SPRING SEASON 2023

With the support of funding from the Arts Council and RTÉ Lyric FM, the National String Quartet Foundation presents a spring season offering forty concerts nationwide, given by five groups, all of them including Irish or Irish-based musicians. The Foundation is also grateful for the support of University College, Cork, Cork City Council and Cork County Council. Composer’s Voice events at selected venues are supported by the Contemporary Music Centre.

The Foundation’s spring and autumn series 2023 are made possible by a generous bequest from the late Vivienne Sharpe, a passionate follower of the Foundation and of all things musical in Cork.

Booking links are added to the listings below as we receive them, please click on the venues/date to access. Add your email address here if you would like to subscribe to our mailing list. We send out booking links and notifications ahead of each tour.

 

TOUR 1 - BANBHA QUARTET - January 18-22

Banbha Quartet

Lidia Jewloszewicz-Clarke, violin
Maria Ryan, violin
Robin Panter, viola
Aoife Burke, cello

Haydn - Quartet in D major Op.20 No.4 [1772]
Bacewicz - Quartet No.4 [1951]
Jane O’Leary - forever begin [2020]
Dvořák - Quartet in F major Op.96 ‘The American’ [1893]

The Banbha Quartet is one of several fine new Irish quartets promoted by the National String Quartet Foundation and establishing an exciting reputation amongst audiences throughout the country. For their fourth tour they bring a fascinating mix of music, opening with one of Haydn’s ground-breaking and masterly Op.20 set of quartets from 1772. Grażyna Bacewicz was a leading figure in Polish musical life during and after the Second World War. A successful violinist, her compositions include seven violin concertos and seven string quartets, of which No.4 is among the best known. Jane O’Leary’s forever begin was written in 2020 as ‘a sort of fanfare for strings - conveying a sense of excitement, anticipation, hope and optimism - a sense of new beginnings’. Dvořák’s popular and irrepressible ‘American’ quartet celebrates the composer’s new-found enjoyment of American folk music.

CONCERT PROGRAMME IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE

TOUR 2 - THE VANBRUGH - February 10-12

The Vanbrugh & Friends

Keith Pascoe
Marja Gaynor
Simon Aspell
Ed Creedon
Christopher Marwood
Maria O’Connor

Beethoven - String Quintet Op.29 [1801]
Tchaikovsky - String Sextet ‘Souvenir de Florence’ [1892]

The Vanbrugh and their guests present two of the greats from the extended chamber music repertoire. Beethoven's Op.29 string quintet, nicknamed 'The Storm', was written in 1801, shortly after his Op.18 string quartets and combines his mastery of quartet writing with the expansive richness of texture offered by the addition of a second viola. Tchaikovsky's epic string sextet 'Souvenir de Florence' from 1892 adds a second cello into the mix and from the first bar the music pulsates with intensity and energy. 

The National String Quartet Foundation is Chamber Music Partner to UCC

UCC CONCERT PROGRAMME AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE
TOUR CONCERT PROGRAMME AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE

TOUR 3 - SPERO QUARTET - February 15-19

Spero Quartet

Jennifer Murphy
Brigid Leman
Ali Comerford
Yseult Cooper-Stockdale

Haydn - Quartet in D minor Op.76 No.2 ‘Fifths’[1797]
Deirdre Gribbin - ‘Hearing your genes evolve’ [2014]
Dvořák - Quartet in E flat Op.51 ‘Slavonic’ [1879]

The Spero Quartet return for their fourth tour for the Foundation with a programme including one of Haydn’s finest and most popular quartets, his Fifths quartet from 1797. Deirdre Gribbin’s fascinating ‘Hearing your genes evolve’ is based on DNA patterns from the 1000 Genomes project and Dvořák’s E flat major quartet is one of his most gorgeous creations, full of melody and Bohemian folk spirit

Evelyn Grant will introduce the Cork concert and at Dublin's Hugh Lane Gallery Deirdre Gribbin's piece will be preceded by a short chat between the composer and the Contemporary Music Centre's Evonne Ferguson.

CONCERT PROGRAMME IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE

TOUR 4 - SOLAS QUARTET - March 8-12

Solas Quartet

Katherine Hunka
Marja Gaynor
Cian O Duill
Aoife nic Athlaoich

Rohan Harron - Psychotia [2020]
Purcell - Two Fantasias Z.737 and Z.738 [1680]
Frank Bridge - Phantasie Quartet in F minor [1905] (except in Cork and Dublin)
Jessie Montgomery - Strum [2012]
Dvořák - Quartet in A flat Op.105 [1895]

The Solas Quartet joins us for their second live tour with another wide-ranging programme culminating in Dvorak’s magnificent A flat quartet. Young Dublin-based violinist and composer Rohan Harron’s Psychotia opens the programme with unpredictable energy and drive. Henry Purcell would have been of a similar age in London in 1680 when he wrote his fifteen remarkable Fantasias. Frank Bridge’s Phantasie Quartet is one of many early 20th century British works which bear the ‘Fantasy’ tag and look back to the form of Purcell’s Fantasias. American composer Jessie Montgomery’s Strum ‘begins with fleeting nostalgia and transforms into ecstatic celebration, drawing on American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement’.

CONCERT PROGRAMME FOR CORK AND DUBLIN AVAILABLE HERE

CONCERT PROGRAMME FOR OTHER VENUES AVAILABLE HERE

Watch the Solas Quartet playing fantastic Boccherini on RTE’s Tommy Tiernan show. Click here!

TOUR 5 - CALLINO QUARTET - March 22-26

Callino Quartet

Helena Winkelman, violin
Tom Hankey, violin
Rebecca Jones, viola
Sarah McMahon, cello

Haydn - Quartet Op.33 No.3 'The Bird' [1781]
Helena Winkelman - Papa Haydn's Parrot [2016]
Ian Wilson - In fretta, in vento, string quartet no.6 [2001]
Ravel - Quartet in F major [1903]

Haydn's opus 33 quartets were nicknamed the "Russian" quartets because they were dedicated to the Grand Duke Paul of Russia and, it is said, were all premiered on Christmas Day 1781 at the Viennese apartment of the Duke's wife, Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. The third quartet, "The Bird" is so called because of grace notes between the repeated notes in the opening melody which give it a birdlike quality. Helena Winkelman's quartet "Papa Haydn's Parrot" is dedicated to Haydn and two of the movements are inspired by his "Bird" quartet. The Parrot in the title comes from a treasured pet of Haydn's that could reportedly whistle melodies that Haydn practised on the piano. Ian Wilson's "In fretta, in vento" is a single movement work bound up with ideas of loss and remembrance, particularly in relation to the 9/11 attacks which took place shortly before he began writing it. Ravel's only string quartet was written in 1903 at a time when he was greatly influenced by Debussy's music, including his 1893 string quartet. Ravel's quartet is considered to be one of his earliest masterpieces and, along with Debussy’s, is a much celebrated part of the quartet repertoire.

Ian Wilson will introduce his work in Sligo and in Bantry. In Castlepollard he will be joined by the Contemporary Music Centre’s Evonne Ferguson for a ‘Composer’s Voice’ interview.

CONCERT PROGRAMME AVAILABLE HERE

TOUR 6 - THE VANBRUGH - March 24-26

The Vanbrugh

Keith Pascoe
Marja Gaynor
Simon Aspell
Ed Creedon
Christopher Marwood

The Yershovy Sisters join the Vanbrugh in Ballincollig on March 25th

BEETHOVEN - String Quintet Op.29
BRAHMS - String Quintet Op.111

The Vanbrugh and their guests present two of the greats from the extended chamber music repertoire. Beethoven's Op.29 string quintet, nicknamed 'The Storm', was written in 1801, shortly after his Op.18 string quartets and combines his mastery of quartet writing with the expansive richness of texture offered by the addition of a second viola. Brahms’ magnificent 1890 string quintet Op.111 started life in the composer’s sketches for a fifth symphony and its final form retains an orchestral grandeur, both in structure and in texture. This is truly one of the finest works in the chamber music repertoire, exuberant, elegant, subtle, original and unmistakably Brahms.

The National String Quartet Foundation is Chamber Music Partner to UCC. For the UCC concert the Vanbrugh will be joined by the EVERGREEN QUARTET - Aisling Martin and Sean Hurley, violins, Conor Galvin, viola, Oscar Casey, cello

CONCERT PROGRAMME NEWBRIDGE/BANDON/DONERAILE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE

CORK UCC - Friday 24th March at 1.10pm - Aula Maxima, UCC - Brahms Op.111 only - with guests the Evergreen Quartet
NEWBRIDGE - Friday 24th March at 8pm - Riverbank Arts Centre
BALLINCOLLIG - Saturday 25th March at 11.30am - The Culturlann, Colaiste Choilm - with Cork County ETB Junior and Youth Orchestras and the Yershovy Sisters from Ukraine. Tickets E5 at the door. Programme highlights only.
BANDON - Saturday 25th March at 8pm - Bandon Methodist Church
DONERAILE - Sunday 26th March at 3pm - The Convent Theatre. Call 087 249 8622 for tickets.