Irish Chamber Orchestra is Ireland’s most dynamic ensemble. Mixing traditional repertoire with new commissions and collaborating with everyone from DJs to dance companies, ICO pushes the boundaries of what a chamber orchestra can do. These days, you are as likely to find us at the Electric Picnic as Mozartfest, but wherever we perform, the ICO delivers world-class concerts feted for their energy and style.

Each year, Ireland’s busiest chamber ensemble presents concert seasons in Limerick and Dublin, embarks on two national tours, and makes a series of prestigious international appearances supported by Culture Ireland. Our Artistic Committee works closely with our Artistic Partners to devise exciting, diverse, and innovative programmes, mixing standard repertoire with new work – often specially commissioned – from the best young Irish composers. This versatile approach enables us to appeal to music fans of every stripe while upholding the highest artistic standards.

The driving force behind ICO’s last decade of success has been its Principal Conductor/Artistic Partner Jörg Widmann, a composer, conductor, and clarinettist whose irrepressible energy and pursuit of excellence has enabled the ICO to expand its horizons, attracting outstanding international performers such as Thomas Zehetmair, Henning Kraggerud, Florian Donderer, Brett Dean, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Sean Shibe, Tabea Zimmermann, Igor Levit, and Elisabeth Leonskaja. Throughout the past decade, ICO has performed at leading concert halls and festivals across Europe, the U.S.A., and South America. ICO released a series of acclaimed recordings on the prestigious Orfeo and Alpha Classics labels. ICO was the first Irish Orchestra to complete a three-year residency at Heidelberger Frühling and is currently orchestra-in-residence at Kilkenny Arts Festival.

Celebrated Austrian Violinist Thomas Zehetmair was appointed Principal Conductor/Artistic Partner in May 2022 for a three-year term. Zehetmair’s enthusiasm and commitment is matched by the orchestra itself, led by the ebullient Katherine Hunka, and comprises of 22 outstanding musicians. ICO’s special rapport, forged by over 20 years of playing – and sometimes singing! – together, creates the unique sound that has captivated audiences all over the world.

Praised by the German music critic Marie-Louise Funk as “an inspiration beyond excellence, beyond time and space” (Die Rheinpfalz), Soo-Jung Ann has been crossing, expanding and recreating the boundaries of music.

Ann established her career as a major pianist by winning numerous prizes at reputable International Piano Competitions: first prize at the 5th International Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn (2013), Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli prize of the Piano Academy in Eppan (2013) and first prize at the Concurs Maria Canals of Barcelona (2012). A multi-award winning South Korean pianist based in Europe, she has since been a leading force of 21st century classical music internationally, performing widely across Germany, Italy, Austria, France and Ireland and with major orchestras such as Klassische Bonn Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Kracow Philharmonic Orchestra, Macedonia Philharmonic Orchestra, Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra, Rzeszow Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Madrid Symphony Orchestra, Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona Catalan Valles Symphony Orchestra and Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Much loved and appreciated by both the public and the music community, Ann has received favourable reviews and media attention not only for her technical excellence and rigour, but also for her delicate and profound interpretation of music that balances between raw physicality and nuanced spirituality of human emotions. Since winning first prize at the
Beethoven Competition in Bonn, Ann has been acclaimed as the next Beethoven specialist following the legendary pianist Prof. John O’Conor. Her ability to transport the audience into an emotionally engaging world of music, one that transcends borders of all kind, marks Ann as a jewel of her generation.

Wicklow-born pianist Fiachra Garvey is possessed of a maturity and profound understanding of his art, which when combined with his infectious enthusiasm for music-making, has already captivated audiences in concert halls across Europe and beyond.First prizewinner at the 2012 Jaques Samuel Competition, London, Fiachra Garvey, ARAM, has performed in venues from the Fazioli Auditorium in Italy to London’s Wigmore Hall. He has also been a prizewinner at AXA Dublin International Piano Competition (Brennan Prize and McCullough Bursary), EU Piano Competition Prague (concerto finalist), and 3rd Soirees-Concours Internationales de Piano a Collioure, France (Audience award).

The National Concert Hall Dublin awarded Fiachra the “Rising Star” prize in 2011, which subsequently led to a series of concerto and solo debuts.Fiachra’s concerto appearances include Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Janáček Philharmonic, Tchaikovsky and Poulenc with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Grieg with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Prokofiev No. 3 with the RIAM Symphony Orchestra and Grieg with the Hibernian Orchestra, working with eminent conductors including John Wilson, Duncan Ward, Theodore Kuchar, Stephen Bell and Mihhail Gerts.

Recent highlights include the first classical recital at Google Dublin, a series of solo and two-piano recitals in Japan, a tour of China during which Fiachra gave masterclasses at the Beijing Conservatory of Music, as well as appearances at Spoleto Festival Italy, Wexford Opera, Brighton Festival, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and The Geneva Festival, Switzerland.

Fiachra’s debut CD For the Piano, on the RTÉ lyric FM label “brings a deep and infectious enthusiasm, combined with insight and technical comfort.” (Sunday Times). His second CD is a live performance from Wigmore Hall. Fiachra is the Founder and Artistic Director of the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival and Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Classical Vauxhall.

He is hugely grateful for the support he has received from the Arts Council (Professional Development Award 2020) and the Wicklow Arts Office (Artist Award Scheme 2020).

When not performing, Fiachra loves nothing more than returning home to help on the family farm with the yearly lambing, dipping, shearing, harvesting and all the other elegant and refined activities on the farm! Fiachra feels this makes him a more inspired and fulfilled musician.