ChamberFest Dublin
Founded in 2019 by the RIAM’s Head of Strings and Chamber Music, Sarah Sew, ChamberFest Dublin is rooted in the RIAM’s aim to provide high-quality and meaningful performance experiences for students.
2025
ChamberFest Dublin 2025 features over 50 chamber music groups in 20 concerts and 10 special events between Monday 28 April and Wednesday 7 May. Now in its sixth year, ChamberFest doubles up as not only vibrant collaboratively-produced festival, but also as chamber music exams for the students who perform.
Learning is at the centre of all we do at RIAM and this year's festival features three guest artists – composer/performer Garth Knox; violinist/fiddle player Donald Grant; and Irish violist Ruth Gibson – who work with our students in a range of masterclasses, interactive workshops and side-by-side performances.
Donald Grant’s Folk Music Workshop 'Learning Tunes by Ear’ promises to be an enjoyable morning developing the listening skills that are essential for chamber musicians in a perhaps less-familiar traditional music setting. A highlight session of the week will be Donald Grant’s ChamberLab: The Golden Rules of Chamber Music where he shares his top tips for making a successful group with young chamber music players and will play alongside members of RIAM’s Magnolia Quartet.
Garth Knox’s residency offers a rich variety of activities for violists, chamber groups and composers. Students who have been studying Knox’s works over the past year will have the opportunity to work directly with a living composer on his own works. Each workshop will feature live demonstrations – Garth Knox’s String Quartet Composition Workshop features RIAM’s undergraduate Sonic Quartet performing extracts from Knox’s string quartet Satellites, while the Extended String Techniques Workshop will see Garth and RIAM Cello Professor William Butt collaborate in an interactive workshop where musicians can try out newly invented techniques that expand the capabilities of what string instruments can produce.
The residency culminates in the Garth Knox in Focus concert on Sunday 4 May. The concert features a number of groups including RIAM viola ensembles, and Garth performing in two duos – with RIAM postgraduate tuba player, Adam Buttimer in Jonah and the Whale and with visiting artist, violist Ruth Gibson in Still Points.
The programming of ChamberFest Dublin is a collaborative process, with students forming their own chamber groups, researching and choosing repertoire under the mentorship of their teachers and coaches. Themed programmes include a selection of nature-inspired songs chosen by soprano, Éadaoin Hassett and pianist, Oana-Alexandra Leluțiu and a programme of works by women composers chosen by violinist Rohan Harron and pianist Johanna Dietz. This year’s festival also features two outstanding groups from Junior RIAM’s Young Artist Programme performing movements from Japanese composer Shin-ichiro Kanda’s Trio ‘Four Mai’ for trumpet, violin, piano and Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2. The final day of the festival presents the ChamberFest Dublin Competition, which since 2021 has offered professional concert engagements and side-by-side concert opportunities at festivals throughout Ireland to exceptional RIAM chamber music groups.
The founding of ChamberFest Dublin is rooted in RIAM’s aim to provide high quality and meaningful performance experiences for students. Through each group’s rehearsals and with guidance from chamber music coaches, the process of learning in preparation for these concerts is as significant as the performance itself.
Sarah Sew
RIAM Head of Chamber Music