Opening Flourish!
Join us as we open our 2025/26 season with a thrilling afternoon of Chamber Music featuring The Fews Ensemble with special guests violinist Katherine Hunka, violist Joel Hunter and cellist Martin Johnson. The programme showcases two masterworks of the string repertoire with Brahms' warm and expansive Sextet in B flat Major and Tchaikovsky's fiery and flamboyant Souvenir de Florence. We are so looking forward to seeing you at what promises to be an unforgettable start to a new season of exceptional music making.
The Fews Ensemble: Lunchtime Concert 2
In their second concert as part of Kilkenny Arts Festival's lunchtime concert series, The Fews Ensemble's programme spans the last hundred years, featuring work by Shostakovich and Joan Trimble, one of the most distinguished Ulster musicians of the 20th century.
Dmitri Shostakovich - Trio No. 2 in E minor
Joan Trimble - Phantasy Trio
The Fews Ensemble presents: Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time
The first of two concerts at this years Kilkenny Arts Festival, The Fews Ensemble are delighted to perform Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, following sellout performances earlier this year in Dublin and Belfast.
Written while Messiaen was a prisoner of war in Germany, and first performed by his fellow prisoners, this visionary piece is now considered one of his most important works.
The Juliet Letters with Duke Special and the Fews Ensemble
Duke Special and The Fews Ensemble perform ‘The Juliet Letters’, originally written by Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet. The songs filled with soaring melodies and dark drama explore the human condition through letters addressed to Juliet Capulet of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ fame in a cycle blending voice and string quartet. Duke Special, renowned for his unique, soulful sound and theatrical flair, brings a fresh intensity to this captivating work.
The Fews Ensemble presents: Shadows and Sunlight
As the warmth of summer envelops the landscape, join us for an unforgettable evening of piano trio masterpieces performed by David Quigley (piano), Joanne Quigley McParland (violin), and Jonathan Aasgaard (cello). This distinguished ensemble brings together three virtuosic performers in a programme that captures the the dynamic variety and colour of the trio repertoire.
Programme will include:
Haydn Op. 39 'Gypsy'
Beethoven Op 70 no. 1 'Ghost'
Shostakovich Trio No. 2
Set amidst the golden days of early summer, this concert invites you to revel in the fiery brilliance and deep expressiveness of these three iconic trios, performed by three outstanding musicians whose dynamic interplay will leave you spellbound. A perfect midsummer musical escape!
Cello Masterclass with Jonathan Aasgaard
Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time
Composed in a World War II prisoner-of-war camp, Olivier Messiaen’s masterpiece speaks of hope, faith, and eternity amidst despair. Written for instruments that were on hand among the camps inmates - clarinet, violin, cello, and (himself playing) piano, the first performance took place in front of an audience of fellow prisoners, and was Messiaen's most ambitious piece to date. Eight movements, each offering distinctive and unique characteristics of Messiaen's work, they speak to this Biblical passage from Revelations:
'I saw a mighty angel descend from heaven, clad in mist; and a rainbow was upon his head. His face was like the sun, his feet like pillars of fire. He set his right foot on the sea, his left foot on the earth, and standing thus on sea and earth he lifted his hand to heaven and swore by Him who liveth for ever and ever, saying: There shall be time no longer; but on the day of the trumpet of the seventh angel, the mystery of God shall be finished.'
The Quartet for the End of Time is a breathtaking fusion of haunting beauty and spiritual depth. Step into a world where music transcends boundaries, and join us for an unforgettable performance that will move your heart and stir your soul.
The Fews Ensemble
Clarinet - Francesco Paulo Scola
Violin - Joanne Quigley McParland
Cello - Jonathan Aasgaard
Piano - David Quigley
Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time
Composed in a World War II prisoner-of-war camp, Olivier Messiaen’s masterpiece speaks of hope, faith, and eternity amidst despair. Written for instruments that were on hand among the camps inmates - clarinet, violin, cello, and (himself playing) piano, the first performance took place in front of an audience of fellow prisoners, and was Messiaen's most ambitious piece to date. Eight movements, each offering distinctive and unique characteristics of Messiaen's work, they speak to this Biblical passage from Revelations:
'I saw a mighty angel descend from heaven, clad in mist; and a rainbow was upon his head. His face was like the sun, his feet like pillars of fire. He set his right foot on the sea, his left foot on the earth, and standing thus on sea and earth he lifted his hand to heaven and swore by Him who liveth for ever and ever, saying: There shall be time no longer; but on the day of the trumpet of the seventh angel, the mystery of God shall be finished.'
The Quartet for the End of Time is a breathtaking fusion of haunting beauty and spiritual depth. Step into a world where music transcends boundaries, and join us for an unforgettable performance that will move your heart and stir your soul.
The Fews Ensemble
Clarinet - Francesco Paulo Scola
Violin - Joanne Quigley McParland
Cello - Jonathan Aasgaard
Piano - David Quigley
Music Network: Yukine Kuroki
Music Network and Newry Chamber Music present Yukine Kuroki.
Join us this March for an intimate performance featuring works by Liszt, Debussy, Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff.
A phenomenal pianist who has quickly risen to international acclaim, Yukine was winner of both the Liszt Utrecht and Dublin International Piano Competitions in 2022, and her artistry has enchanted audiences
worldwide.
Starting piano at just 3 years old and performing with her first orchestra at the age of 7, Yukine has been conquering hearts ever since, gracing stages with prestigious orchestras across the world. Her 2024/2025 season features eagerly awaited debuts at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Verbier Festival among others.
Described by Janina Fialkowska as “a true poet at the piano,” Yukine brings her exceptional talent to Music Network’s Spring concert season.