The Spero Quartet is an exciting new quartet formed in 2020, bringing together three of Ireland’s finest musicians with Canadian violinist Brigid Leman. They present Garth Knox’s inventive and entertaining ‘Satellites’ alongside two of the lesser known greats from the repertoire.

Of all Mozart’s quartets, K.499 manages to combine light, divertimento-like material with an extraordinary harmonic and contrapuntal depth. Shostakovich’s ninth quartet, from 1964, lives somewhat in the shadow of the eighth quartet, but is every bit its equal, memorable especially perhaps for its anguished pizzicato cadenzas and the long, unbearably sustained and intense build-ups in the last movement.

Spero Quartet
Jennifer Murphy, violin
Brigid Leman, violin
David Kenny, viola
Yseult Cooper-Stockdale, cello

Programme
MOZART – Quartet in D major K.499 ‘Hoffmeister’
GARTH KNOX – Satellites
SHOSTAKOVICH – Quartet No.9

Jennifer Murphy has performed in the Barbican Centre, London, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, and the National Concert Hall, Ireland, and has had performances aired on BBC Radio (UK) and CBC (Canada). Recent solo engagements include a performance of the Korngold Violin Concerto conducted by Bramwell Tovey in Koerner Hall, Toronto, and Chausson’s Poeme with the RTÉ National Concert Orchestra, Ireland.
As a chamber musician, Jennifer has performed with the Grammy nominated ARC Ensemble, the Art of Time Ensemble and the Amici Chamber Ensemble, and has performed works by Laurie Anderson, Magnus Lindberg and Osvaldo Golijov, in collaboration with the composers. She recently completed a chamber music tour of Australia, the US and Canada with Lincoln Center Stage. Summer festival performances include the Rockport Chamber Music Festival and Stoughton Chamber Music Festival (USA), the West Cork Chamber Music Festival (Ireland), Creative Dialogue (France), Music by the Sea Festival, Toronto Summer Music, Domaine Forget, and the Banff Centre Masterclasses (Canada).

Brigid Leman was born in Ottawa, Canada. She studied in San Francisco, Zurich and Weimar and from 2012 to 2019 worked with the Hamburg State Opera under Simone Young and Kent Nagano. In 2020 she moved to Ireland where she has played in Galway‘s Luminosa String Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. She teaches violin in the Junior Department at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.

David Kenny studied with Constantin Zanidache and Simon Aspell at the CIT Cork School of Music and played principal viola with the European Union Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. In 2016, David was appointed to the viola section of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. An experienced chamber musician, David has performed at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Music in Drumcliffe Festival, Interlaken Classics Festival and has collaborated with the Ficino Ensemble, Musici Ireland and the Vanbrugh Quartet.

Yseult Cooper Stockdale studied in Cork, Dublin and Leipzig and enjoys a versatile career between the UK and Ireland. She has worked with both RTE orchestras, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Southbank Sinfonia and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. As chamber musician she has played in groups including the Alberi Piano Trio, Musici Ireland, Crash Ensemble, Ficino Ensemble and London-based Scordatura Collective. She has a keen interest in exploring new music, and has performed over 50 premieres with Kirkos Ensemble.

Tickets:
Full Price: €18
Concession Price: €16

Supported by the National String Quartet Foundation and its major funders, the Arts Council and RTE.

Please note that until the Government confirms that Covid 19 restrictions will be lifted further, the following will apply to all shows at Ballina Arts Centre:
Masks must continue to be worn & we will also require patrons to present proof of vaccination/recovery.