A unique Tipperary music festival provided an exciting four-day immersion in music
Finding A Voice was a huge success
It’s fitting that Clonmel, beautifully situated in the valley near Slievnamon, the mountain of women, is home to a unique festival dedicated to the music of women composers through the ages and around the world, in celebration of International Women’s Day on 8th March.
Excitement was in the air for a four-day immersion in music at the opening concert which began with Solas string quartet member (and leader of the Irish Chamber Orchestra) Katherine Hunka’s delightful piece Pass The Hat before moving to a beautiful piano quintet by Austrian composer Maria Bach. It set the tone for what proved to be a very strong programme underlining that the work of women composers from the middle ages to the present day stands on its own two feet across a very broad range of genres and styles.
Alongside the music, audiences learned a lot about the lives of these composers, many of whom experienced gender-based difficulty in getting their music performed. Others enjoyed success in their own lifetimes, but for their work to become unknown after their deaths. Finding A Voice is a key organisation in addressing this and their partnerships, both local, national and international, are key to spreading the word.
On Thursday evening, they teamed up with Clonmelody (led by Eamon and Ann O’Malley) for a wonderful Flow Original Music singer songwriter concert featuring the work of Eve Whelan, Kate McDonald, EJ Mae and The Wood of O. In the atmospheric STAC Chapel, audiences enjoyed new and old songs from these local remarkable women.
On Friday, one of Ireland's foremost pianists Thérèse Fahy performed the Irish premiere of French composer Mel Bonis’ complete Femmes de Légende series with passion and skill. Awarded a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in recognition of her contribution to music, Thérèse is known for her deep engagement with French piano repertoire, and both Finding A Voice and the pianist herself are delighted that this important piece is now part of her performance repertoire.
The National String Quartet Foundation are now in partnership with Finding A Voice and Ora Quartet’s Clonmel performance forms part of a nationwide tour showcasing music by women composers spanning different eras and styles. The gallery at the Main Guard has a wonderful acoustic and is an ideal venue for chamber music.
As well as inviting ensembles to create programmes for Finding A Voice, the festival has always celebrated the work of performers who always champion women composers. Spaniard Antonio Oyarzabal is a pianist with a serious commitment and passion for promoting music written by women composers, invited by the Donne Foundation to be an ambassador due to this commitment.
He returned to Clonmel for a concert that drew from his albums La Muse Oubliée (Forgotten Muse) II and El fin del silencio (The End of Silence), with a solo recital which brought the audience on a journey through the ages and around the world, The festival welcomed several overseas partners including the German Archiv Frau und Musik, several of whom spoke at a panel discussion hosted by Clonmel Library.
Artistic Director Roisin Maher said that ‘it is wonderful to bring people to my home town of Clonmel for this festival which has an increasingly high reputation in the world of music. Myself and my sister Cliona founded the festival in 2017 and it has gone from strength to strength. Our ambition is for it to become a destination festival for cultural tourists, as well as an annual feast of music for Clonmel people’.
The wonderful Irish Youth Choir delighted Saturday audiences with their concert Songs of Hope. Their performative and joyful concert was an uplifting testament to the power of choral singing, and the audience included several locals who were former IYC members themselves, as well as Carrick-on-Suir’s Marian Ingoldsby who was delighted with their performance of her work. Saturday evenging saw the return of the fantastic group of musicians that make up Evlana Ensemble who presented a wonderful and eclectic programme that included not one but two world premieres attended by their composers. Nori Krupp is the winner of the 2025 Emerging Composer Competition and Ailis Ni Riain was on hand to speak to the audience about her commissioned composition for string trio.
Having enjoyed a wonderful live-streamed performance in the online 2021 festival, it was great to have violinist Marja Gaynor and guitarist John Walsh back in Clonmel for a live audience. Once again in the beautiful setting of the Main Guard, the music moved from the seventeenth century to the present day in a wonderful celebration of works from the baroque, traditional and flamenco traditions.
The festival finished on à high with a large turnout for a choral concert by Chamber Choir Ireland. In the first concert of a planned three-year partnership, the choir, led by guest conductor Owain Park, sang music from the eleventh century to the present day in the atmospheric and gorgeous Old St Mary’s Church.
A wonderful year-round music venue for Clonmel audiences, the event was recorded for RTE Lyric fm and will be broadcast later this year.
The 2026 festival will take place from 5th to 8th March so mark it in your diaries!