The New Ross Piano Festival is an Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 festival of classical music

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 which takes place annually in the County Wexford

County Wexford

County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...

 town of New Ross

New Ross

New Ross is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. In 2006 it had a population of 7,709 people, making it the third largest town in the county after Wexford and Enniscorthy.-History:...

. The festival began in 2006 and features music for piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, whether as a solo instrument or as part of a chamber music

Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...

 ensemble.

Beginnings

The festival grew out of the activities of a group of local music enthusiasts, known as Music for New Ross. Since 1995 they had been organising live concerts in the New Ross area, which usually involved the hire of a grand piano. In 2005, they decided to develop a series of concerts around the hired piano and the idea of a festival was born. The first festival opened on 29 September 2006 with a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...

's Moonlight Sonata given by Hugh Tinney

Hugh Tinney

Hugh Tinney is an Irish pianist, born in 1958.-Biography:Tinney was a pupil at Gonzaga College, Dublin through the 1970s where he showed strong ability in mathematics and music. He also studied cello under Betty Barrett. He studied physics at Trinity College Dublin...

.

Organisation

The festival takes place over the course of four days at the end of September each year. The main venue is St. Mary's Church, New Ross. Since the festival began, the artistic director has been Irish pianist, Finghin Collins

Finghin Collins

Finghin Collins is an Irish pianist. He won first prize at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Vevey, Switzerland, in 1999, and has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras and conductors....

. His policy is to feature several of the guest pianists in each concert so audiences can experience the range of talent on offer without necessarily attending every event. As well as presenting established artists, the festival also provides opportunities for students and up-and-coming performers to take part in master class

Master class

A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also painting, drama, or any of the arts....

es and recitals.

Music and musicians

The festival encompasses a wide repertoire ranging from the baroque

Baroque music

Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...

 period to the twenty-first century. In 2011, a second grand piano was added and this allowed the inclusion of works for four and eight hands - in the latter case a transcription of Gioachino Rossini's William Tell Overture

William Tell Overture

The William Tell Overture is the instrumental introduction to the opera Guillaume Tell by Gioachino Rossini. William Tell premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he went into semi-retirement, although he continued to compose cantatas, sacred music and secular vocal...

.

A number of compositions have been premièred in New Ross. In 2009, Finghin Collins gave the first performance in Ireland of Bertrand Dubedout's Vrishti. The 2011 programme included the world première of Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

-born composer Stephen Gardner's Two Guys walk into a Piano Bar in a performance by Finghin Collins and Charles Owen.

Among the other artists who have played at the festival since its inception are Freddy Kempf

Freddy Kempf

Freddy Kempf is a British pianist born in Croydon to a German father and a Japanese mother. He now lives in Berlin.-Early career:He was educated at St Edmund's School, Canterbury and the Royal Academy of Music...

, John O'Conor

John O'Conor

John O'Conor is an Irish pianist and pedagogue, and former director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He is frequently cited as the greatest living interpreter of the piano music of Beethoven, having recorded his entire repertoire, including the sonatas, concerti, and bagatelles...

, Cristina Ortiz

Cristina Ortiz

-Biography:Born in Bahia, Brazil, Cristina Ortiz began her studies in her home country before moving to France with Magda Tagliaferro. Soon after finishing her studies in Paris, she won the first prize of the third edition of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition...

, and Kathryn Stott

Kathryn Stott

Kathryn Stott is a British classical pianist who performs as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Her specialities include the English and French classical repertoire, contemporary classical music and the tango...

.