ChamberFest Dublin 2021

RIAM ANNOUNCES ITS EXCITING PROGRAMME OF ONLINE EVENTS FOR CHAMBERFEST DUBLIN 2021

Chamber music aplenty is on the bill of fare this April as one of the Royal Irish Academy of Music’s flagship events, ChamberFest Dublin returns, bringing a feast of music to online audiences to enjoy from the safety and comfort of their own homes.  

Taking place from Monday 19 April to Sunday 2 May, this ambitious and exciting free admission online festival offers audiences a myriad of opportunities to experience the RIAM’s vibrant pool of talent performing a rich palette of chamber music.  The concerts will be  streamed from the RIAM’s historical home in the Georgian buildings of Dublin's No 36 Westland Row, and from a number of other Dublin venues: the National Gallery of Ireland, MoLI (Museum of Literature Ireland) and St Stephen’s Church “The Pepper Canister”.  ChamberFest Dublin also offers “backstage” access at each concert, affording online audiences both the opportunity to virtually meet our musicians before and after they play, and a chance to hear more about the rich variety of music being performed.

The 15 streamed concerts, featuring almost 40 chamber ensembles performing music spanning five centuries, will culminate in a performance by the exhilarating Ensemble Interforma under the directorship of violinist, Sarah Sew from the Shaw Room of the National Gallery of Ireland on Sunday, May 2nd.   Sponsored by The John Pollard Foundation and presented in partnership with the NGI, this rousing final concert of ChamberFest 2021 by the cutting edge Ensemble Interforma promises a programme of high impact music by composers Johann Strauss II/Brett Dean, Igor Stravinsky, Anna Clyne and Jennifer Walshe.   

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. In today’s constantly evolving music world, collaboration and inventive exploration are vital skills for the next generation of musicians, and in the programming of ChamberFest Dublin 2021, students have played a key role in forming their own chamber groups, researching and choosing repertoire.

Speaking about this exciting initiative for the RIAM Professor Sarah Sew said: “Collaboration is one of the most important aspects of a musician’s life. Our chamber music partners offer us different perspectives that challenge us, feed our creativity and inspire us to form united visions. In this past year of global pandemic, in-person musical interaction has been one of the biggest losses to our musical lives. With the immense energy, adaptability and commitment of our students and chamber music coaches, chamber music activity at RIAM has continued and I am delighted to share ChamberFest Dublin 2021 with audiences joining us from their homes." 

Full details of ChamberFest Dublin, including booking links are available at www.riam.ie/chamberfest

ChamberFest Dublin is generously supported by an anonymous donor.