RTÉ Concert Orchestra July/August 2025

Mari Samuelsen joining the RTÉ Concert Orchestra to perform Max Richter’s Vivaldi Recomposed and more in Galway and Dublin

Guy Barker’s Soho Symphony, with narrator Don Wycherley

A focus on female composers in concerts on 12 and 26 August, part of the lunchtime concert series presented by Liz Nolan and live on RTÉ lyric fm

A Bee Gees night, a Baroque lunchtime and a musical exploration of Big Band through the ages, featuring a world first arrangement of Port na bPúcaí

Tchaikovsky and Richard Strauss with conductor Anna Sułkowska-Migoń, winner of the prestigious La Maestra competition

All on the way from the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in July and August – please see below for full details.

RTÉ Concert Orchestra July/August 2025

GIAF: RTÉ Concert Orchestra & Mari Samuelsen

Sunday 27 July, 6pm
Heineken® Big Top, Galway
Superstar Norwegian violinist Mari Samuelsen joins the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for what promises to be an unforgettable evening at the Heineken® Big Top.
Known for her dynamic artistry and genre-blurring performances, Samuelsen will perform Max Richter’s Vivaldi Recomposed –The Four Seasons, a bold reimagining of Vivaldi’s classic that has captivated audiences worldwide. Richter’s work is both familiar and strikingly new — brought vividly to life through Samuelsen’s expressive interpretation and the lush sound of the orchestra.
The programme will also include pieces by contemporary composers such as Bryce Dessner (The National), Hania Rani and Arvo Pärt, offering a rich and emotional journey through modern classical music.
With her fearless approach to programming and her breathtaking technique, Samuelsen continues to inspire global audiences with performances that are as daring as they are moving.
Programme
Bryce Dessner Song for Octave
Jóhann Jóhannsson Cambridge, 1963 from The Theory of Everything
Meredi White Flowers Take Their Bath
Olivia Belli Sapias
Hania Rani Glass
Nils Frahm Hammers
Arvo Pärt Fratres
Max Richter She Remembers from The Leftovers
Uno Helmersson Timelapse
Max Richter Vivaldi Recomposed
Tickets: €30–€35, here.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Galway International Arts Festival and Róisín Dubh

RTÉ Concert Orchestra Summer Lunchtime: Mari Samuelsen

Tuesday 29 July, 1.05pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Mari Samuelsen violin/director
Presented by Liz Nolan, RTÉ lyric fm
Norwegian superstar Mari Samuelsen, an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, is an inspirational performer, a phenomenon with both traditional and newer audiences. After giving stunning concerts to packed audiences in Dublin and Kilkenny last year, she and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra join forces once more for a Summer Lunchtime of Max Richter and Arvo Pärt, with Samuelsen directing from the violin.
In his 2012 reimagining of The Four Seasons, Richter aimed to reclaim the Vivaldi piece and make people fall in love with it again – the incredible impact of Recomposedis a testament to his success.
Samuelsen and Richter are regular collaborators; he says of her: ‘Apart from being a wonderful violinist, Mari has an instinctive understanding of my compositional world and an uncanny ability to communicate my intentions.’ The two joined the RTÉ CO at All Together Now in 2023, while Samuelsen performed Recomposedwith the RTÉ CO to packed audiences at the NCH and at Kilkenny Arts Festival in 2024.
To open the concert, Arvo Pärt’s mesmerising, much-loved Fratres.
Programme
Arvo Pärt Fratres
Max Richter Vivaldi Recomposed
Tickets: €25, here.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Big Band Evolution

Friday 1 August, 7.30pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra Big Band
Cormac McCarthy piano/director
Dana Masters vocalist
Join the RTÉ Concert Orchestra Big Band for a musical exploration of Big Band through the ages, from Basie to Brookmeyer.
Big Band Evolution will be directed from the piano by Cormac McCarthy, ‘one of the rising stars of European jazz piano’ (The Irish Times) and will feature Dana Masters, ‘a jazz singer of real note . . . will long be remembered for the exceptional quality of her voice’ (All About Jazz).
The evening will bring us from the groundbreaking roots of Fletcher Henderson, credited with forming the first big band orchestra in New York City in the ’20s, to the modern brilliance of Maria Schneider, former student of Bob Brookmeyer.
The first half of the concert will take the audience on a journey from TheHenderson Stomp to some iconic Duke Ellington charts including Black and Tan Fantasy and Cormac McCarthy’s own arrangement of I Got it Bad (And That Ain’t Good),through classic Basie, Bill Holman and more. The second half will reflect the lineage from Bob Brookmeyer to Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue.
As the son of flautist Johnny McCarthy, Cormac grew up surrounded by traditional music and this evening will feature a very special world premiere, his new arrangement of Port na bPúcaí with RTÉ CO trombonist Michael Marshall as soloist.
Don’t miss this roaring celebration of Harlem ballrooms and concert halls, taking us on a journey from Dixieland to swinging jazz orchestra at its finest.
Tickets: €15–€42.50, here.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Tchaikovsky & Strauss

Friday 8 August, 7.30pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Anna Sułkowska-Migoń conductor
Suzie Thorn oboe
Join the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for an evening of Tchaikovsky and Strauss under the baton of Anna Sułkowska-Migoń, winner of the prestigious LA Maestra competition in Paris in 2022.
The evening begins with Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, which vividly captures the passion, drama, and tragedy of Shakespeare’s timeless tale – an overture now iconic across film soundtracks and popular culture.
RTÉ CO Principal Oboe Suzie Thorn then takes centre stage for Richard Strauss’ Oboe Concerto, a work of exquisite elegance from his late creative period.
This rich Romantic programme concludes with the Tchaikovsky’s powerful Symphony No. 5. During its composition, he questioned, ‘Shall I throw myself in the embraces of faith?’ – faith and fate are in dialogue throughout the symphony.
Programme
Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Strauss Oboe Concerto
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
Tickets: €15–€42.50, here.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

RTÉ Concert Orchestra Summer Lunchtime: Anoesjcka DeLorenzo

Tuesday 12 August, 1.05pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Guy Barker conductor
Presented by Liz Nolan, RTÉ lyric fm
Join the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the legendary Guy Barker for a sweeping Summer Lunchtime celebrating female composers, including rising star Anoesjcka DeLorenzo. DeLorenzo composes pictorial, emotive music reflecting the human condition; each piece is an internal journey with endless possibilities.
The programme also shines a light on trailblazing women composers from the 20th century, such as Bernice Petkere (1901–2000), hailed by Irving Berlin as the ‘Queen of Tin Pan Alley’, and Lil Hardin Armstrong (1898–1971), jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer and bandleader, known for Bad Boy, a hit for the Jive Bombers in 1957, and Just for a Thrill, revived by Ray Charles in 1959.
Tickets: €15, here.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

A Night in Soho

Friday 15 August, 7.30pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Guy Barker conductor
Don Wycherley narrator
Inspired by the vibrant musical life of Soho, jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger Guy Barker brings his cinematic flair to his Soho Symphony a piece shaped by the places, people and ghosts of the storied London district.
At the heart of Soho Symphony is a short story by Robert Ryan (Underdogs, Early One Morning, Dead Man’s Land), loosely inspired byUlysses, narrated here by Don Wycherley(Father Ted, Michael Collins, Sing Street). It follows a young man who, after missing a date, spends 24 hours wandering Soho’s streets, in an odyssey portrayed through frantic, melancholic and offbeat musical themes. Our hero, the flâneur, wakes in his Fitzrovia flat before embarking on his journey. Along the way, he encounters Jeffrey Bernard, livid after being barred from the infamous Colony Room, then drifts into a bluesy 12/8 section evoking another Soho – the legendary music clubs of the era, like The Flamingo and Georgie Fame’s all-night R&B sessions. Blending blues, jazz and cyclical storytelling, Soho Symphony is a sonic exploration of romance, disillusionment, and self-reflection in London’s most iconic musical quarter.
Other pieces in the Soho-infused programme include a Ronnie Scott’s medley, evoking the spirit of the jazz club since its opening in 1959; John Barry’s first ever film score, composed for Beat Girl, a 1960 film about a teenage girl who becomes embroiled in Soho’s beatnik scene; and the theme for Alfie (1966), composed by legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins at 3am one morning in Ronnie Scott’s.
Guy Barker, Associate Artist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, is one of the most highly respected artists in the music business. His career has moved through several distinct phases, from jazz soloist and sideman, through bandleader, composer and latterly one of the most in-demand arrangers in Europe, while also including forays into theatre and movies.  His distinctive trumpet sound can be heard across a wide range of genres, from instrumental jazz to the Great American Song Book to the classical, working with Gil Evans, Quincy Jones, Wynton Marsalis, John Dankworth, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Lena Horne, Liza Minnelli, Mel Tormé, Lesley Garrett, Willard White and many more.
The late Anthony Minghella, a long-time admirer, asked Guy to arrange music for two of his films, The Talented Mr Ripley (where he also appears in the band in the ‘Tu Vuò Fà l’Americano’ scene) and The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. He said of him: ‘Guy Barker is that rare thing – a brilliant soloist, a born leader and a generous accompanist. He can play so your heart breaks or your head swivels.’
Tickets: €15–€42.50, here.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra

RTÉ Concert Orchestra Summer Lunchtime: Baroque

Tuesday 19 August, 1.05pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Mia Cooper violin/director
Laoise O’Brien recorder
Presented by Liz Nolan, RTÉ lyric fm
Join the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for a Summer Lunchtime concert celebrating the brilliance and beauty of the Baroque era. Directed by RTÉ CO leader Mia Cooper, the programme ranges from the triumphant Prelude toTe Deum by Charpentier to the luminous serenity of Albinoni’s Adagio.
Virtuoso Laoise O’Brien is a passionate advocate for the recorder, championing the instrument through performing, teaching, broadcasting and recording. She takes centre stage as soloist for two rare gems: Graupner’s Recorder Concerto and Dieupart’s Concerto in A Minor for Flautino.
Two Baroque favourites to finish the concert, Gluck’s ethereal Dance of the Blessed Spirits  and Handel’s rousing Music for the Royal Fireworks.
Programme
Charpentier Prelude toTe Deum
Graupner Recorder Concerto in F
Albinoni Adagio
Dieupart Concerto in A Minor for Flautino
Gluck Dance of the Blessed Spirits
Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks
Tickets: €15, here.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Night Fever! Symphonic Bee Gees

Friday 22 August, 7.30pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Richard Balcombe conductor
Graham Bickley, Patrick Smyth, James Alexander Gibbs& Laura Tebbutt vocalists
Join the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, conductor Richard Balcombe and guest vocalists forNight Fever! Symphonic Bee Gees.
With legendary tunes like Tragedy, More Than a Woman, How Deep is Your Love, To Love Somebody, Stayin’ Alive, Massachusetts and Islands in the Stream.
A celebration of almost 70 years of the music of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, from pop-rock to disco.
Tickets: €15–€42.50, here.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and GRB Concerts.

RTÉ Concert Orchestra Summer Lunchtime: Horn Concerto

Tuesday 26 August, 1.05pm, National Concert Hall
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Stephen Bell conductor
Hannah Miller horn
Presented by Liz Nolan, RTÉ lyric fm
The final RTÉ Concert Orchestra Summer Lunchtime features an all-female composer line-up.
Anne Dudley is a musician, composer, arranger and producer whose work crosses the pop and classical worlds. Her Horn Concerto,Concitato, was actually composed for today’s conductor, RTÉ CO Principal Guest Conductor Stephen Bell, whose distinguished conducting career follows on from an equally notable career as a horn player. The soloist for this performance is Hannah Miller, Principal Horn with Irish National Opera. Also on the programme, Dudley’s Decadence Waltz, written for the BBC Singers Centenary Concert, and a movie music medley including Midnight in Sicily from Midnight Cowboy, reflecting the dozens of award-winning films and television shows for which Dudley has composed and produced scores.
Other composers whose works feature include Rachel Portman, the first female composer to win an Academy Award for the Best Original Score, and Debbie Wiseman. Dynamic and cinematic pieces in this programme include The Wild Geese by Ina Boyle (1889–1967), Northern Lights tribute Calling the Aurora by Christine Hals (featured soloist in Disney’s Frozen) and the kaleidoscopic Argentum by Dani Howard (b.1993).
Programme
Dani Howard Argentum
Rachel Portman Emma: End Titles
Anne Dudley Decadence Waltz
Debbie Wiseman Wilde: Main Theme
Ina BoyleThe Wild Geese
Anne Dudley Horn Concerto:Concitato
Christine Hals Calling the Aurora
Anne Dudley Midnight in Sicily
Tickets: €15, here.
Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.