Music for Galway Breaking Boundaries with exciting new programme

The Artistic Director of Music for Galway, Finghin Collins, explains why he chose ‘Breaking Boundaries’ for the organisation’s 45th season.

“He was a composer known for having broken many musical boundaries during his lifetime and his work will feature prominently throughout the season,” says Finghin of Beethoven.

The Beethoven connection will begin on November 27 when Galway’s ConTempo Quartet will perform three of his string quartets as part of the Emily Anderson Concert at the University of Galway. That’s in partnership with local organisation MusicConnects.

For the MfG Midwinter Festival, which will run at the city’s Town Hall Theatre from January 22 to 24, ConTempo will be joined by the Vogler Quartet to complete the entire cycle of Beethoven String Quartets.

Finghin describes this as “a golden opportunity for audiences to experience Beethoven’s astonishing development”, from youth and health to old age and illness.

Pianist Finghin is delighted to welcome his own mentor, John O’Conor, to Galway for a recital at the city’s Hardiman Hotel on March 14.

“He celebrates his 80th birthday devoting the programme to Beethoven, the composer with whom he is most affiliated,” says Finghin.

MfG’s season will open on Sunday, September 30, at 3pm with a concert titled, Watercolours from France Spain and Beyond, performed by the Laragh Trio; Sinéad Farrell on flute, Katie Tertell on cello and Fiachra Garvey piano. It will be in St Joseph’s Church in the city.

‘Breaking Boundaries’ also provides “an opportunity to open up, connect, let in”, says Finghin, adding that Music for Galway will do that next month in partnership with the Dublin-based new music ensemble, Crash. Composer Ed Bennett has been commissioned to write a piece for Crash, for which the ensemble will be joined by a number of local singing groups.

They will be in the city’s St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church on October 17, and Sullivan’s Hotel, Gort, on October 18, with an ISL (Irish Sign Language) at the city performance.

“Reaching out and opening up also happens through ‘relaxed’ performances,” says Music for Galway CEO Anna Lardi.

These will include four lunchtime concerts in partnership with Arts in Action at the University of Galway, as well as the ‘MfG Out and About’ series. Describing these as “a very important part of our activities”, Anna expressed her gratitude to the University of Galway and Aerogen for their support.

Young French pianist Paul Lecocq – the 2025 winner of Switzerland’s Clara Haskil Competition – and Canadian Carter Johnson – who won the 2025 Dublin International Piano Competition – will perform at a ‘Piano Gourmand’ concert on October 3 at the Ardilaun Hotel.

Events will go up a gear in May 2027 with the return of MfG’s cello festival, Cellissimo.

To whet people's appetites, MfG will offer A Taste of Cellissimo in November, with the National Symphony Orchestra. It’s on November 12, in Leisureland, when star German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott is in concert with the NSO.

The Galway Messiah – a unique Galway take on Handel’s oratorio – was a great success last year and Music for Galway is teaming up with Resurgam again to reprise it. That’s on December 6 in Nicholas’ Collegiate Church.

Matters will move from the macro to micro, when Berlin-based violin/vocal duo Nurit Stark and Caroline Melzer perform in Druid’s Mick Lally Theatre on February 12. Their programme, Fragments, is based on texts by Franz Kafka and music by legendary contemporary composer, Hungarian Gyorgy Kurtág, who celebrated his 100th birthday in February.

‘Breaking Boundaries’ will finish in April when the award-winning Paddington Trio will perform in the city’s St Joseph’s Church on April 8. The following night, they will be at Mount Carmel Chapel in Loughrea.

More details on the full programme at www.musicforgalway.ie.