The Kilkenny Arts Festival will launch its main summer programme at a launch event this evening (Wednesday) at the Pembroke Hotel.
It will feature a plethora of new projects and commissions, exquisite performances, new collaborations, intriguing installations and much, much more. The festival runs from August 8-18, and tickets are on sale now from kilkennyarts.ie.
Speaking of the announcement today, Festival Director, Olga Barry said: “We’re delighted to announce the 51st Edition of Kilkenny Arts Festival. ‘For over half a century, August in the Marble City has been synonymous with extraordinary artists and performers bringing their work to our beautiful city and fantastic audiences. New ideas in ancient spaces is the hallmark of Kilkenny in the late summer, and this year is packed with new work, intriguing collaborations, intimate experiences and epic spectacle - we invite everyone to come and join us to experience this special kinship between artists and audiences.’’
Experimental composer Emma O’Halloran - Trade/Mary Motorhead PICTURE: MARIA BARANOVA
It’s a programme with unmissable wow moments in store with premieres from Irish National Opera’s production of Emma O’Halloran’s two newest operas; the Irish premiere of the much-missed Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Drone Mass, a new commission for Light Up the Castle from Jack Phelan; a series of Philip Glass’ music threaded throughout a monster programme of Irish and International artists featuring the new and the classic; a headline series with stellar folk and contemporary artists like Lisa O’Neill, Mick Flannery Niamh Regan and Richard Dawson; the unmissable Marble City Sessions with Martin Hayes alongside a plethora of artist working on the edge of traditional, folk and contemporary music today.
With themes of resilience and home, The Dead House from Martin Beanz Warde, A Mother’s Voice from Beth McNinch, The Detached Project from Elaine McCague, What are you Afraid Of? from Peter Hanly, and Migration Sonatina with IMDT all speak to the intimate and self-interrogation; while poets Martina Evan and Paul Muldoon explore their long-form works where storytelling comes to the fore.
Liane Lang explores landscape and change in a mixed-media exhibition at Butler Gallery, and exhibitions of two much-missed Kilkenny artists, Helen Comerford and Ross Costigan offer insights into their work.
And with the ever-popular Secret Garden series, talks and literature including poets Martina Evans and Paul Muldoon, and more happenings to be announced, we invite audiences to be present for the unique moments that make Kilkenny Arts Festival so special.
Highlights include:
Irish National Opera with the European Premiere of two operas from composer Emma O’Halloran – Trade /Mary Motorhead with librettist Mark O’Halloran
The Irish Premiere performance of DRONE MASS by Jóhann Jóhannsson; presented with Chamber Choir Ireland and Crash Ensemble
A new commissioned spectacle for Kilkenny Castle by Fictions Picture Company, directed by Jack Phelan; presented in association with OPW
A chamber and orchestral series that includes: The Irish Premiere of Errollyn Wallen – Dances for Orchestra, commissioned by Orchestra in residence, Irish Chamber Orchestra in a programme that includes Mozart’s Symphony No 40, with Vaughan Williams’ hauntingly beautiful Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.
A programme of contemporary classical music in the hands of international superstar Mari Samuelsen in solo recital and in the company of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in programmes that range from Arvo Pärt’s heartbreaking Spiegel im Spiegel through Nils Frahm, Bryce Dessner, Philip Glass, to the closing of the festival with Max Richter’s utterly engrossing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Recomposed.
Philip Glass’ music appears throughout, featuring in programmes from Festival Favourites, the Carducci String Quartet, alongside popular quartets from Mozart, Shostakovich, Fanny Mendelssohn and Beethoven; and in a very special late night at the Set Theatre alongside Steve Reich’s groundbreaking work from 1988, Different Trains; Rising star Irish Pianist Máire Carroll performs a performance of ten of Glass’ trance-like Études for solo piano; Dutch/Korean harpist Lavinia Meijer is also a Glass specialist and interprets a range of Glass works alongside some of her own compositions; while the mighty Crash Ensemble treat us to a stonking performance of Glassworks.
Piano recitals feature heavily also, in the stunning acoustic of St John’s Priory – Finghin Collins in a popular Romantic programme of Chopin and Schumann; and he joins forces with Máire Carroll to perform for the first time together in its entirety, the New Ross Piano Festival’s commissions of 15 works from contemporary Irish composers in response to the Ros Tapestries, currently on display at Kilkenny Castle.
Pavel Kolesnikov & Samson Tsoy take over the Priory for three recitals, beginning with a morning performance (for Four Hands) of Stravinsky’s immense work, The Rite of Spring; Kolesnikov takes on Bach’s Golberg Variations and Tsoy finishes off the day with Beethoven’s seminal three last Sonatas.
The Marble City Sessions features Artist in Residence Martin Hayes with a thrilling line up including Cormac Begley, Kate Ellis, Cleek Schrey’s Appalachian Trio, Aoife Ní Bhriain, Liam Byrne, Liz Knowles, Niall Vallely, Niwel Tsumbu, Mick McAuley and John Doyle. As ever, audiences can expect some intriguing guest appearance and new collaborations within the series – kicking off with a concert featuring fiddlers and hardanger/viola d’amore players Aoife Ní Bhriain, Liz Knowles and Cleek Schrey with cellist Kate Ellis and viola da gamba player Liam Byrne in a special once-off gathering at St Canice’s Cathedral.
There are headline concerts with Lisa O’Neil, Mick Flannery, Kate Stable’s This is the Kit, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba and Richard Dawson, and the premiere performance of a new work from Caimin Gilmore featuring himself with Kate Ellis and Lavinia Meijer. Our partnership with Rollercoaster Records features headline concerts from Rozi Plain, David Murphy’s extraordinary project of Irish music for steel guitar, folk/contemporary sensation Niamh Regan and Kilkenny singer/songwriter Gary O’Neill.
In a development year we welcome our theatre partners Rough Magic to showcase their work with Peter Hanly on his new project which takes a very personal look at the debilitating nature of stage fright in What are you Afraid Of? And Martin ‘Beanz’ Warde presents his darkly comic piece The Dead House - part storytelling, it’s a monologue piece where Patrick, a member of the Traveller community, returns home for his grandfather’s burial following his self-exile from his community.
Niall Vallely presents his unique project 78 Revolutions - a concept grown out of his fascination with some of the earliest recordings of Irish traditional music. Composer and performer Vallely has assembled a stellar cast of musicians, Liz Knowles, Ryan Molloy, Mick McAuley, Kate Ellis and Mick O’Brien along with dancer Sibéal Davitt in a multimedia event directed by Tom Creed.
Those that witnessed 2023’s Migration Sonata, which culminated in a dance work devised within a group of new residents to Ireland who had spent eight months in workshops building trust and a common story about migration, won’t want to miss the follow up project, Migration Sonatina. With John Scott and Irish Modern Dance Theatre returning for an intimate event which will be part conversation, part performance at the Parade Tower.
Installations feature heavily at Kilkenny this summer, with A Mother’s Voice in residence with music from Linda and Irene Buckley and performances from Musici Ireland. This project devised by Beth McNinch deploys the voices of women from the Mother and Baby Homes.
In Literature and discussions we present Martina Evans as poet in residence to discuss and read from her work, and Paul Muldoon returns to Kilkenny Arts Festival to launch his new libretto, for a work to be premiered at KAF 2025 Custom of the Coast as well as readings from his new collection Joy in Service on Rue Tagore. The Annual Hubert Butler Lecture is delivered this year by Fintan O’Toole - Culture Wars: Art and Politics in the Age of Trump; Olivia O’Leary will this year present the Hubert Butler Essay Prize to essayists responding to the question of misinformation and reconciliation and Catherine Marshall from Na Cailleacha gives a lecture on the School of Hibernia project – a re-enactment of Raphael’s famous School of Athens at Trinity College earlier this year.
Butler Gallery together with Kilkenny Arts Festival presents the German-born, London-based artist Liane Lang in an exhibition – Deep Time Dip - of mixed media that explores time and memory through monuments and historic landscape. Lang’s fragmented storytelling allows us to contemplate our actions in the landscape and how things are made and done as we prepare for cataclysmic changes globally.
Helen Comerford’s solo exhibition The Nineteen was a highlight of the festival in 2021, and following her unexpected death in Spring this year, A Legacy - an exhibition of some of her sketches, drawings and studio notes - offers a first glimpse of the intimate practice of this wonderful artist at work.
The Festival Gallery this year relocated to the Parade, with an exhibition of the photography of iconic Kilkenny photographer Ross Costigan; and we partner again with KCAT Studio in Callan where Re-Connection will feature artists from eight international peer organisations in a group show including KCAT itself.
Barnstorm Theatre together with the Festival presents a series of theatre and storytelling works for children including Branar’s You’ll See a hit production of Ulysses for children!
Booking open now online at kilkennyarts.ie / by phone +353 56 775 2175 . From July 17, book in person at the Festival Box Office 76 John Street, Kilkenny,
Kilkenny Arts Festival is grateful for the continued support from funders, particularly its principal funder, the Arts Council; Kilkenny County Council and Fáilte Ireland.
Facebook / twitter: @KilkennyArts
Instagram / Youtube: KilkennyArtsFestival
#KAF24
OPERA
Irish National Opera
Trade/Motorhead
Composer: Emma O’Halloran
Libretto: Mark O’Halloran
Cast
Younger Man: Oisin O’ Dalaigh
Older Man: John Molloy
Mary Motorhead: Naomi Louisa O’Connell
Conductor: Elaine Kelly
Director: Tom Creed
Electronic Sound Designer Alex Dowling
Set Designer: Jim Findlay
Lighting Designer: Christopher Kuhl
Costume Designer: Montana Levi Blanco
Assistant Director: John King
Répétiteur: Aoife Moran
Irish National Opera Orchestra
Watergate Theatre:
Thursday 8th August, Friday 9th August, Saturday 10th August, 7PM; Sunday 11th August 3PM
Chamber Choir Ireland PICTURE: RUTH MEDJBER
‘CLASSICAL’ and NEW MUSIC
Jóhann Jóhannsson: Drone Mass
Chamber Choir Ireland, Crash Ensemble, Paul Hillier, Conductor
Saturday 10th – St Canice’s Cathedral, 9:30PM
Chamber Choir Ireland, Paul Hillier Conductor
Sunday 11th -St Canice’s Cathedral, 7:30PM
Romantic Music from Vienna
Schubert, Brahms, Ligeti
Crash Ensemble
Wednesday 14th - Parade Tower,7PM
Philip Glass – Glassworks
Irish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Zeithetemair, Conductor
Thursday 15th : St. Canice’s Cathedral, 7:30PM
Programme:
R Vaughn Williams: Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis
Errollyn Wallen: Dances (Irish Premiere)
Mozart: Symphony No. 40
RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Mari Samuelsen, violin
Sunday 18th - St Canice’s Cathedral, 7:30PM
Programme:
Bryce Dessner: Song for Octave
Jóhann Jóhannsson: Cambridge 1963
Hania Rani: Glass
Nils Frahm: Hammers
Arvo Pärt: Fratres
Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons Recomposed
Afternoon/Chamber Concerts
Carducci String Quartet
Friday 9th –St John’s Priory – 1PM
Programme:
Shostakovich: No 8 in C minor
Philip Glass: Quartet No 2 – ‘Company’
Beethoven: Quartet No. 11 in F minor – Serioso’
Saturday 10th – St John’s Priory – 1PM
Programme:
Mozart: Quartet No 17 in B flat – ‘The Hunt’
Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat Major
Sunday 11th – Set Theatre, 9:30PM
Programme:
Osvaldo Golijov: Yiddishbbuk
Glass: String Quartet No 5
Steve Reich: Different Trains
Lavinia Meijer – Harp, The Glass Effect
Monday 12th – St John’s Priory, 1PM
Programme
Philip Glass: Opening; Études Nos 16 & 17; The Hours; Metamorphosis.
Lavinia Meijer: Atmospheric Rivers; Tomorrowday
Caimin Gilmore, Kate Ellis 7 Lavinia Meijer
Monday 12th, Parade Tower, 6PM
Irish premiere of Gilmore’s BlackGate and new work from Amanda Freery
Finghin Collins – Piano
Tuesday 13th – St John’s Priory
Programme:
Chopin: Three Nocturnes, op.9
Schumann: Arabeske, op.8
Chopin: Four Mazurkas, op.17
Schumann: Palillons, op. 2
Chopin: Ballade No 4, op. 52
Finghin Collins & Máire Carroll – Piano
Wednesday 14th – St John’s Priory, 4PM
Programme
Ros Tapestry Suite: Commissioned by New Ross Piano Festival
John Kinsella, Elaine Agnew, Gerald Barry, Sebastian Adams, Gerry Murphy, Eric Sweeney, Linda Buckley, Sam Perkin, Deirdre Gribbin, Andrew Hamilton, Philip Martin, Gráinne Mulvey, Raymond Deane, Marian Ingoldsby, Garrett Sholdice.
Máire Carroll – Piano
Thursday 15th -St John’s Priory, 1PM
Programme:
Philip Glass: Étude Nos 12,1,2,10,5,6,16,4,15,20.
Samson Tsoy & Pavel Kolesnikov - Piano
Friday 16th – St John’s Priory
11AM – Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring – 4 Hands
1PM – Bach: Goldberg Variations (Kolesnikov)
5PM – Beethoven: Three last Sonatas ((Tsoy)
Mari Samuelsen -Violin; with Julien Quentin - Piano
Saturday 17th – St John’s Priory, 3PM
Programme:
Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel
Philip Glass: Metamorphosis II
Philip Glass: Einstein on the Beach
Lera Auerbach: No 15 from 24 Preludes for Violin and Piano op 46
Max Richter: Berlin by Overnight
JS Bach: Chaconne (from Partita in D minor
Bryce Dessner: Ornament and Crime ( Ornament 2&3)
Mario Laghina: Coisas Da Terra
Max Richter: Mercy
Laoise O’Brien, Recorders, with Malcolm Proud - Harpsichord
Sunday 18th St John’s Priory, 1PM
Programme:
Telemann: Sonata in F Major
Couperin: Les Ondes
Handel: Sonata No 4 in A minor
Johann Christian Schickhardt: Sonata No 23 in F minor
Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre: Three pieces from Suite on D minor for Harpsichord
Benedetto Marcello: Ciacona op 2 No 12
THEATRE/STAGE/DANCE
The Dead House
Martin ‘Beanz’ Warde
Saturday 10th, 11th, 12th – Cleere’s Theatre, 8PM
Rough Magic
What Are you Afraid Of?
Peter Hanly
Directed by: Lynne Parker
Wednesday 14th, Watergate Theatre, 5:30PM
78 Revolutions
Niall Vallely
Directed by: Tom Creed
Featuring: Niall Vallely, Liz Knowles, Ryan Molloy, Mick McAuley, Kate Ellis, Mick O’Brien and Sibéal Davitt
Friday 16th, Watergate Theatre, 6PM
Migration Sonatina
Irish Modern Dance Theatre
Sunday 18th, Parade Tower, 2PM
INSTALLATION/PERFORMANCE
SIX SIDE SAWN
Factions, directed by Jack Phelan
In association with OPW
Wed 14th, Thurs 15th, Friday 16th, Sat 17th - Kilkenny Castle, 10:40PM
A MOTHER’S VOICE
Musici Ireland, Beth McNinch, Linda & Irene Buckley, Eoin McNinch, Bridget Ní Dhuinn, Eabha Bortollozo, Jack Kirwan
Shee Alms House
Tuesday 13th, 2PM & 5PM; Wed 14th, 12PM, 3PM & 6PM
THE DETACHED PROJECT
Elaine McCague, with Olga Kuzmenko, Hazel McCague
Secret Location:
Tuesday 13th- Saturday 18th – 1pm-6PM
MARBLE CITY SESSIONS
Aoife Ní Bhriain & Liam Byrne
The Harmonic Labyrinth
Sunday 11th, Parade Tower, 6:30PM
OBELISK STRINGS & CORMAC BEGLEY
Double Headline Concert:
Obelisk Strings:Aoife Ní Bhrian, Liz Knowles, Cleek Schrey, Liam Byrne & Kate Ellis
Tuesday 13th, St Canice’s Cathedral, 7PM
Mick McAuley (accordions, guitar) & John Doyle (guitar) -with special guests
Wednesday 14th, Set Theatre, 9:30PM
Aoife Ní Bhriain (fiddle, hardanger) & Catrin Finch (harp)
Thursday 15th, Parade Tower, 2:30PM
Appalachian String Trio
Cleek Schrey, Joseph Decosimo, Luke Richardson
Thursday 15th, Cleere’s Theatre, 9:30PM
Niall Vallely (concertina) Liz Knowles (Viola d’amore) Niwel Tsumbu (guitar/vocals)
Thursday 15th, Set Theatre, 7:30PM
MARTIN HAYES – MCS Finale
With Cleek Schrey, Liz Knowles, Mick McAuley, John Doyle, Kate Ellis and more
Saturday 17th, St Canice’s Cathedral, 7:30PM
ROLLERCOASTER SESSIONS
Gary Murphy – Explorations in Irish Music for Pedal Steel Guitar
Cleere’s Theatre, Friday 9th, 5PM & 8PM
Niamh Regan
Set Theatre, Monday 12th, 9:30PM
Rozi Plain
Cleere’s Theatre, Tuesday 13th, 9:30PM
Gary O’Neil
Cleere’s Theatre, Saturday 17th, 6PM
HEADLINE MUSIC
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
Set Theatre, Saturday 10th, 7:30PM
This is the Kit
St Canice’s Cathedral, Wednesday 14th, 8PM
Lisa O’Neill
St. Canice’s Cathedral, Friday 16th, 7:30PM
Mick Flannery
Set Theatre, Friday 16th, 9:30PM
Richard Dawson
Set Theatre, Saturday 17th, 9:30PM
VISUAL ART
Liane Lang – Deep Time Dip
Butler Gallery, Saturday 10th - September
Helen Comerford – A Legacy
Jerpoint Studio, August 2nd – August 31st
FESTIVAL GALLERY – Ross Costigan, photography
The Parade (Old KBC Bank) – August 9th – 18th
KCAT Studio – Re-Connection
KCAT Studio, Callan, Thursday 8th – August 31st
LITERATURE/TALKS
Poet in residence: Martin Evans
Saturday 17th, Parade Tower, 6PM
Paul Muldoon
Launch of Custom of the Coast
Thursday 15th, Parade Tower, 6PM
Reading from new collection Joy In Service on Rue Tagore
Friday 16th, Parade Tower, 6PM
Poetry Ireland Review
Saturday 17th, Parade Tower, 1PM
Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet
Friday 16th, Parade Tower, 1PM
Hubert Butler Lecture
Fintan O’Toole – Culture Wars – Art and Politics in the Age of Trump
Sunday 11th, St Canice’s Cathedral, 5PM
Hubert Butler Essay Prize
Tuesday 13th, Parade Tower, 5PM
Catherine Marshall – The School of Hibernia
Saturday 10th, Parade Tower, 5PM
CHILDREN & FAMILY
StormFest with Barnstorm Theatre
Brú Theatre – The Libravian
Home
Julie Sharkey – An Ant Called Amy
Branar Theatre – You’ll See
From Saturday 10th to Friday 16th
WORKSHOPS
Ta Ta Tum!
Pstryk!
Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th – 11AM & 2PM
SECRET GARDEN MUSIC
Daily, 3pm and 4pm at various locations - artists unannounced
Booking is open now online , by phone 056-775 2175, and from the box office on John Street from July 17.
