St Canice’s Day. The concert will feature a selection of popular operatic arias such as ‘O mio babbino caro’, ‘Ebben n’andrò’, ‘Vissi d’arte’ and other arias, Irish folk songs, classic hymns and sacred music. Regina is thrilled to have the St Canice’s Orchestra from St Canice’s N.S Instrumental Music Programme, as her guest on this special night.

Saturday 12 October

8.00pm St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny

Presented by Burida Music

Sunday 20 October

4 pm St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny

Malcolm Proud Organ

Louis Nicolas Clérambault Suite du premier ton Heinrich Scheidemann Two verses on Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn Johann Sebastian Bach Prelude and Fugue in E minor (BWV 548)

Malcolm Proud combines an international career as a harpsichordist and organist with his work as an instrumental teacher and senior lecturer on the BA Music Degree Course at Waterford Institute of Technology. He is also organist of St. Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny. With the ensemble Camerata Kilkenny, which he co-founded with Swiss violinist Maya Homburger he has performed in Paris, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Latvia and at all the major Irish music festivals. Camerata Kilkenny has recorded the Biber Mystery Sonatas (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik award in 2007) and Bach’s Musical Offering. His most recent recording is of J.S. Bach’s Partitas for Maya Recordings. On October 30 he will perform this programme in the Church of St. Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall in the City of London.

Further information: www.malcolmproud.ie

Tickets for all concerts €15 (€10 concession)Season ticket €100 (not valid for Regina Nathen concert.)

Cover illustration by Kieran©