Performers

The Amstel Quartet
It’s been almost a decade since the Amstel Quartet blew its first notes. Since then, the four young and enthusiastic saxophonists who make up the ensemble have built an international reputation in the world of chamber music, and beyond.

The repertoire of the Amstel Quartet is original, its performances personal. From the mystery of Bach’s Second Cello Suite in D to Michael Nyman’s theme for the film, The Piano, the four saxophones unleash a new energy with each arrangement. The Amstel Quartet has the technical confidence to tackle the most difficult piece from Iannis Xenakis and the versatility to collaborate with artists from other disciplines – such as dance, musical theatre, mime and cinema.

Adaptations and arrangements by members of the Amstel Quartet have won recognition and praise by many composers – György Ligeti, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, P?teris Vask and Arvo Pärt to name but a few. And they’ve brought new life to old saxophone compositions, such as the infrequently performed Quartet by Tristan Keuris.

Maria McGarry
Fresh from the success of her recent Wigmore Hall debut, Irish pianist, Maria McGarry, enjoys a flourishing international career. Performing regularly in major venues of Europe, North America and Asia, she has received consistent praise from critics for her intuitive musicianship, depth of interpretation and uniquely personal style. She was one of only two pianists world-wide to receive the coveted Artist Diploma in Performance from the Juilliard School in 2003. Awarded the Liam Walsh Bursary for Professional Irish Artists

A busy schedule of recent Irish appearances included the National Concert Hall’s Debut Recitalist 2002, an honour afforded to one Irish musician each year, her performance was met with much critical acclaim.

Maria made her concert debut at the age of six and shortly afterwards was awarded an entrance scholarship to the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Her teachers and mentors include Dr. Yoheved Kaplinsky, Dr. John O’Conor, Pnina Salzmann and Therese Fahy. Recipient of the Briscoe Cup for the most outstanding student of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in 2000, she holds Master and Bachelor degrees in Music Performance with first class honours from the Royal Irish Academy of Music/Dublin City University

Cathal Roche
Irish saxophonist Cathal Roche is described by the Improvised Music Company as ‘increasingly original’ and has featured as a soloist with the Fuzzylogic Ensemble, RISE saxophone quartet, RTE Vanbrugh String Quartet, ZoiD Ensemble, Kai Big Band and Awkward Silence. As a composer, Roche often incorporates recorded speech into his work, something he picked up from lessons with jazz pianist Jason Moran at the School for Improvisational Music, New York City in 2004.

Never one to accept boundaries of genre or instrument he collaborated in 2007 with the Irish composer Ian Wilson and the RTE Vanbrugh String Quartet on ‘re:play’ (2007) an improvisational work which used quarter-tone fingerings on tenor saxophone to better emulate the melodies of speech intonation. He has also built a set of quarter-tone tubular bells for a new speech project with UK drummer Stu Ritchie which is on exhibition at Roscommon Art’s Centre until August 23rd.

Cathal prefers to work with composers who are comfortable with the idea of an improviser performing their work. “I believe that this helps bring the composer into the performance”. This year he premiered improvisational music by Irish composers Daniel Jacobson, Dylan Reinhart, Ian Wilson, Simon Jermyn and Hugh O’Neil. He also enjoys working with composers who explore an idiomatic saxophone sound language such as Christian Lauba.
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