St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Galway
Tuesday 3 March 2026, 1:10pm
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Admission to this event is FREE MusicConnects welcomes a suggested donation of €5-€10 per person |
Today’s Performers:
Bogdan Sofei violin I │ Ingrid Nicola violin II
Andreea Banciu viola │ Adrian Mantu cello
Formed in 1995 in Bucharest, ConTempo Quartet is recognised as one of the most exciting and vibrant chamber ensembles performing today. ConTempo Quartet was chosen as MusicConnects’ Ensemble in Residence in 2003 and continues to captivate audiences throughout Galway city and county with its repertoire of classical, contemporary, folk and traditional music. In June 2016, the members were conferred with Honorary Doctorates in Music by University of Galway in recognition of their role in promoting music and education in the West of Ireland.
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Across the ages, composers have drawn inspiration from the places they call home, either their native lands or the places they have found along life’s journey. This programme connects music to place, from landscapes to the elements shaping the land and its people.
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Plan & Elevation | Composed in 2015
‘I was fortunate to have been the inaugural music fellow at Dumbarton Oaks in 2014-15. Plan & Elevation examines different parts of the estate’s beautiful grounds and my personal experience in those particular spaces … “The Ellipse” considers the notion of infinite repetition … One can walk around and around the stone path, beneath the trimmed hornbeams, as I often did as a way to clear my mind while writing. The second movement … is a fun fragmentation of various string quartets … referencing the variety of flowers grown there before they meet their inevitable end as cuttings for display. “The Herbaceous Border” is spare and strict at first, like the cold geometry of French formal gardens with their clear orthogonals … before building to the opposite of order: chaos … The Orangery,” evokes the slim, fractured shadows in that room as the light tries to peek through the leaves of the aging fig vine. We end with my favorite spot in the garden, “The Beech Tree.” It is strong, simple, ancient, elegant, and quiet; it needs no introduction.’ – Composer’s Note
‘Raise a Tragic Chorus in a Gale’ | WORLD PREMIERE
In writing this new work for String Quartet, Ring was inspired by the Irish landscape and how it is shaped by weather. ‘A powerful storm is forming. This piece takes the audience through the life cycle of an intense storm front, highlighting the changes and contrasts that occur as it develops. It begins and ends with calm conditions, focusing on the moments before the storm arrives and after it has passed. We also experience an eerie surreal moment in the middle where you get a sense of the invisible threat that wind and gales can have on the environment. As extreme weather events become more common worldwide, this work reflects how these storms can be both destructive and strangely compelling. The title is taken from a beautiful poem by Seamus Heaney entitled “Storm on the Island”.’ – Composer’s Note
Awakening | Composed in 2025
‘Awakenings explores the slow, fragile transformation of winter into spring – a process marked not by sudden change, but by patience, tension, and gradual release. The work reflects on landscapes as living presences, constantly shifting between brightness and darkness, stillness and motion … The first movement, “The Unfolding,” captures the hesitant emergence of life after winter’s restraint. Sparse textures and suspended harmonies suggest frozen ground and dormant light. Gradually, motifs expand and gather momentum, mirroring buds breaking through soil and the lengthening of days. Rather than a single moment of arrival, the music breathes in waves – advancing, retreating, and advancing again. In contrast, the second movement, “Kitty’s Lament,” turns inward. Rooted in the character of an Irish tune, it reflects on the deep relationship between people, land, and tradition. Its lamenting quality speaks not only of personal sorrow, but of a broader mourning for cultural richness that feels increasingly fragile.’ – Composer’s Note
String Quartet no 1 | Composed in 1877-78
5. Finale
Grieg’s music is known for reflecting the beauty of Norwegian landscapes. He himself said that Norway’s natural scenery had “stamped itself on my creative imagination from my earliest years.” While writing his string quartet, he was living in the Hardanger district, surrounded by mountains and fjords, where the landscape and local folk music deeply affected his work. Indeed, strong folk elements are heard throughout the finale movement, evoking rugged mountains and rushing rivers.
MusicConnects is where music, community, and place come together. We exist to make exceptional music and musicians a vibrant part of everyday life, reaching people of all ages, back-grounds, and abilities across Galway City and County. A music residency programme rooted in the soul of Galway, our identity is inspired by connection, between people, past and present, and between music and place.
We bring music and musicians beyond the stage, into schools, nursing homes, community halls, and public spaces. We nurture young talent, support emerging artists, and collaborate across art forms to create experiences that are as meaningful as they are memorable.
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MusicConnects is music that moves Galway emotionally, socially, and culturally.
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