The second of this year’s acts to perform in the hallowed and inspiring surroundings of All Saints Church in Castleconnell will be the Esmé Quartet on Tuesday 24 September. The Esmé Quartet was formed in 2016 at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne, Germany by four Korean friends. They shared common interests and passions in music, the arts, and life.
The quartet has rapidly gained a reputation as a chamber ensemble of exceptional achievement and promise.
In spring 2018, the quartet won first prize and four special prizes at the prestigious Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London, and in autumn 2018 it became HSBC Laureate of the Académie du Festival d’Aix.
This recognition followed prizes at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition, Irene-Steels Wilsing String Quartet Competition and the Chamber Music Competition at Cologne’s Hochschule für Musik und Tanz.
Their concert including pieces from Frank Bridge, Beethoven and Mendelssohn is on Tuesday 24 September as part of the Castleconnell Autumn Concert Series.
The other concerts in the series are:
Tuesday 15 October world renowned Swedish soprano Maria Keohane joins the Irish early music ensemble Camerata Kilkenny for a programme of exquisite arias by J.S. Bach coupled with traditional chorales for solo female voice from the Dalarna region of Sweden.
The final concert on Tuesday 26 November music lovers will delight in seeing young Scottish guitarist Sean Shibe who has taken the world by storm ever since winning the BBC New Generation award in 2012, he is a musician with an intelligence and wisdom far beyond his years. Equally at home in whatever genre he turns his hand to, he has never set boundaries on the scope of his musical exploration. Pair him up with Ben Johnson, one of the busiest young tenors in the chamber music and opera worlds, a multi award winning recitalist and owner of one of the most beguiling voices around, and that’s a world class duo right there. They bring intensity and a new clarity to Bach, Giuliani and Walton, and adventure and risk to contemporary work. Music Network has commissioned a new work by Brian Bolger for this tour, the first Irish outing for this duo.
Each concert will be introduced by Liz Nolan from RTE Lyric fm, who will give an overview of each of the concerts and what the audience can expect.
Ticket for the Castleconnell 2019 Autumn Concerts Series programme at the All Saints’ Church are €15 available at the door prior to each performance, or €10 concession / groups of five and over.
Online pre-booking is recommended at Lime Tree Theatre website or Box Office 061 953400. Buy a ticket to any two shows in the series for the special price of €25. Offer is only available online.
Further information is available from Limerick City and County Council Culture and Arts Department on 061 556370 | artsoffice@limerick.ie | facebook.com/LimerickArtsOffice | Twitter @LimerickArts
Upcoming concerts:
Tuesday 24 September - Esmé Quartet
Tuesday 15 October - Camerata Kilkenny and Maria Keohane
Tuesday 26 November - Ben Johnson and Sean Shibe
All concerts are in All Saints Church, Castleconnell and begin at 8pm.
The Castleconnell Autumn Concert Series is a Limerick City and County Council Culture and Arts Department initiative in collaboration with the Castleconnell Concert Committee.
The concerts are supported by the Arts Council.
For more information click here to download the Castleconnell Autumn Concert Series Programme.