Andrew Ashwin, baritone
Niall Kinsella, piano
with readings by actor Ingrid Craigie

Programme includes:
Schubert: Trinklied, D.888; Ständchen, D.889; An Sylvia, D.891
Roger Quilter: Three Shakespeare Songs, Op. 6
Madeleine Dring: Seven Shakespeare Songs

The great bard William Shakespeare’s impact on language, literature and song cannot be underestimated. This concert features settings of his texts by Franz Schubert, Roger Quilter and British female composer Madeleine Dring. Distinguished English baritone Andrew Ashwin joins Irish Songmakers to perform this beautiful music and Ingrid Craigie, one of Ireland’s favourite actors, reads a selection of Shakespeare’s most beloved sonnets.

British baritone Andrew Ashwin has enjoyed success in numerous countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland and Spain, as well as in the UK. Highlights on the concert platform include Mozart’s Requiem at the London Barbican Centre, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, Bach’s Magnificat at the London Cadogan Hall and a New Year’s Concert at Casa da Música in Porto.

In song recitals he has been heard performing Schubert’s Winterreise with acclaimed pianist and conductor Justus Frantz, in concerts at the Zurich Opera House, Milan, Teatro La Fenice, Venice and at the Bad Urach Festival in Germany. Andrew Ashwin studied singing at The University of Birmingham and the Royal College of Music in London. He was a memberr of the Vlaamse Opera Studio in Gent and the Zurich International Opera Studio.

One of Ireland’s most respected actors, Ingrid Craigie read English at Trinity College Dublin before joining the Abbey Theatre Company for five years, where many appearances included; the premiere of Talbot’s Box by Thomas Kilroy and directed by Patrick Mason (also performed at the Royal Court), the premiere of Aristocrats by Brian Friel, the premiere of A Life with Cyril Cusack, (also performed at the Old Vic), Measure for Measure, Mrs. Warren’s Profession and The Man Who Came to Dinner with Ray McAnally.

Since then, Ingrid has enjoyed a varied career on stage, in film and television. Ingrid most recently filmed the role of Harding alongside Brendan, Brian and Domhnall Gleeson in the short film Psychic for Sky Arts, and has just begun work on the new drama thriller TV series Blood, directed by Lisa Mulcahy and Hannah Quinn. Her most recent stage credits include the role of Aunt Nonnie in Sweet Bird of Youth directed by Jonathan Kent at the Colchester Festival Theatre. In concert, Ingrid has narrated A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the RTE Concert Orchestra, and Robert and Clara for Opera Theatre Company. She also co-directed the mono opera, The Diary of Anne Frank for Opera Theatre Company.

Irish pianist Niall Kinsella studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna and at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin. In July 2017, Niall studied at the prestigious Franz-Schubert-Institut, in Baden-be-Wien, Austria, where he worked with pianists Roger Vignoles, Julius Drake, Helmut Deutsch, Wolfram Rieger, and singers Elly Ameling, Robert Holl, Birgid Steinberger and Andreas Schmidt. In August 2018, he was a student of Lieder Interpretation at the International Summer Academy of the Mozarteum University, Salzburg

Niall has performed extensively as an accompanist throughout Europe - in Austria, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and in Ireland - in venues such as Wiener Musikverein & Konzerthaus, Mozarthaus Vienna, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and regularly at Dublin’s National Concert Hall, where he curates and performs an annual series of song recitals.