Fiachra Garvey gave up his veterinary studies to pursue his dream of being a concert pianist, and the equine community’s loss has certainly been music’s gain. He now has a worldwide reputation and a performance diary that is being planned a few years in advance.
When he needs to get away from it all, Fiachra tends to the horses back at his home in Wicklow, in the beautiful area of Ballyknockan. His family also have cattle and sheep.
In January 2011, Fiachra gave his debut main auditorium recital at the National Concert Hall (NCH), the same year that the NCH awarded him the rising star prize. In 2012, he was the first prize winner of the Jacques Samuel Competition in London, and he has been a multi-award and bursary winner in Ireland, France and Prague.
Seven years ago he released his first CD, entitled For the Piano. That debut featured Schumann’s Fantasiestucke Op.12, Debussy’s Pour le Piano and two pieces by Samuel Barber, his Piano Sonata Op.26 and Nocturne Op.33. The CD was recorded and mixed by Grammy award winner Jonathan Allen, and produced on the RTÉ Lyric FM label. His second CD, a live performance from Wigmore Hall, was released in 2014.
Life nowadays involves a lot of travel, and while performing in Dublin and at the Wigmore Hall in London are his favourites, Fiachra has also toured Japan, China (where he gave a masterclass at the Beijing Conservatory of Music), Italy, Switzerland and throughout Britain.
Not content with a busy schedule which involves Fiachra spending much of his time in London, he came up with an idea for a music festival. So it will be something of a homecoming for Fiachra, with his brainchild, the third West Wicklow Festival of Music, taking place on 15-19 May, with concerts at Russborough House (pictured) and St Mary’s Church in Blessington, and a masterclass in Dublin at the NCH.
This year’s programme celebrates two important themes. Firstly, 2019 marks the second centenary of the birth of Clara Schumann, and to honour her legacy the programme will feature possibly her greatest work for solo piano, the Variations, Op.20, as well as other pieces. The festival will also include works by significant Irish and international female composers, including Amy Beach, Lili Boulanger, Rhona Clarke, Rhoda Coghill and Joan Trimble. As well as seminal works by Beethoven, Brahms, Bartok, Dvorak, Gershwin, Janacek, Kreisler, Liszt, Poulenc, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Schumann, Strauss and more. By way of contrast, this year also marks the centenary of the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence. To commemorate this, Fiachra and the festival have commissioned two new works, one from prominent Irish composer Sam Perkin and the other from young British composer Lilly Vadaneaux.
Elena-Urioste. \ Alessandra-Tinozzi
A packed programme of 15 artists over five days will see internationally acclaimed American artist Elena Urioste (violin), Tom Poster (piano), Quatuor Voce (string quartet), prominent French ensemble Trio Atanassov (violin, cello and piano), Lauren Fagan (soprano) and the dynamic Duo Játékok (piano) travel to west Wicklow. The festival’s partnership with the NCH also brings an innovative and interactive education and outreach programme to younger audiences.
Full details are available on the event’s website www.westwicklowfestival.com and tickets are on sale through the National Concert Hall.
Read more
The Front Row: excelling in Tipperary
The front row: Fallen Angels
Fiachra Garvey gave up his veterinary studies to pursue his dream of being a concert pianist, and the equine community’s loss has certainly been music’s gain. He now has a worldwide reputation and a performance diary that is being planned a few years in advance.
When he needs to get away from it all, Fiachra tends to the horses back at his home in Wicklow, in the beautiful area of Ballyknockan. His family also have cattle and sheep.
In January 2011, Fiachra gave his debut main auditorium recital at the National Concert Hall (NCH), the same year that the NCH awarded him the rising star prize. In 2012, he was the first prize winner of the Jacques Samuel Competition in London, and he has been a multi-award and bursary winner in Ireland, France and Prague.
Seven years ago he released his first CD, entitled For the Piano. That debut featured Schumann’s Fantasiestucke Op.12, Debussy’s Pour le Piano and two pieces by Samuel Barber, his Piano Sonata Op.26 and Nocturne Op.33. The CD was recorded and mixed by Grammy award winner Jonathan Allen, and produced on the RTÉ Lyric FM label. His second CD, a live performance from Wigmore Hall, was released in 2014.
Life nowadays involves a lot of travel, and while performing in Dublin and at the Wigmore Hall in London are his favourites, Fiachra has also toured Japan, China (where he gave a masterclass at the Beijing Conservatory of Music), Italy, Switzerland and throughout Britain.
Not content with a busy schedule which involves Fiachra spending much of his time in London, he came up with an idea for a music festival. So it will be something of a homecoming for Fiachra, with his brainchild, the third West Wicklow Festival of Music, taking place on 15-19 May, with concerts at Russborough House (pictured) and St Mary’s Church in Blessington, and a masterclass in Dublin at the NCH.
This year’s programme celebrates two important themes. Firstly, 2019 marks the second centenary of the birth of Clara Schumann, and to honour her legacy the programme will feature possibly her greatest work for solo piano, the Variations, Op.20, as well as other pieces. The festival will also include works by significant Irish and international female composers, including Amy Beach, Lili Boulanger, Rhona Clarke, Rhoda Coghill and Joan Trimble. As well as seminal works by Beethoven, Brahms, Bartok, Dvorak, Gershwin, Janacek, Kreisler, Liszt, Poulenc, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Schumann, Strauss and more. By way of contrast, this year also marks the centenary of the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence. To commemorate this, Fiachra and the festival have commissioned two new works, one from prominent Irish composer Sam Perkin and the other from young British composer Lilly Vadaneaux.
Elena-Urioste. \ Alessandra-Tinozzi
A packed programme of 15 artists over five days will see internationally acclaimed American artist Elena Urioste (violin), Tom Poster (piano), Quatuor Voce (string quartet), prominent French ensemble Trio Atanassov (violin, cello and piano), Lauren Fagan (soprano) and the dynamic Duo Játékok (piano) travel to west Wicklow. The festival’s partnership with the NCH also brings an innovative and interactive education and outreach programme to younger audiences.
Full details are available on the event’s website www.westwicklowfestival.com and tickets are on sale through the National Concert Hall.
Read more
The Front Row: excelling in Tipperary
The front row: Fallen Angels
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: