Walled City Music Festival announces great line-up

The northwest’s premier classical music festival will take place in venues including The Glassworks and Ulster University Magee from Thursday, March 5 to Sunday 8 March.

The festival kicks off with an evening of four young rising star pianists from Arizona State University, including the winner of the inaugural Walled City Music International Piano Competition Selene Wu, who will present an entertaining programme of piano favourites from 2 to 8 hands.

On Friday, March 6 the Festival welcomes renowned American pianist Awadagin Pratt, the Benyounes Quartet (with Derry-born cellist Kim Vaughan) and Festival Directors Cathal Breslin (piano) and Sabrina Hu (flute) for an evening celebrating one of classical music’s most iconic figures, Ludwig Van Beethoven, in the 250th anniversary year of his birth.

International chamber ensemble Trio Festivale take to the stage of The Glassworks on Saturday, March 7 for an evening of recently-composed works, including Some Day, a new WCMF commission from local composer Christopher Norby that tackles the legacy and contemporary relevance of the movement for civil rights through film and music.

Closing the Walled City Music Festival on Sunday, March 8 in The Glassworks is New York classical, jazz, rock, world and experimental music ensemble, the Bang on a Can All Stars. Recognized world-wide for their ultra-dynamic live performances, this six-member amplified ensemble combines the “power and punch of a rock

band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble” (New York Times).

Derry-born Festival Director Cathal Breslin commented: “Our 11 th WCM Festival continues to stay at the cutting-edge of music festivals, presenting a huge variety of world-class concert experiences in Derry. This year, we have the most incredible group of musicians that we have ever had, literally every night will be unforgettable! I am really excited about the premiere of a new piece by Christopher Norby, “Some Day: A Piece about Civil Rights“ – it combines music with film, historical news and audio from the Derry Civil Rights movement, and it was something inspired by the memory of my father.”

Tickets are now available for all concerts via the Millennium Forum Box Office or online at www.millenniumforum.co.uk.

For more information visit www.walledcitymusic.com.

Full Festival Programme, 5 March – 8 March 2020

Thursday 5, The Great Hall, Ulster University Magee, 7.30pm - Rising Stars Piano Extravaganza

Friday 6, The Great Hall, Ulster University Magee, 7.30pm - Beethoven 250 th Celebration Concert, with Awadagin Pratt (piano), Benyounes Quartet, Cathal Breslin (piano) and Sabrina Hu (flute)

Saturday 7, The Great Hall, Ulster University Magee, 1pm - From the New World - Benyounes Quartet Lunchtime Concert

Saturday 7, The Glassworks, 7.30pm - Some Day - Trio Festivale

Sunday 8, The Great Hall, Ulster University Magee, 1pm - ‘I want to be a prima donna’ - NI Opera Studio Lunchtime Concert

Sunday 8, The Glassworks, 7.30pm - Fieldworks - Bang on a Can All Stars