Ortús Chamber Music Festival to take place across several venues in Cork city and county  

It's the 11th edition of the well-regarded festival 

Mairéad Hickey is one of the founders and performers at the Ortús Chamber Music Festival in Cork. 

Cork musician Mairéad Hickey leads the 2026 Ortús Chamber Music Festival over the next week in her native county, performing alongside a roster of other Irish and international musicians.

Artists joining the festival include French violinist David Moreau, violist Pierre Antoine Codron and pianist Jérémie Moreau, Dutch cellist Alexander Warenberg, Spanish double bassist Luis Cabrera, and Mexican lutenist Sergio Bucheli, together with Irish musicians Marja Gaynor (violin/viola), Aoife NicAthlaoich (cello) and Miriam Kaczor (flute).

Now in its 11th edition, the festival will take place in venues across Cork city, including the Aula Maxima at UCC, the MTU Cork School of Music, and St Peter’s Cork, alongside a programme of events in Cork county, with performances in Bantry, Tracton Arts Centre, and Dripsey Castle Estate.

Simon Aspell (viola) and Christopher Marwood (cello) are making special guest appearances, in recognition of their contribution to chamber music in Cork and beyond. The emerging Olympia Quartet and Meliora Quartet feature prominently across the programme, alongside violinist Yevlaliia Yershova, one of Ireland’s most exciting young soloists.

Festival Highlights include:

• Olympia Quartet in Concert (21 February, Marino Church, Bantry) featuring works by Debussy, Mendelssohn and Florence Price, showcasing one of Ireland’s most promising young ensembles 
• Ortús Festival Prizewinner’s Concert (25 February, St Peter’s Cork) with Yevlaliia Yershova and the Meliora Quartet, performing works by Biber, Paganini, Kreisler, Skoryk and Ravel 
• Ortús Aula Maxima Festival Concert (27 February) with Beethoven’s String Trio Op. 9 No. 3, Penderecki, Pierre Thilloy, and Schubert’s much-loved Trout Quintet 
• A Baroque afternoon concert at Tracton Arts & Community Centre (28 February) with Sergio Bucheli (lute) and Miriam Kaczor (Baroque flute), featuring music by Bach, Monteverdi and O’Carolan 
• An evening concert in the elegant ballroom of Dripsey Castle Estate (28 February) with music by Beethoven, Weinberg, Jane O’Leary and Brahms
• Family and children’s concerts in Bantry and Cork City, including lively, child-friendly performances designed to introduce young audiences to classical music 
• A Closing Concert at the MTU Cork School of Music (1 March), culminating in Strauss’ Metamorphosen for String Septet, alongside works by Mozart, Rachmaninov and Cork-born composer Linda Buckley

The Ortús Chamber Music Festival takes place in Cork city and county from Saturday February 21 - Sunday March 1.Tickets are on sale now from the festival website and from Pro Musica. See ortusfestival.ie