Ireland’s largest chamber music festival returns for its 26th edition on 23 June–2 July, featuring six concerts per day and a range of masterclasses. The event is headlined by four exceptional violinists: Alina Ibragimova, Viviane Hagner, Nurit Stark, and young Mairéad Hickey. They are accompanied by four international string quartets – Pacifica, Armida, Ardeo, and Ragazze – as well as the dynamic young Trio Gaspard. The Baroque and early music ensembles also showcase two remarkable violinists, Ariadne Daskalakis and Johannes Pramsohler.

The festival’s thematic focus centres on Bach and Mozart, with Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien delving into Schumann, particularly the late works. Mozart will appear in various forms, especially in the string quartets, including the Six for Papa Haydn. Bach will be presented in numerous arrangements, such as the sonatas for violin and harpsichord, the Goldberg Variations adapted for string quartet, solo sonatas for both violin and lute, and the gamba sonatas. Another theme involves a series of musical portraits of famous women, utilising their own words from letters, diaries, a will, a poem, and speeches.

The festival boasts world premieres by Donnacha Dennehy and Sally Beamish, three new works from the Composition Competition, and a host of European and Irish premieres. There is also a selection from the Kronos Quartet’s Fifty for the Future and a rare performance of George Crumb’s Black Angels, dating back to the Vietnam War. Six young quartets will participate in the festival, receiving masterclasses and performing in both the main programme and fringe concerts throughout West Cork.

For full programme details, download the brochures below, or visit www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-music-festival/

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Festival Brochure

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Programme as a simple text PDF

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Festival booking form