Irish Chamber Orchestra celebrates 30th anniversary in Limerick

BACH, Mozart, Haydn, and more are featured among the Irish Chamber Orchestra’s (ICO) recently announced Autumn/Winter season of events for this year, featuring a performance in Limerick to celebrate its 30th anniversary. 

With performances and events across the country this Autumn, ICO are inviting audiences “to feel every note with a season brimming with beauty, brilliance, and bold new voices. 

“From haunting meditations to joyful fireworks, every concert promises an unforgettable emotional journey, music that doesn’t just entertain, but moves, thrills, and transforms”. 

André Swanepoel leads the season’s opening at the Westport Chamber Music Festival on Friday, September 12, where audiences will experience Haydn’s Seven Last Words, Mozart’s Adagio & Fugue, and Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 2. an unexpected turn with Donnacha Dennehy’s Woven, with the evening finishing with Bach’s exhilarating Double Violin Concerto, performed by Benjamin Schmid and Pablo Hernán Benedí.

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Later in September, the internationally renowned Richard Egarr conducts WATER MUSIC, an elemental programme flowing from stillness to celebration. Deirdre McKay’s Meltwater evokes the icy beauty of a world in flux, while Handel’s Water Music dazzles with its regal rhythms and festive flair. Performances take place at Whyte Recital Hall, RIAM, Dublin on Thursday, September 18, at the Clifden Arts Festival on Friday, September 19, and at University Concert Hall, Limerick on Saturday, September 20. 

In October, newly appointed Artistic Partner Henning Kraggerud brings his signature Nordic spirit to three electrifying nights of musical storytelling in ROMANTIC FIRE. 

Hear Bacewicz’s String Quartet, Atterberg Suite No. 3 and Grieg’s String Quartet in G minor. Performances at Whyte Recital Hall, RIAM on Thursday, October 16, and The Model, Sligo on Friday, October 17.

On Saturday, October 18, ICO will take to the Limerick stage as it celebrates 30 years at the heart of the city’s musical life with a festive anniversary concert. Taking place in the University Concert Hall, the programme begins with the cheeky sparkle of Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin’s (Must Be More) Crispy featuring Niall Vallely Concertina and Mel Mercier Percussion. 

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In a landmark moment for Irish music education, the ICO Youth Orchestra performs alongside ICO for the first time, presenting works by Piazzolla, Sam Perkin and more. The celebration continues with Atterberg’s Suite No. 3, arranged by Helms Ålien and Henning Kraggerud, and concludes with a sweeping orchestral arrangement of Grieg’s String Quartet in G minor, a storm of Nordic passion and lyrical fire.

Then in November, THREE WORLDS brings together three distinct musical traditions across three unforgettable nights. Percussionist Matthew Jacobson premieres Ronan Guilfoyle’s bold new concerto, Mani, a thrilling fusion of jazz, Indian classical, and raga Poorvi, honouring the legendary T.A.S. Mani. 

The programme also features the theatrical brilliance of Purcell’s Abdelazer Suite and the warm embrace of Dvořák’s Serenade. Catch this global celebration at Whyte Recital Hall, RIAM on Thursday 13 November, University Concert Hall, Limerick on Friday 14 November, and Curtis Auditorium, MTU Cork School of Music on Saturday 15 November.

The season wraps up in December with Handel’s immortal masterpiece, MESSIAH. Under the direction of Christian Curnyn, the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir Ireland collaborate. Inviting audiences to celebrate Christmas at St. Mary’s Church, Dingle on Thursday, December 11 and at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick on Friday, December 12.