Programme of Events

The Brodsky Quartet is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022 and we are thrilled to welcome them back to the Walled City Music Festival for our Opening Concert in the beautiful surroundings of Christ Church.

Since forming in 1972, the Brodsky Quartet have performed over 3,000 concerts on the major stages of the world and have released more than 70 recordings. Their energy and craftsmanship have attracted numerous awards and accolades worldwide, while their ongoing educational work provides a vehicle to pass on experience and stay in touch with the next generation.

To open the 13^th Walled City Music Festival, the quartet will perform Shostakovich String Quartet No. 9 and will be joined by Co-Artistic Directors of the Festival, Cathal Breslin (piano) for Dvorak Piano Quintet No. 2 and Sabrina Hu (flute) for Mozart Flute Quartet in G major.

Tickets £20/£12 (plus booking fee) available via TicketSource 

Walled City Music Festival 2022 presents a unique collaboration between the Ulster Orchestra and the award-winning, Derry-based ensemble of young musicians with disabilities, Acoustronic.

Founded in 2015, Acoustronic is a collective of gifted performers, improvisers and composers whose work has toured across Ireland as well as to Scotland, London and Lisbon. This concert presents their new commission, Zoom Time, composed for the ensemble and orchestra by Acoustronic and NI composer Frank Lyons.

The Festival is also delighted to present Beethoven’s magnificent Piano Concerto No. 3, performed by Derry-born pianist and Co-Artistic Director of the Festival Cathal Breslin, along with orchestral favourites Jeu de Cartes (Stravinsky) and Overture ‘The Barber of Seville’ (Rossini).

GRAMMY®-nominated ‘Seven Pillars’
Music by Andy Akiho
Performed by Sandbox Percussion
Stage Direction and Lighting Design by Michael Joseph McQuilken

Described as “exhilarating” by The New York Times, and “utterly mesmerizing” by The Guardian, GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion has established themselves as a leading proponent of contemporary percussion chamber music.

Brought together by the simple joy of playing together, Sandbox Percussion captivates audiences with performances that are both visually and aurally stunning. Through compelling collaborations with composers and performers, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum, and Terry Sweeney seek to engage a wider audience for classical music.

Sandbox Percussion will perform their 2021 album Seven Pillars, which was nominated for two GRAMMY® awards.

The Mill Ave Chamber Players is a professional chamber music ensemble based in Phoenix, Arizona. They have performed throughout the United States, their work has been recognised with several major awards, and they have recorded three albums.

The ensemble is dedicated to bringing engaging music into communities and we would love you to join us for this family-friendly lunchtime performance of Aesop’s Fables.

Aesop’s Fables by Thomas Breadon Jr. is a collection of seven short original compositions for woodwind quintet and narrator which explore and expand on the beloved and well-known tales of the Aesopica from ancient Greece.

The collection includes The Tortoise and The Hare and The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, as well as some lesser-known stories, like The Oak and The Reeds and The North Wind and The Sun.

As well as this performance in St. Augustine’s Church, the Mill Ave Chamber Players will visit eight local primary schools during their time at the Walled City Music Festival this June.

The Walled City Music Festival invites score submissions for a composer workshop as part of the 2022 Walled City Music Festival programme.

Up to 3 places are available to participate and composers are asked to submit compositions for percussion quartet. The new compositions will be workshopped by the quartet with guest facilitator Andy Akiho (composer/steel pan), one of the USA’s leading percussionists.