The Ortús Chamber Music Festival is delighted to announce the concerts and events for its 2026 festival which will run from February 21st to March 1st, 2026.
Cork City venues include the Aula Maxima in UCC, the MTU Cork School of Music and St Peter’s Cork. In Cork County, there will be concerts and events in Bantry, Tracton Arts Centre and Dripsey Castle Estate.
The festival directors are two Cork musicians, Mairéad Hickey and Sinéad O’Halloran, who decided, in 2016, when they were still teenagers, to start an annual festival to bring the world’s finest musicians to Cork. The festival now attracts a diverse audience, always striving to widen access to classical music and to give younger Irish musicians an opportunity to perform.
Mairéad Hickey, the Artistic Director of the 2026 festival, will perform with international musicians from France, David Moreau (violin), Pierre Antoine Cordon (viola) and Jérémie Moreau (piano), Dutch cellist Alexander Warenberg (cello), Spanish double bassist Luis Cabrera, Sergio Bucheli (lute) from Mexico together with Irish musicians Marja Gaynor (violin, viola), Aoife NicAthlaoich (cello) and Miriam Kaczor (flute).
There will be a special guest appearance from Simon Aspell (viola) and Christopher Marwood (cello) in recognition of their enormous contribution to chamber music in Cork and beyond. The emerging Olympia and Meliora Quartets will also perform as will soloist Yevlaliia Yershova.
In the wide-ranging programme you will find well-loved trios and sonatas by Beethoven and Mozart, Schubert’s unforgettable Trout Quintet, a Baroque recital and works by Cork born Linda Buckley and other living composers. The festival will end with a final flourish, Strauss’ Metamorphosen for String Septet.
The 2026 festival will include two concerts for families with children in Bantry and in Cork City as well as masterclasses and outreach concerts in Cork City Library and more.
Ortús gratefully appreciates the support we receive from the Arts Council, Cork City and Cork County Councils and all our sponsors and friends.
Tickets will go on sale December 4th from the festival website and from Pro Musica.
More information can be found on ortusfestival.ie
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