PRESS RELEASE – 1 APRIL 2013
CONTACT – SUSAN PROUD
c/o St. Canice’s Cottage, St. Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny,
email: barrowriverartsfestival@gmail.com
website: www.barrowriverartsfestival.com
telephone: 056 7761497: mobile: 086 1777017
PRESS RELEASE
The Barrow River Arts Festival 19 - 21 April 2013
Venues: Duiske Abbey, Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny
(The Hilliard Ensemble - Friday 19th April) &
Borris House, Borris, Co. Carlow (all other events)
“There was a warm glow created among participants and audience members and a
wish to see this festival continue and expand.” Barra O’Seaghdha – poet
“This new event may be a boutique festival but its directors (Homburger and Guy)
are pursuing an all encompassing vision” Michael Dervan, Irish Times March
2011
“The festival, which has ambitions to become an annual event, is one of the most
intimate and informal in the musical calendar.” Michael Dervan, Irish Times
March 2012
Founded and curated by long time Irish residents, Swiss violinist Maya Homburger
and English bass player Barry Guy, the Barrow River Arts Festival presents, in one
packed weekend, a programme of classical music, improvisations, theatre, poetry
and visual art in two beautiful settings along the River Barrow in Counties Kilkenny
and Carlow - Duiske Abbey, Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny and Borris
House, Co. Carlow.
The Festival is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland, The Embassy of Switzerland
in Ireland, the E.U. Presidency Cultural Programme, RTE and Markant-Stiftung
(Switzerland)
The opening concert of the 2013 Barrow River Arts Festival is on Friday 19 April at
8.30 pm in the early 13th century Duiske Abbey in Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny
with the vocal group The Hilliard Ensemble performing a programme entitled
“Memoria Italiana” - settings of texts by Dante and Petrarch by composers such as
Cipriano de Rore, Dufay and Roger Marsh.
From Duiske Abbey the festival moves to the ancestral home of the Kings of
Leinster - Borris House, Co. Carlow (www.borrishouse.com) where, at 3.30 on
Saturday 20 April the world renowned Swiss cellist Thomas Demenga performs
two Bach solo suites and his own composition “EFEU ”. Two more Swiss
musicians appear at the Festival on Saturday afternoon with Barry Guy – pianist
Katharina Weber and percussionist Balts Nill. This ‘Hommage à Györgi Kurtág’
is an opportunity to hear original compositions Játékok (Fun & Games) by
Hungary’s greatest living composer alongside improvisations based on these works
from the Weber/Nill/Guy trio. At 8.30 pm Saturday’s programme finishes in the
ballroom of Borris House with Conor Lovett presenting his masterful interpretation
of Molloy by Samuel Beckett.
A second appearance of the Hilliard Ensemble takes place on Sunday 21 April in an
afternoon concert with the Homburger/Guy Duo in works by Dunstable, Janequin,
Castello, Biber and Guy. Later on Sunday evening at 7 pm the international awardwinning ensemble Camerata Kilkenny performs J.S. Bach’s harpsichord concerto
in D minor with Malcolm Proud and C.Ph.E. Bach’s virtuosic cello concerto in A
major with Thomas Demenga. After the concert Malcolm Proud’s latest CD (J.S.
Bach’s six Partitas for Harpsichord) on the Maya Recordings label will be launched
by the distinguished Irish composer Gerald Barry.
On Sunday afternoon at 4.30 pm the Festival pays tribute to the late poet Dennis
O’Driscoll with readings of his poems by Marcella Riordan and contributions by
Dennis’ brother Declan and fellow poet and friend Peter Sirr.
Throughout the Festival an exhibition of recent works on paper by the celebrated
Irish painter Hughie O’Donoghue will be on view in the ballroom of Borris House.
Tickets on sale from: VISUAL – centre for Contemporary Art & The George Bernard Shaw
Theatre, Old Dublin Road, Carlow.
Box Office: 059 917 2400
Email: info@visualcarlow.ie
http://www.gbshawtheatre.ie/theatre-intro.php
For more information (including photos and biographies) please see the following websites and
links:
www.maya-recordings.com (Maya Homburger & Barry Guy – directors of BRAF & performers
with Camerata Kilkenny)
www.borrishouse.com (Venue for most of the Festival events).
www.malcolmproud.ie (Member of Camerata Kilkenny)
http://www.thomasdemenga.ch/
http://www.hilliardensemble.demon.co.uk/
http://cistercians.shef.ac.uk/abbeys/graiguenamanagh.php
(Duiske Abbey - venue for the HILLIARD concert)
Further information:
email: barrowriverartsfestival@gmail.com
website: www.barrowriverartsfestival.com
Susan Proud,
Administrator,
Barrow River Arts Festival,
St. Canice’s Cottage,
St. Canice’s Cathedral,
Kilkenny, Ireland.
Tel: 056 7761497
Mobile: 086 1777017
Festival Committee: Barry Guy, Maya Homburger (Artistic Directors), Andrew Kavanagh,
Olivia O’Leary, Malcolm Proud.
The Barrow River Arts Festival is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland’s Small
Festival’s Grant, the Swiss Embassy in Ireland, RTE and the Markant Stiftung,
Switzerland. It has also received support from Carlow County Council’s The Gathering
Local Community Fund and forms part of Ireland’s EU Presidency Cultural Programme.