Maynooth Music Lunchtime Concert - Cassiopeia Winds

In the final recital of our lunchtime series this semester, Ireland's premier wind quintet Cassiopeia Winds perform Trois Piéces Brèves by Jacques Ibert, Kleine Kammermusik by Paul Hindemith, Quintet in D minor by Franz Danzi, and La Cheminée du Roi René by Darius Milhaud. Join us on the MU Music YouTube Channel on Thursday 27th May at 1:15 p.m. to hear this exciting ensemble!

Catríona Ryan - Flute
Matthew Manning - Oboe
Deirdre O'Leary - Clarinet
John Hearne - Bassoon
Cormac Ó hAodáin - French Horn

‘trois pièces brèves’
by Jacques Ibert
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Assez lent, Allegro scherzando

Quintett op.68 No.3 in D minor
by Franz Danzi
I. Andante sostenuto, Allegretto
II. Andante
III. Menuet & Trio
IV. Finale - Allegro assai

La Cheminée du Roi René
by Darius Milhaud
I. Cortège
II. Aubade
III. Jongleurs
IV. La Maousinglade
V. Joutes sur l’Arc
VI. Chasse à Valabre
VII. Madrigal-Nocturne

Kleine Kammermusik für fünf Bläser
by Paul Hindemith
I. Lustig. Mäßig schnelle Viertel
II. Walzer. Durchweg sehr leise
III. Ruhig und einfach.
IV. Schnelle Viertel
V. Sehr lebhaft

Cassiopeia Winds was founded in 2010 by five friends with a desire to dive into the glorious repertoire of wind chamber music. At its core is a quintet of players whose members are among the finest in the country. Their performances are marked by sensitivity and virtuosity. Their passion, idosyncratic humour and their sheer joy of performing together is infectious. Their performances run the full and varied gamut of the wind repertoire from 19th-century to contemporary works. The ensemble relishes exploring the sumptuous palette of tone colours of the wind quintet as well as collaborating with other ensembles to form larger forces & more varied sound worlds. They have a dedication to bringing the lesser-known works of this repertoire into Irish and international concert halls and festivals.

The ensemble also has a great interest in contemporary music and in supporting the work of Irish composers. The quintet gave the first performance of a new work by Sean O'Callaghan and commissioned a new work from John Buckley which received its premiere at a Contemporary Music Centre Salon followed by five performances on tour around Ireland in the autumn/winter of 2015/16. Last summer they were chosen to represent the Contemporary Music Centre in a live-streamed concert for Dublin City Council’s Wood Quay Summer Sessions. They are currently collaborating with Maynooth University and the Irish Composers Collective to support the writing and performing of new works by Irish based composers. They are also working on an exciting commission from an innovative and established composer for Autumn of this year, details to be announced soon.

Cassiopeia Winds has had the great pleasure of collaborating with well-loved and renowned musicians Finghin Collins, ConTempo Quartet, Melvin Tan, and Lise de la Salle among others. They have performed at Ireland’s foremost concert series and festivals, including Galway Midwinter Festival, New Ross Piano Festival, Sligo International Chamber Music Festival, Castleconnell Autumn Series, Wood Quay Summer Sessions, NCH Sounding the Feminists Series & the Joan Trimble Centenary Celebration. They gave a live radio performance of the long running RTE Radio 1 programme Sunday Miscellany, as well as performing live on Lyric FM's Classic Drive for the opening of the new Tower Records in Dublin. They have been regular performers at Dublin's Kaleidoscope Night, have toured Ireland twice with the generous support of the Arts Council and have recently been awarded another Touring Award for autumn/winter of 2021.