BANTRY’S renowned West Cork Chamber Music Festival returns this summer for ten days of concerts performed by a stellar line-up of world-class musicians.

International quartets are once again at the heart of the programme – Calidore Quartet and Attacca Quartet from the United States;  NOVO Quartet from Denmark; and Sonoro Quartet which is made up of musicians from Ireland, France and Belgium.   

Their collective repertoire will include much-loved works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Shostakovich, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Bartók as well as a wide selection of less familiar pieces.

The line-up of world-class soloists includes violinists Diana Tischenko, Mairéad Hickey, Gerard Spronk and Mona Verhas; mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean; sopranos Katharine Dain and Ana Vieira Leite; cellists Nuala McKenna and Andreas Brantelid; baroque cellist Jonathan Byers; pianists Anna Fedorova, José Gallardo, Jérémie Moreau, Deirdre Brenner and Sam Armstrong; horn player Ben Goldscheider; bassoon player Bram van Sambeek; double bass player Rick Stotijn; violist Dana Zemtsov and many more.

Ensembles include Delta Piano Trio, Concerto 1700, New Dublin Voices and the Gregory Walkers with Kate Hearne.

The festival opens on the Bantry House library stage with a homage to the people and artists of Ukraine, with two Ukrainian musicians Anna Fedorova and Diana Tishchenko performing music by that country’s greatest living composer Valentin Silvestrov.

Homage is a theme of the 31st festival which features Ligeti’s homage to Brahms, Beethoven and Britten’s homage to Bach as well as Irish composers’ expanding their songs in homage to the suffering of the Magdalene women.

Elsewhere during the ten days of music-making, Beethoven’s 200th anniversary will be celebrated alongside the 198th birthday of Schubert with a performance of his monumental String Quintet.

The festival is renowned for its contemporary music and premieres include a new quartet by 2026 Grammy award- winning composer Donnacha Dennehy while a wide programme of music from the United States will be played.

Children’s concerts and a special Crespo lunchtime series of concerts take place in Marino Church while young musician performances can be seen in the Christian Fellowship each afternoon.

The Festival Fringe presents free, family-friendly concerts in pubs, cafes, boathouses and galleries around West Cork, from Schull to Castletownbere and the West Cork Cork islands (tickets www.westcorkmusic.ie or 027 52788).