Barry Douglas leads stellar line-up for Walled City Music Festival

The Walled City Music Festival has announced an exciting international line-up of guest artists for its 14th edition, taking place on March 23-26 2023. 

Solo pianist Barry Douglas, cellist Raphael Wallfisch with pianist Cathal Breslin, and mezzo-soprano Sharon Carty with pianist Fiachra Garvey, are all set to perform in Derry’s beautiful Christ Church venue in March. 

Belfast-born pianist Barry Douglas has established a major international career since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. As Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland, the only all-Ireland orchestra, and the Clandeboye Festival, he continues to celebrate his Irish heritage whilst also maintaining a busy international touring schedule. In Derry on Saturday 25th March, Barry will perform a programme of Schubert and Beethoven. 

Raphael Wallfisch, one of the most celebrated cellists performing on the international stage, will open the Festival on Thursday 23rd along with Derry-born pianist Cathal Breslin (also co-artistic director of the Festival). Raphael and Cathal performed the very first Walled City Music Festival together in 2009, so this will be a special occasion to open the 14th Festival. Their performance will include music by Brahms, Franck, Schumann, and Debussy. 

Irish artists, mezzo-soprano Sharon Carty and pianist Fiachra Garvey, join forces on Friday 24th, bringing a programme of beautiful art songs by Grieg, Debussy, Stanford and Elgar. 

The Festival will close on the afternoon of Sunday 26th with a collaboration between Young Artists from Northern Ireland Opera and Walled City Music Piano Festival, as they perform a recital of vocal favourites in the beautiful surroundings of the Great Hall, Ulster University Magee.

This closing recital will set off a week of masterclasses, education and outreach work delivered by the festival’s guest artists to participating Young Artists from NI Opera and RIAM, as Walled City Music continues its tradition of inspiring local young musicians, and placing upcoming Irish talent at the heart of its programming alongside established, world-class artists. 

Cathal Breslin, Co-Artistic Director of the Festival, said “The 14th  Walled City Music Festival will be one of the most special Festivals so far. It is all about returning home, but now returning in-person and musically this is especially important post-pandemic. The 2023 Festival represents my musical experiences coming together and amplified into a special series of concerts and community outreach. The theme of “return” is marked from the Festival opening with incredible cellist Raphael Wallfisch, who performed with me to open the very first WCM Festival in 2009. The theme continues with pianist Barry Douglas returning to the Festival to perform a solo recital. Our ongoing promotion of great Irish artists is represented by singer Sharon Carty and pianist Fiachra Garvey, and it has always been at the very center of our core at Walled City Music to give a platform for young Irish musical talent; the NI Opera and WCM International Piano Festival collaboration represents the most exciting things to come from that. It will definitely be one of the most memorable Festivals we have ever experienced in Derry.”    

Full details of the Walled City Music Festival programme can be found on the WCM website. Tickets are available on Ticket Source. Keep an eye on the WCM social media channels for updates.

About

Walled City Music is the leading promoter of classical, contemporary and choral music in Derry~Londonderry. 

The Walled City Music Festival was founded in 2008 by Artistic Directors Dr. Cathal Breslin and Dr. Sabrina Hu, with the aim of bringing outstanding classical music-making to the heart of cultural life in Derry. First held in 2009, Walled City Music’s chamber-music Festival (WCMF) has since attracted artists of international calibre from around the world, including the Kronos Quartet, Sir James Galway, Katia & Marielle Labeque, Jonathan Lemalu, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Augustin Dumay, Raphael Wallfisch, Jan Vogler, the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, Brodsky Quartet, Emma Johnson, Nicholas Daniel, Colin Currie, Tine Thing Helseth, Anne Akiko Meyers and many others.

Walled City Music is funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Derry and Strabane District Council and KPMG.

Event information

Thu 23 Mar Raphael Wallfisch (cello) and Cathal Breslin (piano), Christ Church, 7.30pm

Fri 24 Mar Sharon Carty (mezzo-soprano) and Fiachra Garvey (piano), Christ Church, 7.30pm

Sat 25 Mar Barry Douglas (piano), Christ Church, 7.30pm

Full Festival Programme, details TBA, 22–26 March 2023

Contact & digital media

Website: www.walledcitymusic.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/wcmfderry 

IG: walledcitymusicfestival

Twitter: @walledcitymusic

For all media enquiries contact Mairéad Nic Bhloscaidh, WCM General Manager (maternity cover), at mairead@derrychoirfest.com