IIB Bank Music in Great Irish Houses Festival
Dates:  12th - 15th June (festival launches nationwide on 6th June)

This June, Ireland's longest running chamber music festival returns for more stunning performances by renowned musicians, from Ireland and abroad. Over nine days, these artists will perform in some of the most beautiful and historically significant houses across Kildare, Wicklow, Drogheda, Cork, Dublin, Belfast and Clare as part of this world-class festival. Last year's event attracted record audience number and, this year, festival organisers have gone all out to ensure a wide range of magical, vibrant and imaginative acts to appeal to music lovers of all ages.

Highlights of the festival will include the only Irish performance of Bach's monumental and challanging piece, Well-Tempered Clavier. The piece will be performed by phenomenal pianist Angela Hewitt over two evenings at the National Gallery of Ireland - and promises to be a moving and unforgettable experience for Festival audiences. There'll also be the debut Dublin performance of Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman to look forward to. Measha, who's quickly establishing herself as a world class performer, was recently dubbed "Jessye Norman's heir" by Gramophone Magazine and will be partnered by legendary pianist Roger Vignoles as she performs an intoxicating election of cabaret songs.

There's also the return of the hugely successful Gallery Gathering project, which offers  masterclasses and performances for younger audiences. This years project will be headlined by violinist extraordinaire Pekka Kuusisto, who'll collaborate with some of Ireland's finest musicians to present a diverse range of shows, including a special arrangement of Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale along with music by Messiaen in his centennial year, and a selection of poignant and uplifting music written in the concentration camp of Theresiennstadt.

We've got the full Dublin listings below, so check out the upcoming events, then book your tickets online, or by calling the box-office on (01) 664 2822. For more details, and listings for the rest of the country, check out the IIB Bank Music in Great Irish Houses Festival website, or e-mail info@musicgreatirishhouses.com.
 
IIB Bank Music in Great Irish Houses Festival - Dublin
J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I
performed by ANGELA HEWITT (piano) Venue: National Gallery of Ireland
Time: 18.30 (Meet the Musicians) / 19.30 (Concert)
Date: 11th June
Tickets: €60
The first of two concerts by Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt, a phenomenal artist who was named Gramophone Artist of the Year in 2006.
Supported by the Embassy of Canada  

MEASHA BRUEGGERGOSMAN (soprano)
with Roger Vignoles (piano)
Venue: King's Inn
Date: 12th June
Time: 19.00 (Meet the Musicians) / 20.00 (concert)
Tickets: €50
Partnered by distinguished pianist Roger Vignoles, Measha Brueggergosman presents a programme guaranteed to dazzle Festival audiences with her extraordinary versatility, intuitive musicality and radiant star quality.
Supported by the Embassy of Canada  

J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II
performed by ANGELA HEWITT (piano) Venue: National Gallery of Ireland
Time: 18.30 (Meet the Musicians) / 19.30 (Concert)
Date: 13th June
Tickets: €60
Hailed as 'the pre-eminent Bach pianist of our time' (The  Guardian), Angela Hewitt presents the second of her two concerts.
Supported by the Embassy of Canada

Gallery Gathering Programme
Venue: The National Gallery of Ireland  
PEKKA KUUSISTO and EVA ALKULA
Date: 12th June
Time: 21.00
Tickets: €15
Violin sensation Pekka Kuusisto is joined by Finnish kantele player Eva Alkula for a haunting Japanese-inspired programme.
 
PEKKA KUUSISTO and PETER TUITE
Date: 13th June
Time: 13.05
Tickets: €10 / €5 (at door)
Pekka Kuusisto joins fores with Irish pianist Peter Tuite to perform works by Bach and Olivier Messiaen whose centenary is celebrated this year.

PEKKA KUUSISTO and LYNDA LEE
with Dermot Dunne (accordion) and Dearbhla Collins (piano)
Date:14th June
Time:13.05
Tickets: €10 / €5 (at door)
Music by composers Erwin Schulhoff, Viktor Ullman, Ilse Weber, Gideon Klein, amongst others who perished in the Holocaust, is highlighted in the third of this year's Gallery Gathering concerts.

PEKKA KUUSISTO, DERMOT DUNNE and CAROL McGONNELL
Date: 15th June
Time: 15.00
Tickets: €10 / €5 (at door)
Stravinsky's musical fable, A Soldier's Tale, arranged for an eclectic group of instruments, will be performed by Pekka Kuusisto with Irish musicians Dermot Dunne and Carol McGonnell.  Schoolchildren from the Dublin area, with whom the will have already explored this dramatic work, will be invited to take part in this exciting, family-friendly performance.