Waterford Chamber Music Festival 2026

The Waterford Chamber Music Festival returns to the beautiful surroundings of Mount Congreve Gardens from Friday, 24th to Sunday, 26th July 2026.

Taking place across three days, the festival will bring together established performers, emerging artists and acclaimed composers for a varied programme of intimate concerts and immersive musical experiences. Audiences can enjoy classical masterpieces, contemporary compositions, Irish-language song and a world premiere, all performed within one of Waterford’s most spectacular settings.

Musical Promenade

Friday, 24th July at 3 pm | Mount Congreve Gardens

The festival opens with a unique Musical Promenade through the gardens of Mount Congreve. Audiences will be guided through a series of scenic locations, encountering solo performances interspersed with nature-inspired spoken word.

A highlight of the afternoon will be the world premiere of a newly commissioned work for solo French horn by composer Seán Ó Dálaigh. The programme will also include solo works for violin, viola, cello, and flute by Claude Debussy, Kaija Saariaho, Eugène Ysaÿe, and J.S. Bach.

Please note that the Musical Promenade is not included in the Festival Ticket and must be purchased separately. Admission includes full access to Mount Congreve Gardens.

Book Tickets for the Musical Promenade

Opening Concert

Friday, 24th July at 7.30 pm | Ambrose Room, Mount Congreve

The festival’s Opening Concert presents an evening of chamber music performed by an accomplished ensemble of musicians.

The programme includes:

• J.S. Bach – Selected Goldberg Variations, transcribed for string trio
• W.A. Mozart – Sonata in E minor, K. 304
• Sergei Rachmaninov – Trio élégiaque No. 1
• Amy Beach – Romance for violin and piano, transcribed for viola and piano
• Robert Schumann – Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44

Performers include Siobhán Doyle, Mariéad Hickey, Lucy Nolan, Peggy Nolan, Billy O’Brien, and Maxime Alberti.

Book Tickets for the Opening Concert

Young Artists Recital

Saturday, 25th July at 12 noon | Ambrose Room, Mount Congreve

Experience the next generation of classical performers during the festival’s Young Artists Recital. The concert will feature talented degree students from MTU Cork School of Music and TU Dublin Conservatoire during a formative stage in their musical development.

The programme will include works by Beethoven, Mathilde Kralik von Mayrswalden, Chopin, Granados, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich, performed by Yoki He, Seán Hurley, Jane Whelan, Shannon Teo, and Ellen Crowley.

Book Tickets for the Young Artists Recital

Pre-Concert Talk and Saturday Evening Concert

Saturday, 25th July | Pre-Concert Talk at 6.30 pm and Concert at 7.30 pm | Ambrose Room, Mount Congreve

Ahead of the evening concert, Dr Sophie Lee will explore the programme’s works by Martinů, Bach, Moszkowski, and Brahms, providing engaging context and insight to enhance the listening experience.

The talk will last approximately 3o minutes and is included with the Saturday Evening Concert ticket.

The concert programme includes:

• Bohuslav Martinů – Sonata No. 1 for flute and piano
• J.S. Bach – Toccata
• Moritz Moszkowski – Suite for two violins and piano
• Johannes Brahms – Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor

Performers include Silvija Scerbaviciute, Billy O’Brien, Maxime Alberti, Mairéad Hickey, Siobhàn Doyle, Lucy Nolan, and Peggy Nolan.

Book tickets for the Saturday Evening Concert and Pre-Concert Talk.

Sean Nós in a New Style

Sunday, 26th July at 12 noon | Seán Morgan-Rooney and Lotte Betts-Dean

Irish composer and pianist Seán Morgan-Rooney has reimagined the sean-nós songs of his childhood, arranging ten traditional songs for voice and piano in the style of classical art song.

Inspired by his childhood summers competing at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and his later training as a classical pianist, Seán’s work seeks to introduce the Irish language and song tradition to wider audiences. He will be joined by renowned mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean, with whom he released an album of the complete song collection in 2025.

The programme includes:

• Máire Mhór
• Cailleach an Airgid
• Dónal Óg
• Eochaill
• Báidín Fheilimí
• Úirchill an Chreagáin
• Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn
• Táimse im’ Chodladh
• An Mhaighdean Mhara
• An Cailín Aerach

Book tickets for Sean Nós in a New Style

Closing Concert

Sunday, 26th July at 3.30 pm | Ambrose Room, Mount Congreve

The festival concludes with a rich programme of music for piano, horn, and wind ensemble.

The programme includes:

• Florence Price – Adoration, arranged for horn and piano
• W.A. Mozart – Quintet for piano and winds
• Paul Hindemith – Wind Quintet
• Jean Françaix – Wind Quintet No. 1
• Jean Françaix – L’Heure du Berger for piano and wind quintet

Performers include Hannah Miller, Billy O’Brien, Ben Marshall, Macdara Ó Seireadáin, Greg Crowley, Maxime Alberti and Silvija Scerbaviciute.

Book tickets for the Closing Concert