January 6th 2006 8.00pm

Mozart Piano Concerto in G major K. 453
with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland
Gerhard Markson conductor

Part of the NSO's 2005/06 subscription season of concerts, which is sponsored by Anglo-Irish Bank, this concert also forms part of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart in 1756.

January 20th - 22nd 2006

Mozart Piano Concertos K. 414 and K. 415
Mozart Violin Sonata in E minor K. 304

with the ConTempo Quartet
Diemut Poppen viola
 

This is a Mozart weekend presented by Music for Galway to mark the Mozart Anniversary. Finghin will perform two of the early piano concertos in the chamber music version and will also perform a violin sonata with German viola player Diemut Poppen. Other participants in the weekend include the Galway-residents the Con Tempo Quartet and the Kungsbacka Piano Trio. Further details from Music for Galway's website.

January 26th 2006 8.00pm

Mozart Piano Concerto in B flat major K. 595
with the NYOI Camerata
Michael d'Arcy director 

This concert, which is presented by the National Concert Hall to celebrate the Mozart Birthday, features performances by several young Irish musicians, together with the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Camerata under the leadership of violinist Michael d'Arcy. The all-Mozart programme includes the composer's first Symphony, movements from concertos for violin, piano and clarinet and extracts from the operas with some of Ireland's best talents as soloists. The concert concludes with Mozart's final piano concerto. A programme for all the family! Visit www.mozart2006.ie to find out all about Mozart anniversary events in Ireland this year.

January 28th 2006 7.45pm

Mozart Sonata in C minor K. 457
Mozart Piano Concerto in B flat major K. 595
with the Ulster Orchestra
Kenneth Montgomery conductor 

The Ulster Orchestra is also celebrating the Mozart anniversary by organising a special Mozart weekend to coincide with Mozart's birthday on January 27th, with concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Finghin will collaborate with the Orchestra's new Principal Guest Conductor Kenneth Montgomery on the composer's final piano concerto and will, unusually, perform a solo sonata in the same concert. 

February 26th 2006 11.00am

Mozart Sonata in B flat major K. 333
Debussy Preludes - Book 1

This Sunday Morning Coffee Concert marks Finghin's début at the Lincoln Center in New York and is presented by the Lincoln Center as part of its Great Performers series. Coffee and refreshments are shared by artist and audience following the recital! Details and booking here.

March 11th 2006 5.00pm

March 11th 2006 7.00pm

Mozart Sonata in B flat major K. 333
Debussy Preludes - Book 1

Brahms Sonata for cello and piano in E minor Op. 38
Bach Sonata for cello and piano in D major BWV 1028
Brahms Sonata for cello and piano in F major Op. 99
with Marc Coppey cello

These two recitals, which take place on the same afternoon, are part of the festival "Les Jeunes Claviers" in the Grand Jardin, a Renaissance château and garden in Joinville in the Champagne area of France. Finghin will first perform a solo recital and then a recital with French cellist Marc Coppey. Finghin and Marc played together at the Wissembourg Festival last year and will return there again later this year. Find out more about the Grand Jardin here.

March 22nd 2006 7.30pm

March 24th 2006 7.30pm

Mozart Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major K. 459
with the RNCM Chamber Orchestra
directed from the piano

Mozart Concerto for Three Pianos No. 7 in F major K. 242
with Kathryn Stott piano
Noriko Ogawa piano
with Manchester Camerata
Douglas Boyd conductor

This Festival first saw the light of day in 2000 when it was organised as a special event for the Millennium. Since then it has been run as a triennial piano extravaganza! Acclaimed Irish pianist Barry Douglas recently took over the role of artistic director of the Festival from Kathryn Stott and has an exciting project lined up for the 2006 Festival - the performance of all of the Mozart Piano Concertos. It seems like the perfect way to celebrate Mozart's anniversary. This will be Finghin's first performance at Manchester's famed Bridgewater Hall. Other pianists taking part include John O'Conor, Michel Dalberto, Freddy Kempf, Steven Osborne, Jean-Philippe Collard as well as Douglas himself. All of the concerts will be broadcast by BBC Radio 3 during the week following the Festival.

April 1st 2006 11.00am

Schumann Sonata for violin and piano No. 1 in A minor
Schumann Sonata for violin and piano No. 2 in D minor
with Pekka Kuusisto violin

When Finghin performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival in 2001 he shared the evening with two other young musicians, one of whom was Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto. Pekka became the first Finn to win the Sibelius Violin Competition in 1995, when he was aged just 19. On March 31st Pekka performs Schumann's Violin Concerto with the Ulster Orchestra and the following morning will join Finghin for a recital of the composer's two violin sonatas, a recital which will be recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 3. These concerts form part of the BBC's celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Schumann's death.

April 27th 2006 7.30pm

Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major Op. 102
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin conductor

This is a very important date in Finghin's diary as it marks his London orchestral début and an opportunity to perform with one of the world's finest orchestras and conductors. The RPO has recently become Resident Orchestra in the beautiful Cadogan Hall, London's newest concert venue, just behind Sloane Square. Yet another anniversary is celebrated in this concert - Shostakovich's centenary. The programme also includes orchestral music by Stravinsky, Copland and Bernstein. Find out all about the RPO here.

June 1st 2006 8.00pm

Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 35
with Alison Balsam trumpet
Hong Kong Sinfonietta
Yip Wing-Sie conductor

2006 is certainly turning into a year of débuts and anniversaries! This concert marks Finghin's first performance in Asia and is a further celebration of Shostakovich's birthday. (It will also be his first time to perform with a female conductor, Yip Wing-Sie, music director of Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and his first time to perform Shostakovich's First Piano Concerto which is scored for strings, trumpet and solo piano). Find out more about the orchestra here.

June 11th 2006 8.00pm

Mozart Piano Concerto in D minor K. 466
with the Orchestra of St. Cecilia
Blanaid Murphy conductor

This concert is presented by Carlow Choral Society and is another Mozart anniversary celebration. Finghin has performed on many occasions with the Orchestra of St. Cecilia, one of Ireland's finest chamber orchestras. The second half of the concert features Mozart's great C minor Mass. Find out more at the Society's website.

June 16th 2006 8.00pm

Bartók Contrasts
Milhaud Trio
Stravinsky Suite from "The Soldier's Tale"
with Carol McGonnell clarinet
Catherine Leonard violin 

Part of the Plovdiv International Chamber Music Festival, this will be Finghin's first time in Bulgaria. The concert is made possible thanks to a partnership between Music Network in Dublin and the Irish Ambassador to Bulgaria, His Excellency Mr. Geoffrey Keating.

June 25th 2006 11.00am
June 26th 2006 8.00pm 

Mozart Piano Concerto in F major K. 413
with the Philharmonisches Orchester Kiel
Georg Fritzsch conductor

Like probably every other orchestra in the world, the Philharmonic Orchestra in Kiel in northern Germany is doing its bit to mark the Mozart anniversary. This particular concerto is the first of the so-called 'chamber concertos', which can be played with a string quartet replacing the orchestra. On this occasion, however, that won't be necessary. More about the orchestra here.

June 30th 2006 4.00pm
Early Evening Concert

July 1st 2006 12 noon
Coffee Concert

July 1st 2006 8.00pm
Main Evening Concert

Mozart Sonata in B flat major K. 358 for violin (flute) and piano
with Sharon Bezaly flute

Martinu Trio for flute, cello and piano
Duruflé Prélude, Recitatif, et Variations Op.3 for flute, viola, piano
Weber Trio in G minor for flute, cello and piano
with Sharon Bezaly flute
Rebecca Jones viola
Emmanuelle Bertrand cello 

Penderecki Sextet (2000)
with the Prazak String Quartet (members)
Jörg Widmann clarinet
Premsyl Vojta horn

Over the past few years, Finghin has been a very regular participant in the by now legendary West Cork Chamber Music Festival in the spectacular surroundings of Bantry House in south-west Ireland. The Festival's reputation is growing constantly and the standard of the musicians is truly world-class. A highlight of this year's Festival will be a performance of Penderecki's wonderful Sextet for piano, string trio, horn and clarinet - a piece which, it seems, is already well on its way to becoming a modern classic. Lots of other exciting music is on offer as the Festival promises to be as stimulating and fascinating as ever. Visit West Cork Music's website for more.