Kilkenny Arts Festival Programme 2017

kilkennyarts.ie

Artistic adventures in Ireland’s medieval city

01

Welcome to ten days of artistic adventures in Ireland’s medieval city …

YIYUN LI (p.24)

EVA HOFFMAN (p.18)

DATION RTHUR FOUN INE T MACA

CAL PHOTO LARS BORGES - SONY CLASSI

ALFRED BRENDEL (p.32)

D & CATHER PHOTO JOHN

BENJAMIN APPL (p.37, 40)

IN EALOVEGA PHOTO BENJAM

PHOTO

VEGA IN EALO BENJAM

AILISH TYNAN (p.29, 38, 40)

COLIN DUNNE (p.13, 25, 36, 41)

IRISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA & JÖRG WIDMANN (p.14, 18, 29, 38)

RAVEN EYED (p.10-11)

SAINT SISTER (p.22)

PHOTO MICHA EL DO

NALD

ELIZA CARTHY & THE WAYWARD BAND (p.27)

IESTYN DAVIES (p.8, 22)

STEPHEN REA (p.14) COUNTING SHEEP (p.4-5) Cover image: Counting Sheep, Jeremy Mimnagh

PAULA MEEHAN (p.34, 41)

MARTIN HAYES, HOST OF THE MARBLE CITY SESSIONS (p.13, 30, 41)

HANGGAI (p.39, 41)

RODERICK WILLIAMS (p.26)

02

Book your seat!

For 44 years our funders and partners have played an invaluable role in helping Kilkenny Arts Festival to flourish. We greatly appreciate their continuing support.

PRINCIPAL FUNDER

ONLINE today at kilkennyarts.ie

BY PHONE from 13 July on +353 56 775 2175 IN PERSON from 13 July at the Festival Box Office, 76 John St, Kilkenny

PUBLIC FUNDERS

Weekdays: 10am - 5pm. During the Festival: daily 10am - 7pm.

HEADLINE EVENT PARTNERS

o’neill foley

MAJOR DONORS Loretta Brennan Glucksman

Susie Thomson

Bill & Denise Whelan

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Welcome to Kilkenny in the heart of Ireland's Ancient East

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1

08/06/2017

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FRINGE FIRST WINNER

an explosion of electrifying energy as close as you can get to experiencing a revolution without actually putting your life on the line Torontoist

IRISH PREMIERE

Join the revolution!

Counting Sheep

Mark and Marichka Marczyk discuss the Ukrainian revolution on Wednesday 16 August. See p.13 for details.

CREATED BY

Mark & Marichka Marczyk & the Lemon Bucket Orkestra SUN

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8PM

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3PM & 8PM

13 14 15 17 18 19 THE HUB, CILLÍN HILL ADMISSION E32/E29, OPENING NIGHT E29/E26

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

Note: Tickets are available in two zones: ‘immersive’ (which also includes some food) and ‘viewing’.

Suitable for age 14+ Duration 80 mins approx. (without interval)

An award-winning hit at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Counting Sheep is a breathtaking ‘guerrilla folk opera’.

an extraordinary piece of musical theatre … exhilarating The Guardian

Created by musicians Mark and Marichka Marczyk with Balkan-klezmer-punk band the Lemon Bucket Orkestra, this groundbreaking show offers a personal retelling of the Maidan revolution, the popular uprising that succeeded in toppling the Ukrainian government in 2014.

An explosive mix of theatre, dance, music and song pitching audiences head first into the chaos of those days, Counting Sheep invites you to experience the exhilaration, passion and heartbreak of revolution up close in 360 degrees. Don’t miss this moving, joyous show in its only Irish performances.

Presented by the Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Hot Feat Canada Ltd and Selfconscious Productions Supported by the Hub at Cillín Hill and Langton's

PHOTO DAHLIA KATZ

The Skinny

06

07

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME

the world’s premier period-instrument quartet The Independent

they are magicians of unquantifiable skill and experience, and what they do beguiles the eye, the ear and the mind The Glasgow Herald

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME THE LATE STRING QUARTETS & STRING QUINTET

Over the last three years Kilkenny Arts Festival has brought world-class musicians to Kilkenny for a unique series of journeys through the great works of Beethoven, Mozart and Bach. This year the Festival presents Schubert: Dreaming the Sublime, a once-ina-lifetime musical exploration of the great composer’s late masterpieces.

Highlights include a series of five concerts focusing on Schubert’s greatest Lieder, featuring Benjamin Appl, Ailish Tynan and Roderick Williams; a two-concert

series featuring the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Jörg Widmann, juxtaposing Schubert masterpieces with major Widmann works; the late string quartets and quintet performed by Quatuor Mosaïques; Schubert's last three piano sonatas performed by Christian Blackshaw; a lecture by the legendary Alfred Brendel, and the piano trios and ‘Trout’ quintet performed by the Fidelio Trio and guests. To round out this epic project, a series of talks explores the composer’s life and music in greater depth.

IMAGE CASPAR DAVID FRIEDRICH, WANDERER ABOVE THE SEA OF FOG, KUNSTHALLE HAMBURG

Quatuor Mosaïques Austria/France THE LATE STRING QUARTETS I Friday 11 August 1pm String Quartet no. 13 in A minor, D804 (‘Rosamunde’) String Quartet no. 14 in D minor, D810 (‘Death and the Maiden’) Duration 80 mins approx. (without interval) THE LATE STRING QUARTETS II Saturday 12 August 1pm String Quartet no. 12 in C minor, D703 (‘Quartettsatz’) String Quartet no. 15 in G major, D887 Duration 60 mins approx. (without interval) THE STRING QUINTET Sunday 13 August 1pm String Quintet in C major, D956 Duration 60 mins approx. (without interval)

FRI

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1PM

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11 12 13

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION E19/E17 FOR EACH CONCERT

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT

Our Schubert season opens with a mouthwatering trio of concerts from one of the world’s leading string quartets. Since its formation 30 years ago, the Vienna-based Quatuor Mosaïques has spearheaded the period-instrument revival, performing in major concert venues all over the world and winning countless plaudits (including a Gramophone Award) for its flawless musicianship and unique sound.

For these first appearances in Ireland in almost 20 years the ensemble focuses on Schubert’s late quartets: four celebrated pieces written towards the end of the composer’s life, including the incomplete but masterly 'Quartettsatz', the magnificent Quartet in G major, and the transcendent 'Death and the Maiden'. For the final concert Quatuor Mosaïques is joined by guest cellist Matthias Bartolomey to perform one of Schubert’s greatest works: the String Quintet in C major.

See page 50

Supported by Susie Thomson

08

Iestyn Davies … surely just about supreme today in the castrato repertory … in his artistry, the countertenor has truly come of age

Architects of Air’s giant inflatable sculpture ... is a great big colourful balloon that you can climb into. It’s warm, it’s bright, it hums softly to itself: no wonder [it] attracts kids of all ages, wanting to escape to another, better world

The Daily Telegraph

The Irish Times

09

ARCHITECTS OF AIR UK

Handel’s Julius Caesar in Egypt

Photo Gerard Collett

Anna Devin

WITH

Rachel Kelly

Iestyn Davies UK Anna Devin Rachel Kelly Christian Curnyn UK

Christian Curnyn

The ICO’s concert performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo – conducted by Christian Curnyn – was one of the undoubted highlights of last year’s Festival. This year Curnyn returns to Kilkenny with his award-winning Early Opera Company to present perhaps the greatest opera of the Baroque era: Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt).

First performed in London in 1724, Handel’s operatic masterpiece focuses on the legendary romance between the Roman general Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, the Egyptian princess fighting her brother for the throne.

One of the world’s great countertenors, Iestyn Davies, makes his debut as Caesar, while Anna Devin debuts as Cleopatra and Rachel Kelly (who, like Devin, shone in Idomeneo last year) performs the role Sesto, the son of Caesar’s enemy Pompeo. With a world-class cast conducted by a leading Handel expert, this will be a gala performance to remember.

CONDUCTOR Christian Curnyn CAST Julius Caesar Iestyn Davies Cleopatra Anna Devin Tolomeo Rupert Enticknap Sesto Rachel Kelly Cornelia Hilary Summers Achilla Callum Thorpe Nireno James Hall Duration 3 hrs 15 mins approx. (including interval)

Albesila Over the last few years, the appearance of a breathtaking luminarium in the Castle Park has become one of the great sights of the Festival. This year, to mark its 25th birthday, Architects of Air decided to try something new. Albesila features all the elements that make its luminaria so popular with young and old alike: a magnificent central dome filled with stars, vibrant primary colours and ever-changing light effects. But while other luminaria encourage you to get lost, Albesila boasts spectacular sightlines that enable you to see right along the structure’s length. It’s another first for a company that has become such an essential part of the Festival experience.

The luminarium is wheelchair accessible.

Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

SAT

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7.30PM

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12 13 14 15 11AM-6PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €55/€49.50 ZONE B REGULAR €44/€39.50

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11AM-6PM 12PM-6PM

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16 17 18 19 20

12PM-6PM

12PM-6PM 12PM-6PM 11AM-6PM

KILKENNY CASTLE PARK ADMISSION €5 - TICKETS ON THE DAY ONLY AT THE CASTLE GATE

11AM-6PM

PHOTO JOHN OWENS

EARLY OPERA COMPANY UK

10

11

LOOSYSMOKES

Inside Voices

Raven Eyed

Liam Byrne

WORLD PREMIERE

One of the most talked-about shows at last year’s Festival was Behind the Dark, a deeply eerie, strikingly beautiful fusion of dance and acrobatics staged at night in Kilfane Glen.

The show’s creators, the award-winning Loosysmokes, are rapidly making a name for themselves as one of Ireland’s most original companies and this year they return to Kilkenny to present the world premiere of a brand new work.

Raven Eyed is a spectacular blend of gravity-defying aerial work and audio-visuals that explores the boundary between the past and the present, the real and the imagined to create a turbulent dreamscape where superstition meets the surreal. Taking place in the historic Brewhouse – the former Smithwick's brewery, and one of the most atmospheric spaces in the city – Raven Eyed is an acrobatic tour de force that will turn your perspective upside down.

Duration 60 mins approx.

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8PM & 10PM

8PM & 10PM

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8PM & 10PM

8PM & 10PM

8PM & 10PM

8PM & 10PM

11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 8PM 8PM & 10PM

THE BREWHOUSE, ABBEY CREATIVE QUARTER ADMISSION E19/E17

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

a highly visual and mesmerising performance of intense skill and power ... a dark and moving fusion of modern circus and contemporary dance Review Hub on Behind the Dark

The greatest musicians have the ability to make the listener feel as if they are playing just for them. Inside Voices makes that literally true. Across both weekends of the Festival, viola da gamba player Liam Byrne (a member of the extraordinary Iceland-based collective Bedroom Community) will be performing in one of Kilkenny’s oldest and most intimate spaces – Talbot’s Tower – to one audience member at a time. Each listener will enter the tower and, following a brief conversation, Byrne will play a solo baroque piece exclusively for them. Thrillingly intimate and deeply moving, Inside Voices promises to be one of the most unforgettable experiences of this year’s Festival: a chance to hear music as you’ve never experienced it before. Places are extremely limited, so be sure to book early!

Duration 5 mins approx. per performance

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12 13 18 19

2PM-5PM 2PM-5PM 2PM-5PM 2PM-5PM

TALBOT’S TOWER ADMISSION FREE BUT TICKETED

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13

Ireland & Europe: Creative Visions

BUTLER GALLERY IN ASSOCIATION WITH KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL

The Way Things Go: An Homage SPECIAL DEAL FOR THESE EVENTS

PETER FISCHLI AND DAVID WEISS Featuring work by Aideen Barry, Hannah Fitz, Atsushi Kaga, Nevan Lahart, Maggie Madden, Jonathan Mayhew, Caroline McCarthy, Isabel Nolan and Liam O’Callaghan

See page 50

The tectonic plates are shifting for Ireland and Europe, as Brexit and Trump upend old assumptions, momentum for EU integration returns, populism regroups, and conflict continues on the Eastern frontier with Russia.

Curated by Anna O’Sullivan, Director, Butler Gallery The Butler Gallery, in association with Kilkenny Arts Festival, presents the influential film The Way Things Go, 1987, by world-renowned Swiss artists Peter Fischli (b. 1952) and David Weiss (1946-2012). In this thirtyminute film, household and industrial objects are sent in what seems to be an unstoppable chain of motion, both simple and complex.

Leading artists and public figures from Western, Central and Eastern Europe share creative visions and imagine possible futures, in a series presented in partnership with Creative Ireland.

In honour of the 30th anniversary of the making of The Way Things Go, a group of artists has been commissioned to make a new work in homage to this important film. Also included is work by artists who have a particular sympathy with, or relationship to, The Way Things Go. All of these artists have acknowledged the importance and influence of the work of Fischli and Weiss on their individual art practice, and have created works in a variety of media that pays tribute to one of the truly inventive and memorable works of art produced in the late-twentieth century.

Chartering a Revolution

OPENING BUTLER GALLERY, THE CASTLE, KILKENNY

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WWW.BUTLERGALLERY.COM

3PM-5PM 10AM – 5.30PM DAILY UNTIL 15 OCTOBER

BUTLER

GALLERY

Making Peace With Place

Sir Stephen Wall (UK)

Mark & Marichka Marczyk

Iarla Ó Lionáird

For many years a key player in Whitehall as John Major’s Ambassador to the EU and Tony Blair’s top European adviser, Sir Stephen Wall gives an insider account of Britain’s tangled relationship with Europe.

MON 14 AUGUST 11AM PARADE TOWER

Here and There Sheila O’Donnell & John Tuomey

The celebrated Irish architects, recipients of the Royal Gold Medal in & Olivia O’Leary 2015, discuss European The former Czech Minister cultural and educational for Europe and adviser to projects currently President Havel explores the underway in the O’Donnell space between art, human + Tuomey studio. rights and democracy on the TUES 15 AUGUST 6PM 40th anniversary of Havel’s PARADE TOWER Charter ’77 movement, in conversation with the doyenne of Irish journalists.

(Czech Republic)

GALLERY

SAT +353 GALLERY 56 776 1106 BUTLER

Ukraine: The New European Frontier

Alexander Vondra

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES Inspired by this exhibition, Butler Gallery invites children to make their own artwork at artist-led creative workshops. For details of Butler Gallery’s children’s programme see www.butlergallery.com

BUTLER

Whither Britain & Europe?

Stills from Peter Fischli David Weiss The Way Things Go, 1987 Film 16mm, color, sound, 30 min; Camera: Pio Corradi © Peter Fischli David Weiss, Zürich 2017 Courtesy Sprüth Magers, Matthew Marks Gallery, Galerie Eva Presenhuber

SUN 13 AUGUST 11AM ROTHE HOUSE

Duration 60 mins approx for each event

(Canada/Ukraine) Two musicians who took part in the Maidan revolution in Kiev in 2014 and then recreated their experiences in Counting Sheep – an extraordinary work of immersive musical theatre and a highlight of this year’s Festival (pp45) – discuss the Ukrainian revolution and what the future may hold.

WED 16 AUGUST 11AM ROTHE HOUSE

Keeping at a Tangent Catríona Crowe, Colin Dunne & Martin Hayes In conversation with critic and historian Catríona Crowe, two of Ireland’s leading artists discuss the creative flows and tensions in Irish culture between the traditional and the contemporary.

THURS 17 AUGUST 11AM ROTHE HOUSE

One of Ireland’s iconic cultural voices investigates how memory and nostalgia are deployed to shape Irish traditional music in the wider world.

FRI 18 AUGUST 11AM PARADE TOWER

The Changing Irish State Robert Watt The Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform discusses the changing shape of Ireland’s economy, society and culture in a time of continental shifts.

SAT 19 AUGUST 6PM ROTHE HOUSE ADMISSION €12/€10 for each event

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Mick O’Dea brings new meaning to performance art

PREMIERE

The Irish Times

Stephen Rea

Festival Portrait 2017 Mick O’Dea

15

IN

Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis

MICK O'DEA'S STUDIO, HOME RULE CLUB OPENING TIMES: SATURDAY 12 – SUNDAY 20 AUGUST (EXCLUDING THURS 17) 2.30PM – 4PM ADMISSION FREE

WITH LIVE SCORE BY

Neil Martin PERFORMED BY

Irish Chamber Orchestra

EXHIBITION, OLD DORE FACTORY, ABBEY ST OPENING TIMES: SATURDAY 12 – SUNDAY 20 AUGUST 10AM – 5.30PM ADMISSION FREE

Dear Bosie, After long and fruitless waiting, I have determined to write to you myself, as much for your sake as for mine, as I would not like to think that I had passed through two long years of imprisonment without ever having received a single line from you, or any news or message even, except such as gave me pain.

Oscar Wilde, De Profundis

SAT

12 13 4PM

Duration 90 mins approx. (without interval)

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4PM

WATERGATE THEATRE ADMISSION E25/E22.50

PHOTO PAT MOORE

Addressed to his lover ‘Bosie’ (Lord Alfred Douglas), De Profundis is an extraordinary testament to strength in adversity. Stephen Rea (who performed Seamus Heaney’s Aeneid: Book VI to great acclaim at the Festival last year) returns to the Watergate to read a specially abridged version of Wilde’s epic letter. Featuring a live score composed by Neil Martin and performed by the Irish Chamber Orchestra, this performance of Wilde’s most personal text promises to be an intensely moving experience.

PHOTO JOBY WALDMAN

Between November 1895 and May 1897 Oscar Wilde was incarcerated in Reading Gaol, spending 23 hours a day confined to a cell so small he could touch both sides at the same time. It was not until 1897 that he was given pen and paper, and what he wrote was De Profundis, ‘one of the greatest love letters ever written’ (Colm Tóibín).

Over the last two years, a visit to Mick O’Dea’s studio has become an essential part of the Festival experience. Every afternoon, O’Dea has thrown open his studio to the public, wowing audiences with portraits and sketches of Festival artists painted on the spot with astonishing confidence and skill, while keeping up a stream of conversation with sitter and audience alike. It’s a unique three-way interaction that offers audiences a rare glimpse of the decisions and revisions that go into the creation of a work of art. For the third and final year of his residency, O’Dea takes up his brushes in the Home Rule Club to capture the leading artists at this year’s Festival. Don’t miss this last opportunity to watch a master at work, and be sure to visit his exhibition at Abbey Street, where the fruits of three years' work are on display throughout the Festival.

With thanks to Peter Dore

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Hi! Fashion

Japanese designers: Anrealage, Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons, Kansai Yamamoto, Kenta Nishimura, Maiko Takeda, Noritaka Tatehana, Writtenafterward, Yohji Yamamoto

Curated by Gemma A Williams

Irish designers: Aideen Gaynor, Danielle Romeril, Derek Lawlor, John Rocha, Lainey Keogh, Laoise Carey, Michael Stewart, Richard Malone, Sybil Connolly, Úna Burke

Hi! Fashion at the National Craft Gallery presents stunningly crafted garments and accessories from Japan and Ireland, exploring the visual correlations and contrasts between designers on the two islands. Curated by Gemma A Williams and designed in collaboration with ROJI, Hi! Fashion is an official event in the celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and Ireland, and is supported by the Japan Foundation.

Celebrating 60 years of sartorial history, Hi! Fashion features Japanese and Irish fashion side by side, creating a visual essay composed of juxtaposing garments. These tableaux will reveal unspoken dialogues, creating new conversations inspired by the contrasting, cyclical and disruptive nature of the design process.

The exhibition showcases garments from across the decades, starting with Irish designer Sybil Connolly, and features the work of internationally renowned Irish designers including John Rocha, Lainey Keogh, Richard Malone and Úna Burke. Japanese designers include Kansai Yamamoto, designer of David Bowie’s costumes during the 1970s; milliner Maiko Takeda and Issey Miyake; together with innovative contemporary designers like Anrealage and Noritaka Tatehana, who numbers Lady Gaga and Daphne Guinness among his fans.

OPENING NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY, CASTLE YARD SAT MON-SAT 10AM-5.30PM, SUN 11AM-5.30PM

12 4PM

EXHIBITION CONTINUES UNTIL 12 NOVEMBER ADMISSION FREE

IMAGES FROM ANREALAGE, MAIKO TAKEDA, RICHARD MALONE

Community Craft Workshops: I (she) was here Learn Limerick Lace stitches and embellishment techniques with designer maker Ruth Duignan to create a textile installation in Castle Yard, considering the often anonymous role woman play in the fashion and craft industry.

Admission free but ticketed.

YURT AT THE YARD FRI 11 AUGUST 10.30AM–1.30PM, 2PM-5PM

Community Installation: I (she) was here Building on work created in the Community Craft Workshops, join designermaker Ruth Duignan to stitch, sew and embellish textile silhouettes inspired by the Hi! Fashion exhibit creating a community installation in Castle Yard.

Drop-in to take part.

NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY, CASTLE YARD SAT 12 & SUN 13 AUGUST 12PM–5PM

Adult Craft Workshop: Leather Working with Úna Burke Create your own bespoke leather accessory in this hands-on workshop with multi-award-winning leather designer Úna Burke. Booking required.

Cost €35.

YURT AT THE YARD MONDAY 14 AUGUST 6PM–9PM

Children’s Craft Workshops

Teen Craft Workshops

Suitable for 6-11years, cost €5. Limited to ONE workshop per child, parents/guardians must stay in Castle Yard. Booking through Festival Box Office on 056 7752175 from 13 July.

Suitable for 12-17 years, cost €5. Booking through Festival Box Office on 056 7752175 from 13 July.

Fashion Eye-Con with Carrie Lynam

Design and create incredible headwear inspired by the textured, unusual body sculptures of Maiko Takeda crossing the boundaries of fashion and art.

Inspired by Maiko Takeda's headdress, create a fantastic sculpture for your head! Creative crafting with unusual materials.

Block Prints with Debra Boden

Sculptural Headwear with Carrie Lynam

Japanese Woodblock with Debra Boden

Learn the basics of Japanese woodblock printmaking to create your own colourful block-prints from hand-carved woodblocks.

Discover the ancient craft of Japanese woodblock printmaking to imagine, draw and carve your own unique woodblock and print on special Japanese kozo paper.

Papercut Patterns with Paul Bokslag

Kirigami Creations with Paul Bokslag

Transform interesting patterns in the Hi! Fashion exhibition into papercut images, inspired by Japanese Kirigami techniques.

Experiment with Japanese kirigami paper-cutting techniques to create individual paper-cut sculptures.

NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY, TUES 15 AUGUST, 2PM & 3PM YURT AT THE YARD, WED 16 & THURS 17 AUGUST, 2PM & 3PM

NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY, TUES 15 AUGUST, 4PM YURT AT THE YARD, WED 16 & THURS 17 AUGUST, 4PM

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one of our most lucid thinkers The Independent

THE HUBERT BUTLER ANNUAL LECTURE

Eva Hoffman UK Introduced by Olivia O'Leary

Few contemporary thinkers could be better placed to deliver the Hubert Butler Lecture than Eva Hoffman. For more than 25 years, in books such as Lost in Translation, the bestselling memoir that launched her career, Hoffman has probed the questions at the heart of Butler’s own work – the complex history of Eastern Europe, the tension between individual and collective memory, and the ways in which language and culture make and remake us – with remarkable sympathy, balance and compassion. Having lived her life in Poland, the US and now the UK, Hoffman comes to Kilkenny to share her unique perspective on the state of Europe today. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a thinker Roy Foster once described as an example to everyone who writes Irish history.

The Lecture was established in 2007 to honour the Kilkenny writer, historian and broadcaster whose remarkable consistency of vision and clarity of mind made him unique among essayists.

Duration 60 mins approx.

SAT

12

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €16/€14

6PM

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME

Katherine Hunka director

Duration 50 mins approx. (without interval)

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

SAT

12

8.30PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €22/€19.50

‘Brother, this is nothing at all … stick to your Lieder’ Schubert was told, by one of the leading violinists of his day, after unveiling the String Quartet no. 14. The piece was ignored in Schubert’s lifetime, but today ‘Death and the Maiden’ is celebrated as a pinnacle of the classical repertoire.

Directed by its leader Katherine Hunka, the world-class Irish Chamber Orchestra opens the second year of its Festival residency with Mahler’s full orchestral arrangement of Schubert’s masterpiece – a day after Quatuor Mosaïques perform the original version. In St Canice’s Cathedral – the ideal venue in which to experience the work in all its visceral power – Death and the Maiden promises to be a highlight of the Festival’s opening weekend.

Anarchy has never sounded as much fun as it does in the hands of Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Canada’s self-styled ‘Balkan-klezmer-gypsy-party-punk superband’. The 16-piece ensemble started out busking on the streets of Toronto, but soon found itself performing at festivals all over the world, trailing rave reviews and a clutch of awards in its wake.

On the day before the opening of its breathtaking ‘guerrilla folk opera’, Counting Sheep (see page 4), the Orkestra brings its anarchic spirit, boundless energy and high-octane style to the Set for an evening of frenzied Balkan tunes that will have you on your feet and starting a (dance) revolution.

Death and the Maiden Irish Chamber Orchestra PROGRAMME SCHUBERT (arr. MAHLER) String Quartet no. 14 in D minor, D810 (‘Death and the Maiden’)

Lemon Bucket Orkestra Canada Duration 80 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

SAT

12

9.30PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION €22/€19.50

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME under the guidance of leader-director Katherine Hunka, the ICO’s execution is a model of elegance, imagination and good taste The Irish Times

o’neill foley

The Man Behind the Music Gerry Murphy

Late Works or Last Works?

Lorraine Byrne Bodley

Composer Gerry Murphy explores Schubert’s short but eventful life, from his discovery by Antonio Salieri to the Schubertiad craze, his battles with Church and State, and the astonishing creative energy that once compelled him to write eight songs in a day.

One of the world’s leading Schubertians, Lorraine Byrne Bodley of Maynooth University, offers fresh insights into the music of Schubert’s final years and considers our perennial fascination with the composer.

Duration 60 mins approx.

Duration 60 mins approx.

SAT 12 AUGUST 11AM, PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

TUE 15 AUGUST 11AM, PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

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Mr Handel at the Keyboard

Mr Handel’s Adventures in Ireland

Philippe Grisvard France PROGRAMME includes

The Arrival of Mr Handel Ensemble Marsyas International In November 1741 Handel landed in Dublin in the midst of a professional crisis. His last two Italian operas had flopped on the London stage, but in Ireland Handel saw an opportunity for a radical change of direction...

Led by acclaimed bassoonist, harpsichordist and conductor Peter Whelan, Ensemble Marsyas returns to the Festival for a series of three concerts - featuring orchestra, chorus and a suite of world-class vocal and instrumental soloists that tells the remarkable story of Handel’s stay in Ireland.

This first concert explores the rich musical milieu into which Handel Peter Whelan was thrown. Featuring modern-day premieres of works by the leading Irish-based composers of the day, together with works by Purcell, Corelli and Vivaldi, The Arrival of Mr Handel sets the composer’s music in a distinctively Irish context.

The Irish State Musick SUN

13

5.30PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €12/€10

Peter Whelan director Rowan Pierce soprano Emilie Renard mezzo-soprano Gwilym Bowen tenor Nicholas Mulroy tenor Edward Grint bass Cecilia Bernardini violin Alec Frank-Gemmill violin Joseph Walters horn PROGRAMME includes HENRY PURCELL THOMAS ROSEINGRAVE JOHANN COUSSER ARCANGELO CORELLI MATTHEW DUBOURG ANTONIO VIVALDI WILLIAM BOYCE GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL

SUN

13 7PM

Professor Samantha Owens of the University of Wellington, New Zealand is a world authority on the musical life of early-eighteenth-century Ireland. In this lecture she will explore the concert scene in Ireland, not least the composers of the State Musick at the Viceregal Court in Dublin, leading up to Handel’s visit in 1741.

MON

14 8PM

THE LONG GALLERY KILKENNY CASTLE ADMISSION €22/€19.50

Ensemble Marsyas International

See page 50

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €35/€31.50 ZONE B REGULAR €30/€27

Mr Handel’s Messiah

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THESE EVENTS

Duration 2 hrs 15 mins approx. (including interval)

PHOTO ROSS COSTIGAN

A TRIO OF CONCERTS CELEBRATING THE 275TH ANNIVERSARY OF HANDEL’S VISIT

Handel was a brilliant keyboard performer and his compositions for harpsichord were WILLIAM BABELL GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL as varied as they were surprising. In the second concert celebrating Handel’s Irish FRIEDRICH ZACHOW adventure, leading harpsichordist Philippe DOMENICO SCARLATTI Grisvard performs a broad selection of pieces FERDINANDO DE MEDICI JOHANN KERLL

by Handel and his contemporaries, including ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI Irish composer Thomas Roseingrave. In THOMAS ROSEINGRAVE recent years the magnificent Long Gallery has played host to some of the most memorable Duration 80 mins approx. events at the Festival and this concert, (without interval) featuring many of Handel’s most celebrated pieces, promises to be no exception.

Composed in a burst of creativity, Handel’s Messiah made its debut at the Great Music Hall in Fishamble Street, Dublin on 13 April 1742 amidst great excitement. The hall was so packed that women were asked to leave their skirt hoops at home and men to dispense with their ceremonial swords.

Handel was taking quite a risk: the alto soloist was a London actress who had fled to Dublin to avoid a sex scandal, and Jonathan Swift had dismissed the orchestra as ‘a club of fiddlers in Fishamble Street’. But the evening was a triumph. Critics hailed it as ‘the finest composition of musick that ever was heard.’

On his return to London Handel made revisions to the score, but for this year’s Festival, celebrating the 275th anniversary of Messiah, Ensemble Marsyas presents the first Irish performance in modern times of the original Dublin version. Performed in the magical atmosphere of St Canice’s, this is an unmissable opportunity to experience Handel’s masterpiece as the audience in that crowded hall would have heard it.

Duration 2 hrs 30 mins approx. (including interval)

Peter Whelan director Rowan Pierce soprano Hilary Summers alto Gwilym Bowen tenor Nicholas Mulroy tenor Edward Grint bass PROGRAMME Messiah (Original Dublin Version), HWV56 ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €35/€31.50 7.30PM ZONE B REGULAR €30/€27

TUE

15 This series is presented in partnership with the Office of Public Works

22

23

Morgan MacIntyre and Gemma Doherty formed Saint Sister less than three years ago, but their rise has been nothing short of spectacular, courtesy of a widely acclaimed debut EP and eye-catching appearances on RTÉ’s Other Voices and at major festivals all over the world. Their original sound, an enthralling mix of soulful harmonies, dreamy synth and electro-acoustic harp, is rightly dubbed ‘atmosfolk’, and their Kilkenny debut in the Set promises to be one of the most enchanting gigs at this year’s Festival.

Duration 90 mins approx.

bewitching

the sound of this trio is irresistible

Clash Magazine

The Herald

PHOTO NOIRIN O'SULLIVAN MOLONEY

Saint Sister

SUN

13

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

SET THEATRE ADMISSION E22/E19.50

9PM

Behold A Wonder Here: Dowland Songs & Airs Iestyn Davies UK Thomas Dunford France

See page 50

Fidelio Trio & Guests SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

Fresh from his starring role in Julius Caesar in Egypt (see page 10), the celebrated countertenor Iestyn Davies joins forces with lutenist Thomas Dunford for a very different late-night performance in St John’s Priory.

Duration 75 mins approx. (without interval) SUN

13 10PM

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION E25/E22.50

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME THE PIANO TRIOS & THE ‘TROUT’ QUINTET

In recent years, Davies and Dunford have taken time out from their many other projects to tour the world together, garnering widespread acclaim for their fresh interpretations of the courtly music of the renaissance and baroque. Dunford, who first appeared at Kilkenny performing a memorable solo concert for theorbo in 2010, has been described as ‘the Eric Clapton of the lute’ (BBC Music Magazine), and it’s entirely fitting that tonight’s programme features not only great renaissance composers such as John Dowland (whose songs they have recorded to rave reviews), but the Irish premiere of Old Bones, a song sequence written for Iestyn Davies by the contemporary American composer Nico Muhly.

The Fidelio Trio is one of the most adventurous and exciting piano trios in Europe. With a repertoire that embraces everything from Ravel and Sant-Saëns to specially commissioned works by leading international composers like Beat Furrer and Evan Ziporyn, the trio has performed in leading concert halls all over the world, earning glowing reviews and a nomination for the highly prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Awards.

In the first of two lunchtime concerts in St John’s, the Fidelio Trio explores a breathtaking pair of works: the Trio in B flat and the Trio in E flat, two of the greatest piano trios ever written.

In the second concert, the trio performs some of Schubert’s best-loved chamber works, from the delightfully melodic Sonata in A minor to the ‘Notturno’.

For the climax, the trio - joined by Rachel Roberts and Paul Kimber - swells to a quintet to perform the delightful ‘Trout’ Quintet, one of Schubert’s most popular scores.

PROGRAMME I MONDAY 14 AUGUST 1PM Piano Trio no. 1 in B flat major, D898 Piano Trio no. 2 in E flat major, D929 PROGRAMME II TUESDAY 15 AUGUST 1PM Sonata in A minor for Arpeggione and Piano, D821 Piano Trio in E flat major, op. 148, D897 (‘Notturno’) D897 Piano Quintet in A major, D667 (‘Trout’) Duration of each concert 80 mins approx. (without interval)

MON TUE

14 15 1PM 1PM

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION E19/E17 FOR EACH CONCERT

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

Yiyun has the talent, the vision and the respect for life’s mysteries … [she] is the real deal Michel Faber

Yiyun Li China/USA Ever since her short story collection, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, won the Guardian First Book Award in 2006, Yiyun Li has been hailed as one of the most original fiction writers of our time. Now Li has written a memoir, Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life, that mixes the literary and the personal to dazzling effect.

Li talks to Cormac Kinsella about her new work, which ranges from her time in the People’s Liberation Army to her decision to renounce her native tongue, and shares her thoughts on the writers that inspired her, including Katherine Mansfield, Elizabeth Bowen and, above all, her friend William Trevor.

Duration 60 mins approx.

Byrne gave a glittering performance

PHOTO JOHN D & CATHERINE T MACARTHUR FOUNDATION

24

The Guardian

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Liam Byrne

MON

14

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION E14/E12

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

6PM

Linda Buckley composition and live electronics

14

6PM & 8.30PM

THE BREWHOUSE, ABBEY CREATIVE QUARTER ADMISSION E16/E14

Paul O’Connor SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

Tola Custy fiddle Colin Dunne dance Maeve Gilchrist harp David Power uilleann pipes TUE

15

SET THEATRE ADMISSION E25/E22.50

10PM

Duration 75 mins approx.

In last year’s Festival, electronic composer Linda Buckley and uilleann piper David Power presented Uilleann Goes Electric, the first fruits of a groundbreaking new collaboration which now culminates in this staged performance. Drawing inspiration from the early Antarctic expeditions, Antarctica is a multimedia performance combining Buckley’s hypnotic score with live uilleann pipes from David Power in an environment of evocative projected imagery. Designed and directed by John Comiskey in the atmospheric interior of The Brewhouse, Antarctica stages an enthralling dialogue between past and future.

PHOTO PAUL McCARTHY

ROTHE HOUSE ADMISSION E16/E14

between … the pin-point accuracy of Power’s playing, the liveliness of Gilchrist’s and the immersiveness of Custy’s, the music ... is a pure pleasure

The ensemble was curated by Music Network to perform Edges of Light in September 2016 for an 11-date tour of Ireland.

uilleann pipes

MON

14 10PM

Supported by Bill & Denise Whelan

David Power

MON

It’s a sometimes-overlooked fact that sunrise at the Dunsink Observatory in Co. Dublin occurs 25 minutes later than at Greenwich; the Irish day takes place in a time all of its own. Edges of Light is a thrilling blend of movement and music that celebrates the shimmering sights and sounds at the cusp of an Irish day.

Fiddler Tola Custy, harpist Maeve Gilchrist and uilleann piper David Power mix traditional tunes with new compositions while dancer Colin Dunne brings his improvisatory genius to an exhilarating fusion of melody and rhythm.

WORLD PREMIERE

Duration 60 mins approx.

See page 50

Duration 75 mins approx.

Antarctica

direction/design

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT

Liam Byrne is one of the most innovative viola da gamba players in Europe, driven by a restless curiosity that embraces everything from the lesser-known corners of the baroque repertoire to contemporary classical works. A member of leading Early Music ensembles, he has also worked with contemporary composers such as Donnacha Dennehy and David Lang, and created sound installations at major museums, including the V&A (where Inside Voices – see page 14 – was first staged). For this late-night concert in Rothe House, Byrne showcases his range, performing an eclectic mix of pieces from the medieval to the contemporary.

Edges of Light

John Comiskey

25

Edges of Light, a Music Network commission

26

27

Williams is an unfailingly intelligent singer and is matched every step of the way by Burnside Gramophone

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME

Roderick Williams UK Iain Burnside UK Roderick Williams

British baritone Roderick Williams is a star of recital, appearing regularly at leading opera houses, concert halls and festivals worldwide. In 2015 he embarked on his ‘Schubert project’, culminating in his widely acclaimed recording of Schubert Lieder with Iain Burnside in 2016.

Pianist, playwright, broadcaster and International Visiting Artist at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Iain Burnside has worked with many of the world’s leading singers, performing and recording an eclectic repertoire from Debussy to Schoenberg.

DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN When it comes to Lieder, Schubert was ‘a veritable demigod’ (Michael Quinn). In the space of just 13 years he composed an astonishing 600 Lieder, simultaneously establishing and perfecting the form. Based on poems

by Wilhelm Müller (who also wrote Winterreise), Die Schöne Müllerin (The Fair Maid of the Mill) is one of the towering achievements of the Lied form, a quintessentially romantic tale of doomed youth and unrequited love; intimate, personal and deeply felt.

Duration 60 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

WED

See page 50

1PM

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION E19/E17

PHOTO TALLWALL MEDIA

16

SWANSONG/ SCHWANENGESANG Based on the poetry of three great Romantic poets (Heinrich Heine, Ludwig Rellstab and Johann Gabriel Seidl), and written in the final months of his life, the aptly named Schwanengesang (Swansong) is one of Schubert’s finest vocal collections: an exquisite exploration of young love, yearning and loss.

The songs were assembled after Schubert’s death by his friend Tobias Haslinger, a figure who appears in this new dramatic presentation of the work, devised by Iain Burnside. Baritone Roderick Williams is accompanied by Burnside himself, while graduates of the Lir Academy perform a series of playful dramatic readings in a range of voices that sheds fresh light on the music and its creator.

Duration 75 mins approx. (without interval)

FRI

Iain Burnside

18 1PM

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

she leads a 12-piece ensemble – brass, fiddles, the works – on a bravura romp through songs old and new… her fiddle-playing is as incendiary as ever The Observer on Big Machine

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band UK SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

WED

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION E19/E17

16 8PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €30/€27 ZONE B REGULAR €27/€24

It’s almost 20 years since Eliza Carthy (daughter of folk legends Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson) burst onto the scene with her songwriting prowess, dynamic fiddle-playing and irreverent approach to traditional songs. Since then she has continued to stretch the boundaries of folk, releasing a series of acclaimed albums, collaborating with everyone from Christy Moore to Damien Dempsey, and assembling the formidable 12-piece Wayward Band. Their album, Big Machine, earned rave reviews earlier this year for its seamless mix of genres and styles, and in their first Irish appearance Carthy brings the band to St Canice’s for a thrilling evening of full-blooded musicianship and outstanding songcraft.

Duration 90 mins approx. (without interval)

28

29

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Tessellatum

PROGRAMME JÖRG WIDMANN Octet

EUROPEAN PREMIERE

Nadia Sirota USA & Liam Byrne

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

FRANZ SCHUBERT Octet in F major, D803

Jörg Widmann was apparently born with enough energy for two people The Irish Times

OCTETS Soloists of the ICO & Jörg Widmann Germany

See page 50

For this late-night concert in the Set, two leading lights of Bedroom Community, the extraordinary record label/collective based in Reykjavik, team up to perform an eclectic array of contemporary pieces, including the European premiere of Donnacha Dennehy’s Tessellatum, a piece for solo viols, viol consort and electronics, specially commissioned for them.

Liam Byrne is one of the most innovative viola da gamba players in Europe. A member of leading Early Music ensembles (including the renowned viol consort Fretwork) he has also worked with contemporary composers such as David Lang and Nico Muhly. Artist in residence at Kilkenny this year, he performs his remarkable project Inside Voices (see page 14) at Talbot’s Tower, as well as a solo concert in Rothe House (see page 25).

Whether performing solo, as a member of acclaimed chamber ensembles yMusic and Alarm Will Sound, or hosting her awardwinning podcast Meet the Composer, violist Nadia Sirota is dedicated to opening up classical music to broader audiences.

Her debut album First Things First was named a record of the year by The New York Times, and she has collaborated with artists such as Grizzly Bear and Arcade Fire.

The highlight of the Irish Chamber Orchestra’s residency at this year’s Festival is a pair of concerts that brings Schubert’s key late works into creative juxtaposition with the music of Jörg Widmann, the ICO’s renowned artistic partner and one of Germany’s greatest living composers.

if the ancient and unassuming viola is having a renaissance in contemporary music, it’s thanks largely to Nadia Sirota New York Magazine

PROGRAMME includes DONNACHA DENNEHY Tessellatum

WED

16

THE WATERGATE THEATRE 7.30PM ADMISSION €20/€18

Liam Byrne viola da gamba Nadia Sirota viola

Duration 1 hr 45 mins approx. (including short interval)

Duration 75 mins approx. (without interval)

WED

16

SET THEATRE ADMISSION E22/E19.50

10PM

FAVOURITE LIEDER

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT

Ailish Tynan Iain Burnside UK

See page 50

Churchill’s Irish Generals

Duration 60 mins approx.

The series of lunchtime concerts exploring Schubert’s outstanding collection of Lieder continues with soprano Ailish Tynan and pianist Iain Burnside performing some of Schubert’s best-loved songs, including 'Schwanengesang' (‘Swan Song’) and the hypnotic 'Nacht und Träume' (‘Night and Dreams’).

Soprano Ailish Tynan is one of the finest Irish singers of her generation. Since winning the RTÉ Millennium Singer of the Future competition in 2000 she has performed recitals, concerts and operatic roles all over Europe. She often collaborates with Iain Burnside, the pianist and Sony Award-winning broadcaster who has worked with many of the world’s leading singers, and in 2015 their recording of Schubert Lieder, Nacht und Träume, was released to great acclaim.

Duration 60 mins approx. (without interval)

WED

16 6PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION E12/E10

PHOTO BENJAMIN EALOVEGA

It’s a remarkable fact that, since Wellington, many of the British Army’s most successful figures have been Irish, a tradition that continued right up to the Second World War, when several of the greatest Allied commanders – Field Marshals Montgomery, Brooke (pictured), Auchinleck and Dill – were of Irish or Anglo-Irish extraction. Major-General Andrew Ritchie, former Commandant of Sandhurst, joins Niall Burgess, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs, to explore the impact of these iconic figures on the outcome of the Second World War.

Performed by soloists of the ICO, with Widmann on clarinet, this first concert presents two radically different, yet complimentary, octets. Schubert’s pioneering work adds double-bass, clarinet, bassoon and horn to the traditional string quartet, enabling him to alternate the intimate tones of chamber music with large-scale orchestral effects in a delightfully light-hearted composition.

It’s an approach to which Jörg Widmann pays tribute in his own octet, with its Schubertian intrada, anguished middle movement and energetic finale.

THU

17 1PM

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €19/€17

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

30

Unearthed

NOW Magazine

A magnificent collection of artefacts, reflecting 800 years of history in Ireland’s medieval capital, was recently discovered in the 13thcentury St Mary’s Church and Graveyard (now the award-winning Medieval Mile Museum). On display for the first time, by kind permission of the National Museum of Ireland, these personal and poignant objects are symbols of everyday life, worship and death.

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Join us to celebrate the opening of the exhibition, launched by Dr Rachel Moss, Department of History of Art and Architecture, Trinity College Dublin, with an introduction by archaeologist Cóilín Ó Drisceoil.

Sam Amidon USA & Friends

17 6PM

ADMISSION FREE BUT TICKETED. BOOKING THROUGH

www.medievalmilemuseum.ie

CrashLands

Crash Ensemble WITH

[Crash Ensemble] plays with the energy and spirit of a rock group The New York Times

It’s 20 years since composer Donnacha Dennehy founded Crash Ensemble, a group of world-class musicians dedicated to pushing contemporary classical music in fresh directions.

As part of CrashLands, an ambitious new project celebrating its 20th anniversary, Crash Ensemble comes to Kilfane Glen, the enchanting old forest

outside Thomastown that provided the setting for Loosysmokes’ Behind the Dark last year. Featuring two brand-new, specially commissioned compositions (including a world premiere by Jennifer Walshe), CrashLands promises to be a magical performance at dusk in one of the county’s most enchanting locales.

Duration 30 mins approx.

WED

16 9PM

KILFANE GLEN ADMISSION FREE BUT TICKETED

Long established as Ireland’s leading new music ensemble, Crash Ensemble is celebrated for its adventurous repertoire, commissioning work from leading international composers and performing with a diverse array of contemporary stars. For this typically adventurous concert, Crash teams up with progressive folk star Sam Amidon for a diverse programme including concert premieres of works by Nico Muhly and Jennifer Walshe, together with Amidon’s own beautifully crafted songs, specially arranged for Crash Ensemble by Muhly. With fellow members of Bedroom Community (Liam Byrne, James McVinnie and Nadia Sirota) dropping by to add their own distinctive instrumentation, this will be a very special concert weaving classic Americana with cutting-edge sounds.

Duration 90 mins approx. (without interval)

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill WITH SPECIAL GUESTS It’s extraordinary to think that, in the four years since the Marble City Sessions began, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill have played with a host of outstanding musicians – from viola da gamba master Jordi Savall to bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs – yet they have never played together as a duo. This evening’s concert sets the record straight, offering a wonderful opportunity to experience the collaboration that started it all in its pure, unadulterated form.

Performing a typically exuberant mix of jigs and reels, these two virtuosos remind us just how they have taken Irish traditional music to new heights.

Duration 90 mins approx.

PHOTO TERRY MAGSON

MEDIEVAL MILE MUSEUM

OPENING ST MARY’S CHURCH & GRAVEYARD THU

31

in Amidon’s hands, old American songs live and breathe, proving that sometimes irreverence is the best path to faithfulness

music like this ... belongs to a higher order altogether Hot Press

THU

17 10PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION E25/E22.50

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

PROGRAMME includes NICO MUHLY (concert premiere) JENNIFER WALSHE (concert premiere) SAM AMIDON

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

THU

17 8PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €27/€22 ZONE B REGULAR €23.50/€19

32

33

few pianists nowadays hypnotise their audiences quite like he does Financial Times

PHOTO BENJAMIN EALOVEGA

Alfred Brendel is not only one of the world’s greatest pianists; he is a defining presence who has changed the way we want to hear the major works of the piano repertory

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME LECTURE: THE LAST PIANO SONATAS

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

Alfred Brendel Austria In the decade since Alfred Brendel, one of the greatest pianists of our time, retired from concert performance he has been busier than ever, penning acclaimed books such as A Pianist’s A-Z and delivering talks and lectures celebrated for their depth of understanding, elegance and wit. His visit to Kilkenny was one of the highlights of the Festival in 2014, and this year he returns to offer the fruits of a lifetime’s deep engagement with Schubert’s piano sonatas, works whose reputation he did so much to revive. Taking place before Christian Blackshaw’s performance of the last sonatas, this fascinating talk is the perfect introduction to Schubert’s late, great trilogy.

See page 50

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME THE LAST PIANO SONATAS

Christian Blackshaw UK

PHOTO JAMES HILL

Susan Sontag

Duration 75 mins approx.

FRI

18 5PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION €16/€14

PROGRAMME Sonata no. 19 in C minor, D958 Sonata no. 20 in A major, D959 Sonata no. 21 in B flat major, D960 SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

My Musical Life

Alfred Brendel does not believe that the merits of an artist can be explained or illuminated by his private life. He is never going to write an autobiography and confesses that, to him, there are many things a great deal more intriguing than his own private persona. The focus of this lecture is therefore on musical matters, on Brendel's development as a pianist and writer, and on his place within a changing musical world.

Duration 75 mins approx.

19 3PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €35/€31.50 7.30PM ZONE B REGULAR €30/€27 FRI

SAT

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €16/€14

18

One of the unquestionable highlights of last year’s Festival was Christian Blackshaw’s five-concert series of Mozart’s complete piano sonatas, a profoundly moving display of deeply felt musicianship that drew audiences to their feet in St John’s. This year, we’re delighted to welcome him to St Canice’s to perform three of Schubert’s greatest masterpieces.

Written in the last months of his life, Schubert’s final three sonatas form a trilogy of late, great works that drew on Beethoven and deeply influenced Brahms. Overlooked for more than a century, they have since become cornerstones of the classical piano repertoire. As the Financial Times noted, they ‘could almost have been written with Blackshaw’s musical temperament in mind,’ and in his hands ‘every note lives and breathes’.

Duration 2 hrs 15 mins approx. (including interval)

34

35

Paula Meehan POET IN RESIDENCE

Duration 60 mins approx.

THU

17

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION €14/€12

6PM

Poetry Workshop The Festival’s poet in residence, Paula Meehan, leads this workshop for poets.

Participation is by application.

Email info@poetryireland.ie for further details.

Please note: places are strictly limited.

FRI

18 11AM

HERITAGE COUNCIL ATTENDANCE BY APPLICATION

Paula Meehan was born in 1955 in Dublin where she still lives. She studied at Trinity College, Dublin, and at Eastern Washington University in the USA, and has received many awards, including the Marten Toonder Award for Literature, The Butler Literary Award for Poetry, the Denis Devlin Memorial Award and the PPI Award for Radio Drama. Paula has published five collections of poetry, the most recent being Painting Rain (Carcanet, 2009). A selected volume, entitled Mysteries of the Home, was published in 1996. Her writing for stage includes the plays Mrs Sweeney (1997), Cell (1999), and, for children, Kirkle (1995), The Voyage (1997) and The Wolf of Winter (2003/2004). Her poetry has been set to music by artists as diverse as the avant-garde composer John Wolf Brennan and the folksinger Christy Moore, and throughout her working life she has collaborated with dancers, visual artists and film makers. Paula Meehan is a member of Aosdána, the Irish affiliation of writers and artists, and last year completed her term as Ireland Professor of Poetry.

Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet Join us at the Parade Tower to celebrate the publication of Kilkenny Arts Office’s Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet, launched by Paula Meehan, which gives local writers a platform for their work. Broadsheet 16 editor, American-Irish poet Kimberly Campanello, was invited back to edit this year’s edition. Her most recent poetry collection is Hymn to Ka ¯lı¯ (Eyewear Publishing). She is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at York St John University, UK. FRI

18 4PM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION FREE BUT TICKETED

Favourite Poem Project In 2015 the Festival launched its own branch of Robert Pinsky’s Favourite Poem Project, inviting a select group of Festival artists and local students to read their favourite poem before a live audience.

This year the project returns with a fresh crop of artists, students and Festival volunteers reading the work that lies closest to their heart, and explaining why it means so much to them.

SUN

20 3PM

ROTHE HOUSE ADMISSION €12/€10

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

Våsen Sweden Våsen is Swedish for ‘spirit’ or ‘essence’, and for 27 years the trio has been the very essence of the Swedish folk scene with their effortless blend of tradition and innovation. Steeped in the ancient traditions of their native Uppland, all three members are virtuosos in their own right. Olov Johansson is a world champion of the nyckelharpa (a keyed fiddle) while composer, producer and arranger Mikael Marin is a master fiddler, but it’s the addition of Roger Tallroth on 12-string guitar that offers a fresh new twist on Swedish folk. Together, Våsen are a veritable supergroup – Sweden’s answer to The Gloaming – performing a mix of ancient melodies and their own compositions with verve, intensity and wit, and they’re sure to go down a storm in the Set. Duration 90 mins approx.

at turns entrancing, enchanting, uplifting, lilting, lovely and just plain fun Minneapolis Star Tribune

move heaven and earth for a ticket Glasgow Herald

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

FRI

18 10PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION E25/E22.50

36

warm, funny, respectful and irreverent … Colin Dunne is more than up to the challenge of the ‘undanceable’ Tommie Potts The Irish Times HHHHH

Concert

37

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

PROGRAMME includes

David Power & Malcolm Proud

BYRD, PURCELL, O'CAROLAN, MOZART, BACH, VOLANS, HYLAND, ZIPOLI & LECLAIR

Among the many extraordinary collaborations to emerge from recent Marble City Sessions, perhaps the most intriguing is that between organist Malcolm Proud and uilleann piper David Power. This eclectic programme, encompassing everything from Kevin Volans’ arrangement of a Zulu children’s song to traditional reels and pieces by Mozart and Bach, offers both musicians a chance to explore uncharted SPECIAL DEALS musical territory, opening up whole new vistas of sound.

FOR THIS

CREATED BY Colin Dunne WITH Mel Mercier & Sinéad Rushe

EVENT

Duration 60 mins approx.

The Liffey Banks, fiddler Tommie Potts’ radical reinterpretation of traditional tunes, has long been thought undanceable. But if anyone was going to accept the challenge it had to be Colin Dunne. Dunne is Potts’ kindred spirit, and he has drawn inspiration from Potts to create Concert, a response to The Liffey Banks that was rapturously received on its debut at Dublin Dance Festival this year. Part dance piece, part multidisciplinary concert, Concert mixes live performance with looped recordings and a soundscore by Mel Mercier to build a rich tapestry of movement and sound. At once intimate, witty and playful, Concert stages an unmissable duet between two great Irish artists.

8PM

5PM

18 19

11AM

PHOTO FALK KASTELL

James Baillieu is in a class of his own The Daily Telegraph

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT

WATERGATE THEATRE ADMISSION E20/E18

WINTERREISE Benjamin Appl Germany James Baillieu South Africa

See page 50

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

See page 50

The Liffey Banks

Supported by Bill & Denise Whelan

Aoife Ní Bhriain To celebrate Colin Dunne’s remarkable new dance piece inspired by The Liffey Banks (see above), celebrated violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain returns to Kilkenny to perform Tommie Potts’ classic album in Rothe House.

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION E15/E13

Heimat

Duration 60 mins approx.

SAT

19

Appl is not only a singer of boundless promise, he is already a great artist

Supported by Bill & Denise Whelan

FRI

See page 50

SAT

Duration 60 mins approx.

FRI

18 4PM

ROTHE HOUSE ADMISSION E16/E14

The penultimate concert in our lunchtime series pairs pianist James Baillieu with the thrilling German baritone Benjamin Appl for a performance of Schubert’s famous song cycle, Winterreise. Based on the poetry of Wilhelm Müller, Winterreise is a rapturous meditation on love and longing that only the finest singers can match.

Benjamin Appl is perhaps the most exciting young Lieder singer performing today. The last protégé of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, he has been both a BBC New Generation Artist and a Wigmore Hall Emerging Artist, and won Gramophone Magazine’s Young Artist of the Year Award in 2016. His most recent recording – Heimat – has been rapturously received.

James Baillieu is one of the most sought-after accompanists in Europe.

Shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society Outstanding Young Artist Award in 2016, he has worked with many of the leading singers of our time, including Ian Bostridge and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

PROGRAMME Winterreise, D911 Duration 70 mins approx. (without interval)

SAT

19 1PM

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION €19/€17

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

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SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME the creative communication between Widmann and his ensemble … makes for an exciting future

The Irish Chamber Orchestra’s residency at this year’s Festival culminates with a performance of Schubert’s largest-scale masterpiece: the Symphony no. 9 (known as ‘the great’).

Completed at an age when Beethoven was just beginning work on his first symphony, Schubert’s last symphony is ‘one of the pinnacles of the symphonic repertoire’ (Brian Newbould).

PROGRAMME

This rich and varied programme, conducted by Jörg Widmann, pairs Symphony no. 9 with an orchestral arrangement of Schubert’s glorious last song cycle, The Shepherd on the Rock (featuring soprano Ailish Tynan, with Widmann himself on clarinet) and Widmann’s own composition, Freie Stücke: ten short pieces that give full rein to his remarkable talent.

FRANZ SCHUBERT Symphony no. 9 in C major, D944

Der Spiegel

Ailish Tynan

FRANZ SCHUBERT (orch. JÜRGEN HINZ) The Shepherd on the Rock, D965

SPECIAL DEALS FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

JÖRG WIDMANN Freie Stücke

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €35/€31.50 7.30PM ZONE B REGULAR €30/€27

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

SAT

19 o’neill foley

Legendary Lieder Great Schubert interpretations on 78s

Ian Fox

Broadcaster and critic Ian Fox presents a selection of famous Schubert recordings from the interwar years, featuring Richard Tauber, Elizabeth Schumann, John McCormack, Elena Gerhardt and Feodor Chaliapin, among others.

Duration 60 mins approx.

SUN

20 11AM

PARADE TOWER ADMISSION E12/E10

distils everything powerful about Mongolian folk music and makes something new from the ingredients… transcendently powerful music that anyone from anywhere can understand

Hanggai Mongolia/China

PHOTO PAT MOORE

Duration 2 hrs approx. (including interval)

PHOTO BENJAMIN EALOVEGA

THE GREAT C MAJOR SYMPHONY & THE SHEPHERD ON THE ROCK Irish Chamber Orchestra Ailish Tynan Jörg Widmann Germany

It’s several years since Hanggai took the Set by storm on an unforgettable night at the 2011 Festival, and we’ve been trying to lure them back ever since. For those who didn’t have the chance to experience them the first time around, Hanggai are a Mongolian collective whose blend of traditional Asian instruments and Western styles has thrilled audiences the world over since their debut in 2008.

Pitchfork

like Tinariwen, Hanggai were put on this planet to revive your love for old-school riffage, embrace them Mojo

Since that first triumphant evening in the Set they have continued to broaden their sound, encompassing everything from thunderous rock interpretations of traditional Mongolian tunes to delicate folk melodies, enriched by astonishing ‘throat singing’ duets that can only be truly experienced live. Don’t miss this chance to hear one of the most original acts in world music. Who knows when they’ll be back?

Duration 90 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

SAT

19

9.30PM

SET THEATRE ADMISSION E25/E22.50

40

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The Orthodox Spirit Chamber Choir Ireland & Paul Hillier UK

MARBLE CITY SESSIONS

rarely have I heard such a rich tonal blend from a 16-voice choir

Festival Finale

The Irish Times on Chamber Choir Ireland

HOSTED BY Martin Hayes FEATURING

After its triumphant performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor in 2015, Chamber Choir Ireland makes an eagerly awaited return to the Festival under the baton of conductor Paul Hillier with a very different programme of spiritual music.

With a succession of masterpieces stretching back as far as the Middle Ages, the Russian Orthodox Church is home to one of the world’s great traditions of liturgical singing. This enticing concert explores that rich heritage through the work of great Russian composers, from Vasily Titov (leading exponent of the Moscow baroque), to Stravinsky and Rachmaninov, whose celebrated Vespers are extracted here. This enthralling latenight programme offers a feast of choral music spanning four centuries of Russian sacred song.

Duration 70 mins approx. (without interval)

SAT

19 10PM

ST CANICE’S ROMAN CATHOLIC PARISH CHURCH ADMISSION E25/E22.50

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

Dennis Cahill Colin Dunne Kate Ellis Hanggai Paula Meehan Paul Muldoon Aoife Ní Bhriain Nell Ní Chróinín Iarla Ó Lionáird Malcolm Proud Våsen

PHOTO KAUPO KIKKAS

SUN

ST JOHN’S PRIORY ADMISSION E19/E17

WITH

Benjamin Appl Germany James Baillieu South Africa Iain Burnside UK Andrew Gavin Gemma Ní Bhriain Ailish Tynan

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THIS EVENT See page 50

This unique concert brings the Festival’s Schubert series to a triumphant close with a selection of songs performed by four of our series singers and pianists, together with Andrew Gavin and Gemma Ní Bhriain. Featuring some of Schubert’s most celebrated Lieder, along with one of his most transcendent late works – the Fantasy in F minor for piano duet – the Lieder Finale rounds off our celebration of Schubert’s songwriting genius in thrilling style.

Hosted by the incomparable Martin Hayes, the Festival Finale brings together a wealth of musicians from all over the world whose playful approach to tradition has won them international acclaim. This year’s typically mouth-watering line-up sees Mongolian rockers Hanggai sharing the stage with poets Paula Meehan and Paul Muldoon, sean nós singer Nell Ní Chróinín, The Gloaming’s Iarla Ó Lionáird and Dennis Cahill, Swedish folk innovators Våsen, the genre-hopping Aoife Ní Bhriain, Crash Ensemble’s Kate Ellis,

Irish-turned-contemporary dancer Colin Dunne and master organist Malcolm Proud in a rousing celebration of our shared artistic heritage and the tango of tradition and talent.

Duration 3 hrs approx. (including interval) SUN

20

7.30PM

ST CANICE’S CATHEDRAL ADMISSION ZONE A PREMIUM €42/€37.50 ZONE B REGULAR €37/€33

PHOTO ROSS COSTIGAN

PHOTO BENJAMIN EALOVEGA

LIEDER FINALE

Duration 80 mins approx. (without interval)

1PM

IGOR STRAVINSKY VASILY TITOV GIUSEPPE SARTI ALFRED SCHNITTKE DMITRY BORTNIANSKY SERGEI RACHMANINOV

SCHUBERT: DREAMING THE SUBLIME

PROGRAMME includes A selection of Schubert songs Fantasy in F minor for piano duet (four hands), D940

20

PROGRAMME includes

Barnstorm Theatre Company presents a season of plays for children and their families at The Barn Studio Theatre, Saturday 12-Sunday 20 August

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This season of plays at The Barn is supported by Kilkenny County Council Children must be accompanied by an adult

A Creative Space for Children

YURT AT THE YARD

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A CREATIVE SPACE FOR CHILDREN Kilkenny Arts Festival and StormFest are delighted to collaborate in presenting a brand new storytelling series devised especially for children. Partnering with Creative Ireland, we invite you to our Yurt at the Yard to discover the storyteller within you!

Booking required. All storytelling sessions are €5 each.

photo Eoin Carey

Niall de Búrca Niall is one of Ireland’s finest traditional storytellers. He has performed everywhere from Poland to Argentina.

YURT AT THE YARD, SAT 12 AUGUST, 11AM & 1.30PM (AGE 4+), 3.30PM STORYTELLING WORKSHOP (AGE 6-12). SUN 13 AUGUST, 11AM, 1.30PM & 3.30PM (AGE 4+)

Helena Byrne: Fairy Folk of Ireland

COMPAGNIE LES VOISINS GERMANY

The Queen of Colours

a star of the children’s theatre circuit worldwide The Sydney Morning Herald

Full of kaleidoscopic wonder and vivid imagination, The Queen of Colours is an interactive story about unleashing creativity and choosing not to ‘colour within the lines’.

This spectacle of ingenious puppetry and live illustrations literally jumps from the page. The little queen demands that the court painter brings colour into the world around her and onstage a court musician serenades the adventure with a mix of folk melodies. As we watch the bossy little queen bobble about we learn that, while fun comes in all the shades of the rainbow, too much of a good thing can turn into a mucky mess. This magical award-winning event for young and old theatre-goers alike is created anew for every performance.

MARY-FRANCES DOHERTY N. IRELAND

Katie’s Birthday Party

a miraculous and poetical play for children … you won’t believe your eyes

Children’s Theatre Reviews – selected as one of their Top 10 Shows of 2016

Der Landbote (Switzerland)

There will be truths, there will be dares, there will be presents and there will be cake! You are invited to celebrate Katie’s 12th birthday as she explores what it’s like to be moving from primary to secondary school.

Solo performer Mary-Frances Doherty explores notions of childhood on the approach of adolescence, looking at the trials and tribulations a young person goes through when they enter secondary school.

Duration 35 mins approx.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR THESE EVENTS See page 50

SAT

12

12PM & 3PM

SUN

13

12PM & 3PM

AGE 4+ ADMISSION €8 FAMILY TICKET €30

Portofino-Ballade

one of the best productions for young people I’ve ever seen

Duration 50 mins approx.

PETER RINDERKNECHT SWITZERLAND

WED

12PM & 3PM

16

THU

17

12PM & 3PM

AGE 10+ ADMISSION €8 FAMILY TICKET €30

Peter plays an amazing double bass which transforms into the stage and set for two tiny puppets in a show packed with surprises.

When the back of the double bass is opened the wondrous world of the miniature father and son is revealed. The father, whose job it is to pop out of a cuckoo clock every hour, is at odds with his son, who is bored by the prospect of inheriting this tedious job.

Peter takes us on a dream journey to the enchanting Italian village of Portofino in his play with music, puppets and visual humour. This is a touching and funny story of family and freedom, and what they really mean.

SAT

19

12PM & 3PM

SUN

20

12PM & 3PM

YURT AT THE YARD, MON 14 AUGUST 11AM, 1.30PM & 3.30PM (AGE 4+)

Simone Schuemmelfeder: Family Storytelling Session with Riddles and Fun Simone grew up near the ‘Fairy Tale Road’ in Germany that connects Sleeping Beauty’s castle with Hansel and Gretel’s forest and enchants audiences with her storytelling sessions for the whole family.

YURT AT THE YARD, TUES 15 AUGUST, 11AM, 1.30PM (AGE 4+), 3.30PM STORYTELLING WORKSHOP (AGE 6-12)

Nuala Hayes Nuala is an actor, storyteller, broadcaster and director of Scéalta Shamhna, Dublin’s Storytelling Festival.

YURT AT THE YARD, SAT 19 AUGUST, 11AM, 1.30PM & 3.30PM (AGE 7+)

Liz Weir: Stories from Here, There and Everywhere Join storyteller, seanchaí and writer Liz Weir as she tells stories from around the world with lots of participation, raps and rhymes.

Duration 50 mins approx.

Combining her love of folklore and passion for Irish music, Helena’s storytelling interweaves tales of the mysterious fairy folk with traditional songs.

AGE 7+ ADMISSION €8 FAMILY TICKET €30

YURT AT THE YARD SUN 20 AUGUST 11AM, 1.30PM & 3.30PM (AGE 4+)

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Secret Garden Music and enjoy free performances from leading Irish and international artists, in partnership with Creative Ireland.

Now in its fourth year, Secret Garden Music is one of the Festival’s most popular series. Every day throughout the Festival, a range of artists offer pop-up performances in some of Kilkenny’s loveliest gardens.

Drop by each afternoon to find out who’s playing

Duration 15 mins approx.

PHOTO ROSS COSTIGAN

Performances are subject to weather conditions.

SAT

TUES

FRI

12 15 18

3PM

SUN

3PM

WED

3PM

3PM

3PM

3PM

THU

SUN

14 17 20 3PM

3PM

3PM

TUES

FRI

4PM

4PM

4PM

WED

SAT

SUN

13 16 19

CASTLE YARD ADMISSION FREE

STONE CIRCLE BUTLER HOUSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

SAT

12 15 18

SAT

13 16 19

MON

GAZEBO BUTLER HOUSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

4PM

MON

4PM

4PM

THU

SUN

14 17 20 4PM

4PM

4PM

CASTLE ROSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

ROTHE HOUSE GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

HERITAGE COUNCIL GARDEN ADMISSION FREE

From archaeology to architecture, folklore to placenames, Irish culture is deeply rooted in nature.

Explore it all this National Heritage Week.

P R O U D LY S U P P O R T I N G K I L K E N N Y A R T S F E S T I VA L

HONDA CR-V

THE OVERALL BEST-SELLING SUV IN THE WORLD

CAFÉ | RESTAURANT THE SOURCE ARTS CENTRE, THURLES

AND WE’ RE BRINGING IREL AND ONE OF 5 WAYS TO DRIVE AWAY A DE AL

Kilkenny Honda Centre, Callan Road, Kilkenny City, Co. Kilkenny (056) 7722830 kilkennyhondacentre.ie *Over 7 million CR-V's sold between 1995-2016. Source: JATO

Fine healthy food, made using the best local produce.

Fresh seafood, fish, meats, and organic vegetables, Natural wine list, organic, fairtrade barista coffees.

Selection of handmade desserts and treats.

OPEN TUESDAY-SATURDAY 12-5.30

@Stefhanscafe

ENQUIRIES: 0504-58858

@stef_hans

StefHans

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Great Places to Stay

See map on p.51. For best rates book your accommodation at kilkennyarts.ie

Become a Festival Friend!

Help make Kilkenny Arts Festival one of Europe’s finest artistic celebrations. kilkennyarts.ie/support-us

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1

Hotel Kilkenny 056 776 2000

Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel 056 775 0200

5

Lyrath Estate Hotel 056 776 0088

Kilkenny River Court Hotel 056 772 3388

Kilkenny Pembroke Hotel 056 778 3500

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6

Langton House Hotel 056 776 5133

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3

8

Newpark Hotel 056 776 0500

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Butler Court 056 776 1178

Butler House 056 772 2828

Great Places to Eat

Special Festival menus available

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10

Anocht Restaurant 056 772 2118

12

Aroi 056 770 3644

Butler Tea Rooms 056 772 2828

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16

13

18

Kernel Bar & Kitchen Langton’s Restaurant 056 778 6326 056 776 5133

Harpers 056 777 1888

Cakeface patisserie 056 773 9971

Campagne 056 777 2858

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Marble City Bar 056 776 1143

Matt the Miller’s Bar & Restaurant 056 776 1696

Foodworks 056 777 7696

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Paris Texas 056 776 1822

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Ristorante Rinuccini 056 776 1575

Royal Spice 056 778 6010

The Springhill Court Hotel 056 772 1122

Statham’s Restaurant 056 778 3500

Victor’s at The Club House 056 772 1994

Zuni Restaurant 056 772 3999

Great Places to Drink

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Bridie’s 056 776 5133

Cleere’s Bar 056 776 2573

Hibernian Bar 056 777 1888

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Langton’s 056 776 5133

AIB Claire Callanan John Fingleton & Neil Crump Lord & Lady Magan of Castletown Lyndon MacCann Joneen Casey Reidy & Foley Solicitors Roland Daneau & Ed Adamic St Canice's Credit Union State Street Suzie & Jay Krehbiel BEST FRIEND

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14

PATRON

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Matt the Miller’s Bar & Restaurant 056 776 1696

Paris Texas 056 776 1822

Statham’s Bar 056 778 3500

Eithne Healy Harte Solicitors Kieran Boland, Boland Solicitors Lenehan's Bar Marie-Ange and Donald Kelman McCullough Mulvin Architects Mr & Mrs John Grogan P McDonnell Pat Nolan Poe Kiely Hogan Lanigan Solicitors R. John McBratney Roger & Olivia Goodwillie Sir David Davies

SPECIAL FRIEND Allens Andrew Bergin Anna O'Sullivan Ayrfield Medical Practice Bernard Dunleavy Bluett & O'Donoghue Architects Bride Rosney Cordelia Gelly Desmond & Barbara Duff Dore's Nostalgia Café - Michael Dore Dorothy Morrissey

Dorothy Smith Dr Thomas O'Toole Eithne Hegarty Ella Dunphy of DNG Ella Dunphy Ltd Folkster Fran Grincell Properties Gillian Leo Goods - 4 Floors of Fashion Hannah, Ellie and Matthew Happy Times Hilary Lester Holland Condon Solicitors Joseph Dundon & Mary Hawkes Kevin Collins & Margaret Duggan Kieran O'Gorman Hair & Beauty Day Spa Kilkenny Castle Tea Rooms - Michael Dore Kyteler's Inn Mahony's Pharmacy Maurice Foley Maurice O'Donnell Michael & Zureena Hutchinson Modern Printers Moth to a Flame Candles Mr & Mrs Dermot & Sue Scott Murphy Stuart Insurances Newpark Pharmacy O'Connell's Pharmacy Olga Barry Patricia Tomasulo Paul & Maeve Magnier Paul Crowley Philip Crowe & Patrick P Higgins Prochem Engineering Property Partners Buggy PWC Sheila O'Donnell & John Tuomey Sherry Fitzgerald McCreery Stonehouse Books The Little Green Grocer The Rev James Power The Zip Yard Timothy King Violet Twomey

FRIEND Adrienne Carolan Áine Ní Fhoghlú Aisling Breathnach Alain Ficat Ann Murtagh

Ann O'Neill Annaleen's Boutique Audrey Conlon Brian Deering Butterslip Crotty's Coffee House Darina Gibson Veale Deborah Staunton Desmond A Byrne Jeweller Dolores MacKenna Dr Edward King Dr Ita Beausang Dr R A Somerville Eileen Bowman Elizabeth Keighary Brislane Finola Walsh Florence Ryan Downes Fred Brennan Gaby Smyth Gemma Hussey Grace Smith James Ryan Jerpoint Glass Studio Jim Gilligan John Dalton John Glynn Jones Business Systems Joseph Brennan Katherine Meenan KHAN Books Kieran Tobin La Rivista Liam Costigan Goldsmith & Silversmith Liz Nugent Louise Callaghan Manning Travel Mary Henry McEntagart Michael Lunt Mocha's Vintage Tea Room Restaurant Mr & Mrs St.George Neville Keery O'Brien Butchers Orange Café Patricia Connolly Paul Myles c/o The Paint Pot Pennefeather Café Roger Whewell Rory Montgomery Rudolf Heltzel Gold & Silversmith Sarah Phelan & Andy Ryan Shiela Foley Siobhan Maher Stephanie Brennan The Gourmet Store Ultan O'Gorman Yesterdays

We also gratefully acknowledge those Friends who have chosen to remain anonymous.

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St John’s Priory

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Bridie’s

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Langton’s

Langton’s Restaurant

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Kilkenny River Court Hotel

Kilkenny Castle

Hibernian Bar DE S

ON ORM Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel

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16

30 Harpers Zuni

LONG GALLERY BUTLER Ristorante 22 THE GALLERY PAR Rinuccini AD E PARADE TOWER Pembroke Hotel Statham’s Restaurant 10 Anocht Restaurant

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Victors at The Club House

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K ST

To The Springhill Court Hotel

26

KILKENNY CASTLE PARK

3 25 34

TALBOT'S Butler House TOWER Tea Rooms

Butler Court BUTLER HOUSE GARDEN

12 9

Butler House

YURT AT THE YARD

Castle Yard

NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY

15% off ten unforgettable concerts (excluding the Festival Finale) – save up to @35.

Festival Director Eugene Downes

Marketing Manager Nollaig Healy

Artist Liaison Cornelia McCarthy

Graphic Design Íde Deloughry

Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland

Festival Producer Olga Barry

Box Office Manager Céline Reilly

Programme Editor Alistair Daniel

Web Design Pixel Design

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Festival Administrator Valerie Ryan

Development Officer Grace Kearney

Strategic Consultant Annette Nugent

Official IT Provider BITS

Production Manager Aidan Wallace

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FESTIVAL TEAM

10% off any three Marble City Sessions (excluding the Festival Finale) – save up to @9.

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Marble City Sessions

Marble City Trio

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76 JOHN ST

KILKENNY CASTLE ROSE GARDEN

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To Hotel Kilkenny

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THE HUB, CILLÍN HILL

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BOX OFFICE

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MEDIEVAL FÁILTE IRELAND MILE MUSEUM TOURIST OFFICE

EET

See p.41 for details

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WE ST

Four people to attend any one of the children’s shows at the Barn – Queen of Colours, Katie’s Birthday Party or Portofino Ballade.

Special offer @30 – save up to @6.

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Matt the Miller’s

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Family Ticket for shows at The Barn

AM LLI

Great Places to Stay Great Places to Eat Great Places to Drink

2cm = 100m approx.

EET

Kilkenny City Map

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LAN

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See any three talks in the series and get 10% off – save up to @7.

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1 inch = 400 feet approx.

Ireland & Europe: Creative Visions

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AN LL

ER

Hear Schubert’s Great Ninth Symphony in St Canice’s with the ICO, and candlelit Russian sacred music with Chamber Choir Ireland, both on Saturday 19 August. Special offer @49 – save up to @13.

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Saturday Night Double

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HOME RULE CLUB

Marble City Bar

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TRAIN STATION

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W LO

See all three concerts in this unique series (The Arrival of Mr Handel, Mr Handel at the Keyboard and Mr Handel’s Messiah) from 13-15 August. Special offer @75 (Full)/@65 (Concession) – save up to @18.

See Colin Dunne’s new dance show Concert and Aoife Ní Bhriain performing the iconic album that inspired it. Special offer @30 – save up to @8.

EL

Rothe House

HIGH

Mr Handel’s Adventures in Ireland

Colin Dunne & The Liffey Banks

HA

HN

ROTHE HOUSE GARDEN

TREET

See two great gigs in the Set, Lemon Bucket Orkestra and Saint Sister (12 and 13 August). Special offer @38 – save up to @8.

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A NE G LA ILDIN

MILL S

Opening Weekend at the Set

Don’t miss a unique double bill on Friday 18 August: Alfred Brendel's lecture on Schubert’s last piano sonatas, followed

by Christian Blackshaw’s performance. Special offer @45 (Full Price)/@40 (Concession) – save up to @8.

MacDONAGH JUNCTION

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BLACK

Hear two contrasting performances of one of Schubert's masterpieces: the original string quartet with Quatuor Mosaïques on Friday 11, and Mahler’s orchestral arrangement with the ICO on Saturday 12 August. Special offer @35 – save up to @8.

Blackshaw & Brendel

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WATERGATE THEATRE THE BREWHOUSE ABBEY CREATIVE QUARTER

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Campagne

TU PP

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OLD DORE FACTORY

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Cleere’s Bar & Theatre

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Royal Spice

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Cakeface patisserie

Foodworks

Death & The Maidens

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Schubert & Widmann Buy tickets for three or more of the One O’Clock concerts and save 10% – up to @29 off if you attend the full series.

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ST CANICE'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

DEA

One O’Clock Schubert

LFE

7

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Join the Irish Chamber Orchestra and composer/conductor/ performer Jörg Widmann for two unique concerts combining Schubert masterpieces with Widmann’s own works (Wednesday 16 and Saturday 19 August). Special offer @44 – save up to @13.

WO

ROSE IN

On Sunday 13 August, take in an evening of glorious baroque choral music at St Canice’s with The Arrival of Mr Handel, and a late-night recital of renaissance airs by Iestyn Davies and Thomas Dunford. Special offer @49 – save up to @13.

Kernel Bar & Kitchen

17

REET

See two exhilarating theatre shows, Counting Sheep and Raven Eyed, for @45 and save up to @8 (excluding Counting Sheep opening night 13 August).

To Newpark Hotel

St Canice’s Cathedral

Sunday Night Double Theatre Double Bill

43 R ST

Special Ticket Deals

HERITAGE COUNCIL GARDEN

VICA

THE BARN

50

PATRON

Publicity Gerry Lundberg PR

Emer Foley (Chair), Fergus Cronin, Brian Fennelly, Lorelei Harris, Maureen Kennelly, Conor Langton, Anna O’Sullivan, Michael O’Toole, Thomas O’Toole, Isabell Smyth, Bill Whelan

Kilkenny Arts Festival 2017 Schedule

52

St Canice’s Cathedral

Friday 11

Saturday 12

Sunday 13

Julius Caesar in Egypt 7.30pm, p.8

Hubert Butler Lecture 6pm, p.18

The Arrival of Mr Handel 7pm, p.20

Schubert: Death and the Maiden 8.30pm, p.18 The Hub, Cillín Hill St John’s Priory

Friday 18

Saturday 19

Sunday 20

Mr Handel’s Messiah 7.30pm, p.21

MCS: Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band 8pm, p.27

MCS: Crash Ensemble & Sam Amidon 8pm, p.31

Schubert: Alfred Brendel Lecture 5pm, p.32

MCS: Power & Proud 11am, p.37

Schubert: Great C Major Symphony 7.30pm, p.38

MCS: Festival Finale 7.30pm, p.41

Schubert: The Last Piano Sonatas 7.30pm, p.33 Counting Sheep 8pm, p.4

Schubert: Piano Trios 1pm, p.23

Schubert: Trout Quintet 1pm, p.23

Saint Sister 9pm, p.22

Schubert: The Man Behind the Music 11am, p.19

The Irish State Musick 5.30pm, p.20

Raven Eyed 8pm & 10pm, p.10

Raven Eyed 8pm & 10pm, p.10

Castle Park

Counting Sheep 8pm, p.4

Schubert: Swansong 1pm, p.26

Counting Sheep 3pm & 8pm, p.4

Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin 1pm, p.26

Counting Sheep 8pm, p.4

Schubert: Favourite Lieder 1pm, p.29

MCS: Edges of Light 10pm, p.25

MCS: Nadia Sirota & Liam Byrne 10pm, p.28

MCS: Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill 10pm, p.30

MCS: Väsen 10pm, p.35

MCS: Hanggai 9.30pm, p.39

Stephen Wall 11am, p.13

Schubert: Late Works or Last Works? 11am, p.19

Churchill’s Irish Generals 6pm, p.28

Paula Meehan 6pm, p.34

Iarla Ó Lionáird 11am, p.13

Yiyun Li 6pm, p.24

O'Donnell + Tuomey 6pm, p.13

Alfred Brendel: My Musical Life 3pm, p.32

Raven Eyed 8pm & 10pm, p.10

Antarctica 6pm & 8.30pm, p.24

Raven Eyed 8pm, p.10

De Profundis 4pm, p.14

De Profundis 4pm, p.14

Alexander Vondra 11am, p.13

MCS: Liam Byrne 10pm, p.25

Lemon Bucket Orkestra 9.30pm, p.19

Albesila 11am-6pm, p.9

Albesila 11am-6pm, p.9

The Queen of Colours 12pm & 3pm, p.42

The Queen of Colours 12pm & 3pm, p.42

Niall de Búrca 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm (workshop) p.43

Niall de Búrca 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm p.43

The Barn Yurt at the Yard, Castle Yard

Albesila 12pm-6pm, p.9

Helena Byrne: Fairy Folk of Ireland 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm p.43

Inside Voices 2pm-5pm, p.11

Inside Voices 2pm-5pm, p.11

Secret Garden Music Gazebo, Butler House Garden 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Castle Yard 3pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Castle Rose Garden 4pm, p.44

FREE EVENTS

Butler Gallery

The Way Things Go: An Homage Opening 3pm, p.12

National Craft Gallery

Thursday 17

Counting Sheep 8pm, p.4

Schubert: String Quartets II 1pm, p.7

Rothe House

Other Venues

Wednesday 16

Counting Sheep 8pm, p.4

Schubert: String Quintet 1pm, p.7

Schubert: String Quartets I 1pm, p.7

Parade Tower

Talbot’s Tower

Tuesday 15

Watergate Theatre

Monday 14

Set Theatre

The Brewhouse, Abbey Creative Quarter

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Hi! Fashion

Opening 4pm, p.16

Secret Garden Music Rothe House Garden 4pm, p.44 Iestyn Davies & Thomas Dunford St John’s Priory 10pm, p.22

Albesila 12pm-6pm, p.9

Simone Schuemmelfeder: Family Storytelling Session with Riddles and Fun 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm (workshop) p.43

Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet 4pm, p.34

Raven Eyed 8pm & 10pm, p.10

Raven Eyed 8pm & 10pm, p.10

Raven Eyed 8pm & 10pm, p.10

Raven Eyed 8pm & 10pm, p.10

Schubert: Octets 7.30pm, p.29

Colin Dunne 8pm, p.36

Colin Dunne 5pm, p.36

Mark & Marichka Marczyk 11am, p.13

Catríona Crowe, Colin Dunne & Martin Hayes 11am, p.13

MCS: The Liffey Banks 4pm, p.36

Robert Watt 6pm, p.13

Albesila 12pm-6pm, p.9

Albesila 12pm-6pm, p.9

Albesila 12pm-6pm, p.9

Katie’s Birthday Party 12pm & 3pm, p.42

Secret Garden Music Heritage Council Garden 4pm, p.44

Secret Garden Music Castle Rose Garden 4pm, p.44

Mr Handel at the Keyboard Long Gallery 8pm, p.21

Secret Garden Music Castle Yard 3pm, p.44 Secret Garden Music Rothe House Garden 4pm, p.44 CrashLands Kilfane Glen 9pm, p.30

Schubert: Lieder Finale 1pm, p.40

Schubert: Legendary Lieder 11am, p.38

Favourite Poem Project 3pm, p.34

Albesila 11am-6pm, p.9

Katie’s Birthday Party 12pm & 3pm, p.42

Portofino-Ballade 12pm & 3pm, p.43

Portofino-Ballade 12pm & 3pm, p.43

Nuala Hayes 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm p.43

Liz Weir: Stories from Here, There and Everywhere 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm p.43

Inside Voices 2pm-5pm, p.11 Secret Garden Music Gazebo, Butler House Garden 3pm, p.44

Community Craft I (she) was here Yurt at the Yard Fri 11 10.30am – 1.30pm 2pm - 5pm p.16

Albesila 11-6pm, p.9

Secret Garden Music Stone Circle, Butler House Garden 3pm, p.44

Schubert: Winterreise 1pm, p.37

Secret Garden Music Stone Circle, Butler House Secret Garden Music Garden Gazebo, Butler House 3pm, p.44 Garden 3pm, p.44 Secret Garden Music Heritage Council Garden Secret Garden Music 4pm, p.44 Castle Rose Garden 4pm, p.44 Unearthed Medieval Mile Museum 6pm, p.30

Inside Voices 2pm-5pm, p.11 Secret Garden Music Castle Yard 3pm, p.44 Secret Garden Music Rothe House Garden 4pm, p.44 The Orthodox Spirit St Canice’s RC Church 10pm, p.40

WORKSHOPS

Secret Garden Music Stone Circle, Butler House Garden 3pm, p.44 Secret Garden Music Heritage Council Garden 4pm, p.44

The Way Things Go: An Homage 10am-5.30pm, p.12

The Way Things Go: An Homage 10am-5.30pm, p.12

The Way Things Go: An Homage 10am-5.30pm, p.12

The Way Things Go: An Homage 10am-5.30pm, p.12

The Way Things Go: An Homage 10am-5.30pm, p.12

The Way Things Go: An Homage 10am-5.30pm, p.12

The Way Things Go: An Homage 10am-5.30pm, p.12

The Way Things Go: An Homage 10am-5.30pm, p.12

Hi! Fashion 11am-5.30pm, p.16

Hi! Fashion 10am-5.30pm, p.16

Hi! Fashion 10am-5.30pm, p.16

Hi! Fashion 10am-5.30pm, p.16

Hi! Fashion 10am-5.30pm, p.16

Hi! Fashion 10am-5.30pm, p.16

Hi! Fashion 10am-5.30pm, p.16

Hi! Fashion 11am-5.30pm, p.16

Home Rule Club

Festival Portrait 2017 Mick O’Dea Studio 2.30-4pm, p.15

Festival Portrait 2017 Mick O’Dea Studio 2.30-4pm, p.15

Festival Portrait 2017 Mick O’Dea Studio 2.30-4pm, p.15

Festival Portrait 2017 Mick O’Dea Studio 2.30-4pm, p.15

Festival Portrait 2017 Mick O’Dea Studio 2.30-4pm, p.15

Festival Portrait 2017 Mick O’Dea Studio 2.30-4pm, p.15

Festival Portrait 2017 Mick O’Dea Studio 2.30-4pm, p.15

Festival Portrait 2017 Mick O’Dea Studio 2.30-4pm, p.15

Old Dore Factory, Abbey St

Festival Portrait Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.15

Festival Portrait Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.15

Festival Portrait Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.15

Festival Portrait Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.15

Festival Portrait Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.15

Festival Portrait Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.15

Festival Portrait Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.15

Festival Portrait Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.15

Festival Portrait Exhibition 10am-5.30pm, p.15

Community Installation I (she) was here National Craft Gallery Sat 12 & Sun 13 12pm – 5pm p.16 Adult Craft Leather Working with Úna Burke Yurt at the Yard Mon 14 6pm – 9pm p.16 Children’s Craft Fashion Eye-Con NCG Tues 15 2pm & 3pm Yurt at the Yard Wed 16 & Thurs 17 2pm & 3pm p.17 Block Prints NCG Tues 15 2pm & 3pm Yurt at the Yard Wed 16 & Thurs 17 2pm & 3pm p.17 Papercut Patterns NCG Tues 15 2pm & 3pm Yurt at the Yard Wed 16 & Thurs 17 2pm & 3pm p.17 Teen Craft Sculptural Headwear NCG Tues 15 4pm Yurt at the Yard Wed 16 & Thurs 17 4pm p.17 Japanese Woodblock NCG Tues 15 4pm Yurt at the Yard Wed 16 & Thurs 17 4pm p.17 Kirigami Creations NCG Tues 15 4pm Yurt at the Yard Wed 16 & Thurs 17 4pm p.17

Back Cover image: Ross Costigan

BOOKING TICKETS FOR KILKENNY ARTS FESTIVAL 2017 ONLINE today at

#KAF17

kilkennyarts.ie

BY PHONE from 13 July on +353 56 775 2175

IN PERSON from 13 July at the Festival Box Office, 76 John St, Kilkenny Weekdays: 10am - 5pm During the Festival: daily 10am - 7pm