THE Mourne Chamber Music Festival returns for its third year from 25-29 August, with a programme of world-class classical music in Newcastle Community Cinema and the town’s Donard Methodist Church.
The project was started by local woman Orla McGarrity and has grown every year. In that time, it has captured the hearts of all those who have attended.
In keeping with that passion for music, the event organisers have decided that this year’s theme will be ‘Summer of Love’.
Orla said: “We have programmed pieces of music that explore love in forms. From luscious romances to heartfelt laments, there will be something for everyone in the audience.”
Orla is a violinist based in Manchester, where she graduated from the RNCM with both First-Class Honours Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
She is a member of the Talland Quartet who are studying on RNCM’s Quartet Studio Programme and have recently joined Italy’s prestigious Le Dimore Del Quartetto Network.
They regularly perform across the UK and will be Young Artists at this year’s Cork Music Festival.
She started the festival in order to increase engagement with classical music in the Mourne area.
The festival will feature music by Beethoven, Strauss and Tchaikovsky, through to Emilie Frøssner Wegener, George Walker, Ethel Smyth and many more.
The festival also provides performance opportunities for emerging professional musicians.
This year’s festival will include a brand-new commission from County Down native composer Amelia Clarkson. Her piece is inspired by the coastline near the Mournes, winding sand dunes and purple heather.
This commission has been supported by the Ralph Vaughan Williams Foundation and the Hinrichsen Foundation. Both those groups provide funding for recent and contemporary music in the UK.
Founded to bring high-quality classical music to rural Northern Ireland, the Mourne Chamber Music Festival presents a diverse programme that combines celebrated masterpieces with lesser-known works, championing female composers and composers from the Global Majority.
