Letterkenny is getting ready to host the annual Donegal Chamber Music Festival, beginning this weekend.
The festival is on from Saturday the 12th to Sunday the 20th of October. The well established annual event, created in 2014, will present four concerts this year, happening over two weekends, in two of the most iconic buildings of the Cathedral Town.
The Donegal Chamber Music Society, now in its 15th year, works closely with other cultural institutions both locally and nationwide with the aim of fostering an appreciation of Classical Music in the County. Their popular Sunday afternoon concert series ‘Sundays in Conwal’ and the annual Chamber Music Festival are the highlights of their local productions.
Nurturing local talent, as well as inviting international performers and local based musicians has been at the heart of these concerts, since the very beginning, showcasing the present and future of classical music in Donegal. A Free Lunchtime Family concert; Sunday afternoon recitals; Music workshops and an evening performance are planned at this year’s edition, organized by the Donegal Chamber Music Society and Donegal Music Education Partnership.
The Donegal Chamber Music Festival is the continuation of the many years of dedicated teaching and musicianship on the part of the husband and wife team of Hungarian violinist Orsolya Szabó-Yélamo and Spanish cellist Víctor Yélamo. They came from their native countries in the mid 2000 to live in Donegal to work with the Local Music Education Partnership of Donegal ETB. The Donegal Junior Strings and the Donegal Chamber Orchestra, both ensembles performing at the Festival, are two of their very successful ongoing projects as music educators.
Four concerts will be presented in the Cathedral Town offering a range of music styles and repertory, presenting eclectic programmes of music and a variety of composers for all tastes and ages. This year’s programme will feature the Donegal Junior Strings and guests (Oct. 12); Classical Guitarist Manus Noble (Oct. 13); Argentinian instrumental Tango duet Vito Sputnik (Oct. 19); and the Donegal Chamber Orchestra and guests (Oct. 20).
All concerts this year are taking place in Letterkenny, opening with a free lunchtime concert at An Grianán Theatre’s celebrating the theater’s 25th Anniversary and continuing with three concerts in the historical Conwal Church, one of the town’s oldest buildings dated from the 17th century.
Tickets in advance from eventbrite and also will be available at the door, thirty minutes before the event starts. For more information please visit: www.donegalstrings.com/music-festival-2024
We would like to thank all our partners and sponsors who are making this Festival possible: Donegal Music Education Partnership, An Grianán Theatre, Donegal ETB, Donegal County Library, the Select Vestry of Conwal Parish Church, Dillons Hotel, Regional Cultural Center, Donegal County Council and Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter.
