Music for Galway’s theme for its season this year is Wanderlust. It explores the exchange of ideas and cross-fertilisation that travel and movement bring to music, and celebrates the willingness of musicians to embark on long and arduous concert tours to show off their talents or their stories. The extraordinary international star pianist Barry Douglas, originally hailing from Belfast, would certainly fall into this category. He opens the season on Wednesday 26th of September at the Emily Anderson Concert Hall, NUI Galway at 8pm.

With Tchaikovsky’s popular The Seasons Douglas will take audiences on a journey through the year. Two Schubert sonatas follow: the first, D. 537 in A minor, is the first piano sonata that the composer completed. He was nineteen years of age and at this point had already found his own voice. The second sonata, with which the evening closes, is the D. 664 in A major sonata. Its gentle, sweet themes are sure to send audiences into the autumn night with a smile on their faces.

Barry Douglas has established a major international career since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, Moscow. As Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland and the Clandeboye Festival, he continues to celebrate his Irish heritage whilst also maintaining a busy international touring schedule.