The Hugh Lane Concert series – Susannah de Wrixon and Conor Linehan

Echoes and Inspirations – episode 1

Near FM present Echoes and Inspirations: The Fews Ensemble at Carlingford Heritage Centre.  Episode  one features a performance of Edward Elgar’s Piano Quintet and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ On Wenlock Edge. The programme is interspersed with an interview between our host Cliodhna Ryan and tenor, Aaron O’Hare, pianist David Quigley and violinist Joanne Quigley McParland. Edward  Elgar’s Piano  Quintet in A minor and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ On Wenlock Edge capture both the grandeur and intimacy of the English musical imagination. Rooted in poetry and landscape, these works intertwine melancholy, tenderness, and timeless beauty – a fittingly evocative opening to The Fews Ensemble’s 2026 season at Carlingford Heritage Centre. Performers: Aaron O’Hare – Tenor. David Quigley – Piano. Joanne Quigley McParland – Violin. Tom Jackson – Violin. Paul Cassidy-Viola. Jonathan Aasgaard – Cello Crew: Presented by Cliodhna Ryan. Recorded by Adrian Hart. Produced by Paul Loughran. Made with the support of The Arts Council. For more on the Echoes and Inspirations concert series visit https://newrychambermusic.org/the-fews-at-carlingford/ [https://newrychambermusic.org/the-fews-at-carlingford/] First broadcast on Tues July 21st at 2pm

The Hugh Lane Concert series – Aoife Ni Bhríain and Cormac McCarthy

Near FM is pleased to present The Hugh Lane Concert series – Episode 42 –  with Aoife Ni Bhríain on violin and Cormac McCarthy  on piano. The concert is interspersed with an engaging interview between our host Cliodhna Ryan, Aoife and Cormac. We also hear audience reaction to the concert. Blending deep roots in Irish traditional music with classical, jazz, and contemporary influences, Ní Bhriain and McCarthy chart a compelling sonic path through a shared musical heritage, transformed through their own creative lens. Their Cosán Casta album is a deeply considered and intimate work that reimagines Irish traditional music through original compositions, reinterpretations of archival tunes, and a fusion of classical and jazz idioms. The record pays homage to the music Aoife and Cormac grew up with, the musical language they heard and spoke in their family homes. The album is available to purchase from Bandcamp https://aoifeandcormac.bandcamp.com/album/cos-n-casta-3 [https://aoifeandcormac.bandcamp.com/album/cos-n-casta-3] For both Aoife & Cormac, music is deeply tied to confidence, a sense of place, and a feeling of authority. To play their own music, to have trust not only in the notes but the nuances, the quirks of stylistic ornamentation, and the interpretation of the manuscripts collected before their time, has brought them on a path of discovery, helping them find their voice and bring to life their own interpretation of tradition to life. Having both left Ireland to further study music, to discover, develop and explore their practice within the worlds of jazz and classical genres, “it became apparent very quickly that the musical accent of our own traditional music was one that cannot be disguised or gotten rid of easily,” says the pair. “This accent defines how we approach music of all genres but also how we express the truest version of ourselves.” A mix of the old and new, the album tells “the stories of who we are and where we come from but also the story of the journey our music has taken us on throughout our careers. The paths we have taken have been no means straightforward and the twists and turns on our musical journeys have always directed us back home – to where the music started. Credits  – Programme produced and mixed by Paul Loughran. Interview and presentation by Cliodhna Ryan. Concert recorded by Darby Carroll. Production support by Gabor Zajzon and Jaye Palmer. Thanks to Mary Barnecutt and the Sunday at Noon concert series. Thanks to all in the Abbey Presbyterian Church, Parnell Square, and all in The Hugh Lane gallery. Recorded in the Abbey Presbyterian Church, June 7th 2026 and first broadcast on July 14th 2026. Made with the support of Coimisiún Na Mean with the Television License fee.

The Hugh Lane Concert series – Nick Roth Quintets I and II

Near FM is pleased to present The Hugh Lane Concert series – Episode 41 –  Nick Roth Quintets I and II. Nick has assembled a group of high calibre musicians to perform his works with Paul Roe – clarinet / bass clarinet, Dermot Dunne – accordion, Cora Venus Lunny – violin, Elaine Clark – violin, Joanna Mattrey – viola, Alex Acomb – cello. The concert is interspersed with an engaging interview between our host Cliodhna Ryan, composer Nick Roth and accordianist Dermot Dunne. We also hear audience reaction to the concert. ‘The two pieces are based on the Jewish Chazzan and the Islamic Ezan, the sacred liturgical music and the call to prayer respectively. My aim in writing the works was to show the deep interconnections between the two faiths, which is evident from their sharing of harmonic modes (the maqamat). My original idea was always that they could be played together as a single 40′ work, as they both start and end with breath (bow on wood) and were designed to be interconnected. Given the current state of the world, I strongly believe that speaking openly about role of music as inter-connector and a shared cultural heritage is an conversation to be having at the moment.’ – Nick Roth nickrothmusic.com [http://nickrothmusic.com/] Credits  – Programme produced and mixed by Paul Loughran. Interview and presentation by Cliodhna Ryan. Concert recorded by Gay Graham, Gabor Zajzon, Bill Bergin and Jaye Palmer. Made with the support of Coimisiún Na Mean with the Television License fee. Thanks to Mary Barnecutt and the Sunday at Noon concert series. Thanks to all in the Abbey Presbyterian Church, Parnell Square, and all in The Hugh Lane gallery. Recorded in the Abbey Presbyterian Church, May 24th 2026 and first broadcast on June 9th 2026.

The Hugh Lane Concert series – Ficino Ensemble with Mark Redmond

Near FM is pleased to present The Hugh Lane Concert series – Episode 40. In this programme Ficino Ensemble with special guest piper Mark Redmond present Jubal’s Air by Kevin Volans in an exciting programme which includes Felix Mendelssohn’s jubilant String Octet. The concert is interspresred with an engaging interview with Elaine Clark (violin), Mark Redmond (pipes) and Nathan Sherman (Viola). Kevin Volans – Jubal’s Air with Mark Redmond, Uilleann pipes Felix Mendelssohn –  The String Octet in E♭ major, Op. 20, MWV R 20  Jubal is probably best known in the words of ‘Oh, had I Jubal’s lyre!’ from Handel’s oratorio Joshua. Depending on the translation of Genesis, Jubal is credited as being the inventor of music, as ‘the father of all such as handle the harp and organ’ in the King James Version, and in the New International Version of the Bible, Jubal is given as the father of stringed instruments and pipes. Ficino Ensemble with special guest piper Mark Redmond present Jubal’s Air by Kevin Volans in an exciting programme which includes Felix Mendelssohn’s jubilant String Octet. nathanshermanmusic.com [http://nathanshermanmusic.com/] Credits – Concert recorded by Darby Carrol. Radio series produced and mixed by Paul Loughran. Interview and presentation by Cliodhna Ryan. Production team of Paul Loughran and Jaye Palmer. Made with the support of Coimisiún Na Mean with the Television License fee. Thanks to Mary Barnecutt and the Sunday at Noon concert series. Thanks to all in the Abbey Presbyterian Church, Parnell Square, and all in The Hugh Lane gallery. Recorded in the Abbey Presbyterian Church, May 10th 2026 and first broadcast on May 26th 2026.

The Hugh Lane Concert series – Danusha Waskiewicz and Naomi Berrill

Near FM presents episode 38 in The Hugh Lane Concert series with Dragonfly, Danusha Waskiewicz on viola and Naomi Berrill on cello, who create a richly layered soundscape, where each performer plays and sings simultaneously. Instruments and voices merge into a single gesture, where the physicality of sound becomes storytelling. The result is a polyphonic texture suspended between eras and cultures. Classical, baroque, and folk repertoires are reimagined through a visionary language. The concert, recorded in the Abbey Presbyterian church, is interspersed with a wide ranging interview between Naomi Berrill and host Cliodhna Ryan. Naomi discusses her formative years in Headford, Co. Galway coming from a family steeped in music, they also discuss her life in Italy and how moving countries impacts on your musical outlook and language. Dragonfly is a journey through a “sonic atlas” where music is freed from conventions. Each performance is an immersive and captivating experience, notable for its delicacy, precision, and originality. Music that moves as lightly as a dragonfly. Danusha Waskiewicz is one of the most acclaimed violists on the international scene. A student of Tabea Zimmermann, she has performed under Claudio Abbado with the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester, the Berliner Philharmoniker, and as Principal Viola of the Orchestra Mozart. With Abbado, she recorded Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante (with Giuliano Carmignola) for Deutsche Grammophon. Among her many recordings are the Brandenburg Concertos for EuroArts, Bartók’s Viola Concerto, and chamber music projects with Isabelle Faust for Harmonia Mundi. Chamber music is her creative core: she is a regular member of the Quartetto Prometeo, engaged in both the reinterpretation of classical works and the promotion of contemporary music. She collaborates closely with pianist Andrea Rebaudengo in the Waskiewicz–Rebaudengo duo, with a repertoire that ranges from classical to singer-songwriter music (Songs for Viola and Piano, Decca). With the ardeTrio, she explores the world of tango alongside Marcus Däunert and Omar Massa. Since 2021, with Dragonfly, she has opened a new artistic chapter where the viola merges with voice and cello in an intense performative experience. She regularly teaches masterclasses and advanced courses and is a faculty member of the Avos Project in Rome and the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. Originally from Ireland, now based in Florence, Italy, Naomi Berrill is one of the most eclectic voices in today’s music scene. After her classical training, she developed a unique language using the cello as an accompanying instrument to her voice, while exploring new harmonic possibilities of the cello . Her work extends to theatre, contemporary dance, and design and she has collaborated with artists such as Arvo Pärt, Giovanni Sollima and Mario Brunello. She is founder of the High Notes Festival in the Apuan Alps, now in its 14th edition. In 2024, she was commissioned by the Cellissimo festival by Music for Galway to compose a work for string ensemble, choir, ukulele ensemble and solo cello. She has performed at major international festivals including: Venice Biennale, Cello Biennale Amsterdam, Beethovenfest Bonn, Triennale Milano, Festival dei Due Mondi Spoleto, Oriente Occidente, Uffizi Galleries (Uffizi Live), Time in Jazz, Casa del Jazz, Spike Cello Festival (Dublin), Vicenza Jazz, Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa, as well as on tour in the U.S. (Irish Arts Center, New York) and Brazil (Italian Culture Week, São Paulo). Her performance at the Ice Music Festival, playing an ice cello on the Presena Glacier at 2,600 meters altitude, remains iconic. Photo credit: Paul Loughran Credits – Radio series produced and mixed by Paul Loughran, Interview and presentation by Cliodhna Ryan. Voxpops by Jaye Palmer, edited by Paul Loughran. Production team of Gay Graham, Gabor Zajzon and Jaye Palmer. Made with the support of Coimisiún Na Mean with the Television License fee. Thanks to Mary Barnecutt and the Sunday at Noon concert series. Thanks to all in the Abbey Presbyterian Church, Parnell Square. The Sundays at Noon concerts take place in their temporary home of the Abbey Presbyterian Church most Sundays in the year and are free to attend but booking is required, with support from Dublin City Council and the Arts Council of Ireland. For more information visit https://hughlane.ie/whats_on/sundays-at-noon/ [https://hughlane.ie/whats_on/sundays-at-noon/]