‘I remember John O’Conor saying that when he comes off the stage he’s only earned half his fee’
Pianist Michael McHale has been guided by a series of noted Irish teachers – and their welcome advice has been about more than technique
Michael McHale
New director takes new musical direction at Kilkenny Arts Festival
Olga Barry’s first programme was scaled down in ambition, but delivered some big moments
The best classical music to see this week
Rachmaninov and Stravinsky among the highlights at Kilkenny Arts Festival
After-cancer care: dealing with the long-term effects of cancer treatment
Australian professor in Dublin to discuss infertility, early menopause and sexual problems
Richard Thomas and Sharon Carty: This week’s best classical concerts
The Sligo International Chamber Music Festival with guests from across the globe
Let the lute one in: this week’s classical highlights
Lutenist Nigel North is the cuckoo in the nest at the NCH’s International Guitar Series
Musical ups and downs in a year of change and challenge
Year in Culture Review: Key directors stepped down, while performers stepped up in classical music and opera
Mayo players left panel due to ‘impact on mental health’
The 12 players and two coaches have released a statement outlining details of departure
A muscular, finely tuned engine at Westport Chamber Music Festival
The muscle cars of Cannonball Ireland were no match for the velvet sounds of Westport
Wild Atlantic airs in Westport: This week’s classical highlights
Westport Chamber Music Festival is back; plus Monteverdi’s ‘The Return of Ulysses’
Classical gig of the week: Westport Festival of Chamber Music
The historic setting of Westport House is the centerpiece of this fine boutique festival in Co Mayo featuring works by Grieg, Mozart, Bach, Shostakovich, Schumann and Fauré
Mayo ladies rocked by player walk-out over welfare issues
Cora Staunton, Sarah Tierney and Fiona McHale depart ahead of Cavan match
Mozart’s The Opera Director from Irish National Opera: the best classical music this week
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra’s current Essential Classics series ends with a popular selection of Schubert and Beethoven
Women composers find a voice: The week’s best classical music
Finding a Voice festival’s all-female finale; Vanbrugh & Michael McHale; Philippe Cassard
The best of the week’s classical music
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir/Kaspars Putninš, The Vanbrugh, RTÉ NSO/Harry Bicket
The best classical music and opera this week
City of London Sinfonia with pianist Michael McHale and conductor Michael Collins, Quatuor Voce’s nine-stop tour and NI Opera stage Così fan tutte
Going out or staying in? The best shows, exhibitions and TV to see this weekend
City of London Sinfonia at the NCH, ‘This Beach’ revived from Fringe, BBC’s ‘Howards End’
Composing the Island: Starting with the best works is never wise
The celebration of 100 years of Irish composition hits mid-century, revealing a dark age for orchestral music
Celebration of Irish composers neglects women and living composers under 30
Composing the Island festival is huge, but it neglects women and living composers under 30
Centenary concerts neglect to take the revolutionary road
Michael Dervan: Two evenings of music and words as part of Ireland 2016 got me thinking about the links that were missed
The Kevin Barry room gets ready for some fresh experimentation
The NCH room - where the Treaty debates were held - has had a revamp. Will this fix the acoustic problems?
A bumpy journey through Bach masterpieces at Kilkenny Arts Festival
A performance of JS Bach’s Mass in B Minor was the real highlight of the arts festival’s first weekend
Classical Music: The odd imbalance of ‘Ten Thousand Miles Away’, and the place of period performance
The Royal Irish Academy of Music’s collaborative concert was strong on Irish writers but weak on our composers
Courtney Lewis’s code of conduct for the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
Getting the best out of an orchestra is a challenge, but the young Belfast conductor proves he can handle it with performances of Prokofiev, Borodin and Shostakovich
The Magic Flute in a circus makes for a frustrating experience in Lismore
The looseness of the ensemble and problems with co-ordination proved largely insurmountable
Music history is written by the victors, but they are getting harder to spot
Within the rampant fragmentation that’s been with us for so long, the victors have become much harder to identify
Room at the top: another departure from RTÉ’s performing groups
Several key vacancies persist at the top of RTÉ’s performing groups, and one man is currently covering three roles
Heaven and hell: an audience with the women of the West Cork Chamber Music Festival
From listening to Debussy to drowning, five performers from the recent Bantry festival share their ideas of life’s highs and lows
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