22nd July 2007

At a reception in Dublin Castle on June 11th details were announced of the second New Ross Piano Festival, which will take place in St. Mary's Church in New Ross Co. Wexford from September 28th to 30th this year. Finghin is delighted to act as Artistic Director again this year, and he gave details of the diverse and interesting programme which has been devised. Guest speaker Ann Fuller, administrator and co-founder of the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, who attended two of the concerts in last year's inaugural event, described the Festival as "a unique musical gift - a celebration of piano music, which recognises the fantastic world of the piano - with its repertoire and its great performers". The speeches were followed by a short duet performance by John O'Conor and Finghin Collins. 

Last year's Festival, with its emphasis on Mozart, attracted large and enthusiastic audiences, and the venue turned out to have excellent acoustics. This year's event will present three great works of Schubert, his A major piano sonata, the F minor Fantasie for four hands, and the Trout Quintet. Other composers included in the programme include Bach, Schumann, Grieg and the Catalan composer Roberto Gerhard. Six pianists will participate this year; as well as Finghin himself these are John O'Conor (who needs no introduction to Irish audiences), Freddy Kempf (oustanding British pianist), Cédric Pescia (the Swiss pianist whose recent recordings of Schumann piano music are the very successful sequel to Finghin's own Volume 1), Ruth McGinley (prize-winning young pianist from Derry in Northern Ireland) as well as Finghin's sister, the much-acclaimed Irish pianist Dearbhla Collins. 

The young and exciting Ovid Trio from Berlin will partner some of the pianists for performances of piano quartets by Brahms and Mozart and the Trout Quintet by Schubert (with Dominic Dudley, principal double bass in the RTE National Symphony Orchestra), and a new element this year is the addition of singers to perform Brahms' ever-popular Liebesliederwaltzer for four voices and piano duet. There's definitely something for everybody! 

This year's concerts will be recorded for broadcast by RTE Lyric FM, the Festival's media sponsor. Other key sponsors include New Ross Town Council, Wexford County Council, the Arts Council and Failte ireland. Booking opens on August 1st. The town of New Ross celebrates 800 years this year; there can be no better time to visit! 

All programme details and background information about the Festival can be found at its website - www.newrosspianofestival.com.