Top classical duo for Festival concert
Violinist Elizabeth Cooney and pianist Finghin Collins will perform a programme of works for violin and piano by Schubert, Szymanowski and Elgaron on Monday, July 20, as part of the Galway International Arts Festival. Their concert, which will take place in the Aula Maxima NUIG at 8pm, is part of a seven-venue national tour.
Born in Cork, but with strong Galway connections – her mother is from Connemara – Elizabeth Cooney is now based in London. As well as performing as a soloist and guest leader with many European orchestras, she recently toured to the Melbourne Arts Festival with the Aurora Orchestra and Finland with the English Chamber Orchestra. She will perform at the Aurora Prom at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in August. Her recent performances with the RTÉ NSO in Cork and Waterford were sold out and reviewed as being “passionate, sensuous and the musical acrobatics . . .simply dazzling”.
Finghin Collins, who is Artistic Director with Music for Galway, is one of Ireland’s most important pianists. Since winning the 1999 Clara Haskil International Piano Competition he has performed as soloist with top orchestras world-wide. He was Associate Artist of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra for three years, rounding off his cycle of the complete Mozart and Beethoven piano concertos. He is regularly invited to perform at chamber music festivals and events at home and abroad, and is artistic director of the New Ross Piano Festival as well as of Music for Galway.
Finghin will also perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 with the National Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, July 18, as part of the Arts Festival.
Elizabeth and Finghin have toured in Ireland as a duo several times and most recently performed together in Galway in 2014, when they toured with the celebrated French cellist Marc Coppey.
Tickets for their Arts Festival show are available on www.giaf.ie and in the Galway tourist office on Forster Street.