Music and spoken word.

Fews Ensemble on this occasion is:

Mia Cooper, violin

Joanne Quigley McParland, violin

Rachel Roberts, viola

Jonathan Aasgaard, cello

Mary McCabe, soprano

Ciarán Hinds, actor

Made up of leading chamber musicians, orchestral leaders and principals and soloists from Ireland, the UK and Europe, The Fews Ensemble performs up to eight projects per year in Newry, Mourne, and Down, as well as in Dublin and Belfast.

The Fews are renowned, not only for the quality of their playing, but for their innovative programme lead by Artistic Director, Joanne Quigley McParland.

The group perform well loved staples from the Chamber Music repertoire as well as countless commissions by Irish composers and Chamber version arrangements of larger scale orchestral works, including Mahler Symphony No. 4 for thirteen players and Brahms Serenade for nine players.

The group specialises in cross arts projects, working most notably with actor Ciarán Hinds on several projects including a sell-out, critically acclaimed run, of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, in 2022.

In 2024 NCM and The Fews Ensemble founded the Narrow Water Festival to celebrate the announcement of the construction of Narrow Water Bridge. Future plans are in place to expand the festival on both sides of Carlingford Lough in 2025 and beyond.

Description supplied by the event organiser.