SOLAS QUARTET

Katherine Hunka, violin
Marja Gaynor, violin
Cian Ó Dúill, viola
Aoife Nic Athlaoich, cello

Founded in 2020, the Solas Quartet features four of our most exciting musicians. This is their fourth tour for NSQF.

Katherine Hunka, violin

Violinist Katherine Hunka enjoys a diverse and colourful career as a leader, chamber musician, director, composer, and teacher. Since 2002 she has been leader of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, a role which regularly sees her directing the group in a wide range of genres. She has directed tours in Germany, China and Singapore as well as in festivals closer to home including the West Cork chamber music festival and Kilkenny arts festival. In 2002 she released a solo album with the ICO that received great reviews including five stars in the BBC music magazine. Katherine was Artistic Director of the Killaloe Music Festival and is a regular guest as soloist and chamber musician at festivals throughout Ireland the UK. Her group the Far Flung Trio presents wildly eclectic programmes. They are currently touring to celebrate ten years together and their new album will come out on the Orchid Classics label in early 2025. Plans this autumn include “Blood” the premiere of a piece for solo violin and the ICO written by David Fennessey to be performed in Dublin and Berlin. Katherine has composed several works of her own including “Pass the Hat” for the Solas quartet, “The Bassist” for the Irish Chamber Orchestra and pieces for violin and loop pedal.

Marja Gaynor, violin

Originally from Finland, Marja Gaynor is a Cork-based violinist and viola player. She specialises in Baroque music and is a member of Irish Baroque Orchestra and Camerata Kilkenny, recording and touring with both groups regularly. She has also performed with Irish Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Marsyas, Dunedin Consort, London Handel Players and Helsinki Baroque Orchestra. Marja is known as a versatile musician at home in many different styles, a fluent improviser, as well as arranger and curator. Upcoming projects include chamber music tours with Solas Quartet and The Vanbrugh and performing and arranging as a trio with uilleann piper David Power and flamenco guitarist John Walsh. She teaches violin and chamber music in MTU Cork School of Music.

Cian Ó Dúill, viola

Cork born viola player Cian Ó Dúill has performed with the Vanbrugh, Carducci and Calino String Quartets, the Fidelio Trio, the Avalon Ensemble, Chroma and the Crash Ensemble. He has played in chamber music recitals with Anthony Marwood, Finghin Collins, Jorg Widmann, Hugh Tinney, Natalie Clein, Howard Shelley, Kirill Troussov, and Patricia Rozario as well as appearing at West Cork, Killaloe, Ortús, Sligo Spring, Kilkenny Arts, Cheltenham, Warwick Arts, Chichester, Aldeburgh, Wye Valley and Kings Lynn Chamber Music Festivals.

Cian was a founder member of both the Regent String Quartet and the Rothko String Trio, played regularly with the Chamber Players and the London Mozart Players Chamber Ensemble and is currently a member of the period instrument Giordani String Quartet and Prism Ensemble. Concerto appearances include performances of works by Bach, Telemann, Mozart, Bruch and Hindemith in Ireland, the UK, Spain and Greece.

Cian is a member of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, was co-principal viola of the London Mozart Players and works regularly with the London Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Britten Sinfonia. Cian is Head of Orchestral Studies at MTU Cork School of Music.

Aoife Nic Athlaoich, cello

Dublin born Aoife Nic Athlaoich  enjoys a verstaile career performing on both modern and baroque cello. As well as her position as principal cello with the ICO, Aoife is sub principal cellist with the Irish Baroque Orchestra and a co-founder of tbe Solas String Quartet. Aoife has performed at Ireland's leading chamber music festivals and is the former artistic director of the East Cork Early Music Festival.
Aoife studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin before continuing her 3rd level education at the Royal Academy of Music in London and winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Music for her post graduate studies. Aoife lives in Cork City where she is a lecturer of cello at the MTU Cork School of Music. Aoife also teaches at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin and on the MA in Classical String Performance at the University of Limerick.
Outside of performing and teaching, Aoife enjoys spending free time with her family and dog Marty, she is also an avid all weather sea swimmer.