ConTempo Countywide, Loughrea

As part of our Nature & Ecology theme for 2025, we are exploring the beauty and mystery of birds this May. ConTempo Countywide will be held in the newly renovated Mount Carmel Chapel in Loughrea on Saturday 24 April at 8pm in collaboration with Mount Carmel Concerts. ConTempo Quartet will perform pieces celebrating various birds, from their song to their mesmerising flight. Works will include Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 64, No. 5, nicknamed ‘The Lark’ with its soaring theme in the first violin evoking the melodious voice of this beautiful species of bird. The programme will also explore the sounds of the Swallow and Barn Owl through excerpts from Leoš Janáček’s On an Overgrown Path. The frenetic energy of bird flight will be explored through performances of Alex Roth’s ‘Bird Drama’, a movement from his first string quartet ‘Klee Pictures’, as well as ‘Flocking III’ by Irish-based composer Nick Roth.

Entry is free (donations gratefully accepted), all are welcome. To ensure a spot, tickets will need to be booked online, as the venue can only accommodate 70 patrons. Tickets will be available free of charge at www.mountcarmelconcerts.ie from the 12th of May.