Evening Concerts 2026
Our three evening concerts are the backbone of the festival. Join us this year for another trio of unforgettable evenings in our beautiful cathedral concert space.
Friday 29th of May
7.00PM pm: ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, Killaloe
EVENING CONCERT - Americana
We mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with a programme that reflects the USA as it has been - full of hope, dynamism and diversity. A triumphant opening brass fanfare leads into a lyrical Hawaiian welcome song, followed by the radiant warmth of Dvořák’s ‘American’ String Quartet.
The second half moves from Barber’s haunting Dover Beach to a wild reimagining of Bernstein’s West Side Story, performed by one of the largest ensembles heard here in recent years.
Aaron Copland (1900–1990): Fanfare for the Common Man
Banshee Brass
Leilehua Lanzilotti (1983 -): ko’u inoa
Diane Daly (violin)
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904): String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 ‘American’
Mia Cooper (violin), Diane Daly (violin), Ed Creedon (viola), Jonathan Aasgard (cello)
Samuel Barber (1910–1981): Dover Beach
Owen Gilhooly-Miles (baritone), Mia Cooper (violin), Donald Grant (violin), Joachim Roewer (viola), Peggy Nolan (cello)
Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990): West Side Storied, arr. Boris Hunka
Festival Ensemble
Saturday 30th of May
7.00pm: ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, Killaloe
EVENING CONCERT - Revolutions
A concert of bold contrasts and boundary-breaking ideas, Revolutions unfolds in two striking halves. The first is a seamless musical journey spanning nearly a millennium. Travel with us from medieval mysticism to brand-new works, from spontaneous live improvisation to the electrifying surge of Shostakovich music, culminating in a powerful arrangement of Rhiannon Gidden’s haunting ‘At the Purchaser’s Option’.
The second half revisits one of music history’s great divides - Wagner versus Brahms. From luminous intensity to surging lyricism, we encounter two composers driven by urgency, conviction and bold musical vision.
Hildegard von Bingen (c. 1098 – 1179): O Felix Anima
Limerick Chamber Choir
The Shadow
Violin & Dancer
Rohan Harron: WORLD PREMIERE for Tape, Violin, Bass Clarinet and Baritone
Owen Gilhooly-Miles (baritone), Diane Daly (violin), Matthew Berrill (bass clarinet)
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975): Scherzo in F-sharp minor for String Octet
Festival Octet
Freedom
Francesco Turrisi, Matthew Berrill (clarinet), Diane Daly (violin), Boris Hunka
Rhiannon Giddens (1977 -): At the Purchaser’s Option
Festival Octet
Richard Wagner (1813–1883) : Two Songs from Wesendonck Lieder
Owen Gilhooly-Miles (baritone), Mia Cooper (violin), Donald Grant (violin), Joachim Roewer (viola), Peggy Nolan (cello)
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897): Sextet in B-flat major, Op. 18
Mia Cooper (violin), Diane Daly (violin), Joachim Roewer (viola), Ed Creedon (viola), Jonathan Aasgard (cello)
Sunday 31st of May
7.00Pm: ST. FLANNAN’S CATHEDRAL, Killaloe
EVENING CONCERT - La Belle Époque
Our final evening concert transports us to Paris, a city of revolution, reinvention and artistic daring. The first half celebrates three composers who reshaped the musical landscape of the City of Light: Satie’s timeless simplicity, Stravinsky’s bold modernism and Debussy’s shimmering impressionism.
After the interval, the cathedral transforms into the cafés and cabarets of pre-war Paris. La Vie Parisienne takes us from smoky chanson to early jazz, tracing the music that defined an era of glamour, nostalgia and restless creativity.
Erik Satie (1866-1925): arr. Koncz; Gymnopédie No. 1
Mia Cooper (violin), Diane Daly (violin), Ed Creedon (viola), Peggy Nolan (cello)
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet
Matthew Berrill (clarinet)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): String Quartet in G minor Op.10
Mia Cooper (violin), Diane Daly (violin), Ed Creedon (viola), Peggy Nolan (cello)
La Vie Parisienne (selections from 1920s Paris)
Festival Ensemble