Chairperson Welcomes Continued Support of Newry Chamber Music

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Cllr Pete Byrne has welcomed renewal of the Council’s partnership with Newry Chamber Music.

Formed by artistic director Joanne Quigley McParland and her brother David Quigley in 2004, Newry Chamber Music aim to present a wide variety of chamber music styles to their audiences. The group presents up to eight main series concerts a year across the district, providing world class chamber music and arts events. In addition, they provide a year round programme of educational work and concerts in care homes and hospitals.

The Council recently approved a £20,000 Service Level Agreement for the group to assist with its programme over the coming year.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Cllr Pete Byrne, said, “We are delighted to have been able to support Newry Chamber Music again this year as part of our support of the arts within the district. Newry Chamber Music works with young people on developing their skills and before Christmas fulfilled a programme of arts outreach to our local schools. I was privileged to attend the hugely successful Christmas Miscellany concert at Warrenpoint Town Hall. The event was a resounding success, bringing together over 70 local performers, including professionals from across the region and young people from Flynn Performing Arts and an enthusiastic audience of more than 340 attendees. This festive celebration of music and talent truly embodied the spirit of our community.

“Newry Chamber Music presents high quality chamber music to the people living in this area and we consider that their work through music contributes excellence to our arts programmes and towards our residents’ health and general wellbeing.”

Joanne Quigley McParland said support from the Council was vital to continued success of the organisation and would enable Newry Chamber Music to be able to access audiences that they would not be able to reach otherwise.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and we look forward to building on this partnership in the years to come,” said Joanne. “The positive impact of the arts on society is well documented. In our work, we see firsthand the immeasurable impact and joy live music brings to people’s lives, be that in schools, care homes, community centres or concert halls. We hope that we can continue to count on the Council’s support for future performances that bring our community closer together.”

Newry Chamber Music formed the Fews Ensemble in 2016, and it is comprised of some of the most highly respected musicians from throughout Europe, offering audiences the opportunity of hearing a wide range of chamber music featuring a variety of instrumentalists and singers.

Newry Chamber Music are also delighted to be the only northern Irish promoter of Music Network’s next country wide tour. The outstanding Japanese pianist Yukine Kuroki, fresh from her win at the Dublin International Piano Competition will perform in Warrenpoint Town Hall at 7.30pm on 13 March 2025.

This is a unique opportunity for local audiences to hear one of the biggest classical music stars of our age. Yukine will go on to perform at the leading concerts venues of the world later in 2025 including the Wigmore Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York.

Joanne Quigley McParland commented, “It is such a privilege for us to partner with Music Network and host Yukine Kuroki in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of music making. We are delighted that our dedicated audience will have the opportunity to hear her in Warrenpoint Town Hall which to my mind, is acoustically comparable with any of the great recital halls of the world. NCM are proud to be able to make this happen and to introduce Yukine to this part of the country. We hope she has a great experience here with us.”

Tickets are £20 for adults and £10 children (18 and under). Visit: www.newrychambermusic.org/concerts.html or email concerts@newrychambermusic.org.