World-class guest artists arrive in the city for the 17th Walled City Music Festival, 13-16 March
10 March 2025
This week sees the return of the world-class Walled City Music Festival, bringing internationally renowned classical musicians and artists to the City of Derry to perform in a series of gala concerts in the Great Hall, Ulster University Magee.
The festival also features the best of home-grown talent with Cathal Breslin (piano and Co-Artistic Director), Gerard McChrystal (saxophone), the Hellas Ensemble, led by Martin Coyle (composer, Irish bouzouki) and TV/theatre actor Ruairi Conaghan.
Walled City Music welcomes music-lovers of all kinds to attend the concerts, which will present a feast of music ranging from the Baroque era to modern day new music.
Opening the festival on Thursday 13 March, Finghin Collins and Cathal Breslin will present a two-piano extravaganza featuring a celestial, atmospheric performance of Holst’s The Planets.
On Friday 14 March, the city will come alive with a trail of saxophone performances in The Sandwich Co, Richmond Centre, The Ebrington Hotel and the steps of the Guildhall, followed by a sublime concert featuring two of the world’s top saxophonists, Derry-born Gerard McChrystal and Christopher Creviston (USA), with Co-Artistic Director Sabrina Hu (flute) and Hannah Creviston (piano).
On Saturday 15 March, the festival has invited saxophone players and students from throughout the city to join in a saxophone jam session in the middle of Foyleside Shopping Centre at 1pm, led by Gerard McChrystal.
Saturday night will see Latvian rock musician turned virtuoso violinist, Kristine Balanas, perform a beautiful programme of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Ravel, and the final concert of the festival, at 2pm on Sunday 16 March, will feature the Derry-based Hellas Ensemble with a unique blend of music and poetry inspired by Seamus Heaney’s Sonnets from Hellas, narrated by TV/theatre actor Ruairi Conaghan.
Tickets and more information are available at www.walledcitymusic.com.