Events and Tickets
National Symphony Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra has been at the centre of Ireland’s cultural life for 75 years. Formerly the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, it was founded in 1948 as the Raidió Éireann Symphony Orchestra. In 2022, the Orchestra transferred from RTÉ to the remit of the National Concert Hall.
Resident orchestra of the National Concert Hall since its opening in 1981, it is a leading force in Irish musical life through year-long programmes of live music – ranging from symphonic, choral and operatic to music from stage and screen, popular and traditional music, and new commissions – alongside recordings, broadcasts on RTÉ and internationally through the European Broadcasting Union. Its innovative educational projects and mentoring scheme for young musicians extends the orchestra’s reach.
Since making his debut as Chief Conductor in 2019, Jaime Martín has broadened the orchestra’s repertoire and responded to the Covid-19 pandemic with an admired series of live-streamed concerts that reached new audiences at home and abroad. The NSO’s acclaimed catalogue of recordings – on the RTÉ lyric fm, Naxos, BIS and Toccata Classics labels among others – include core works by Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn and Nielsen, the complete symphonies of Malcolm Arnold, and Composers of Ireland, a landmark series co-funded by RTÉ and The Arts Council. Other major recordings include Robert O’Dwyer’s Irish-language opera Eithne (in partnership with Irish National Opera), José Serebrier’s Symphonic BACH Variations, the world premiere of Gerald Barry’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (co-commissioned by RTÉ and English National Opera).
Recent significant events include a concert presentation of Raymond Deane’s The Alma Fetish in association with the National Concert Hall, Mary Black Orchestrated, and the Irish premieres of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and John Adams’ Nixon in China with Wide Open Opera. Film and television scores include composer-conductor Michael Giacchino’s Lost in Concert and directors John Boorman’s Queen and Country and Lenny Abrahamson’s The Little Stranger. The 2022/2023 season saw the NSO celebrate its own 75th birthday and Ireland’s 50 years in the European Union, and make long-overdue returns to Cork, Galway, Waterford and Wexford.
With more than 30 concerts and assorted events for families and schools, the 2023/24 season includes concerts in Dublin, Limerick, Waterford and Galway, with Jaime Martín conducting nine concerts, including the season’s curtain raiser, Berlioz’s spectacular Symphonie fantastique, and its finale, Verdi’s towering Requiem. A highlight promises to be his reuniting with flamenco virtuoso Rebeca Sanchez for their return to Falla’s flamenco-infused El amor brujo (Love, the Magician), a huge hit when streamed during the pandemic lockdown.
The season will see debut appearances by mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and pianist Wayne Marshall, with a host of top-tier conductors and musicians returning, including conductors Marin Alsop, Maxim Vengerov, Leonard Slatkin, Mihhail Gerts and Anja Bihlmaier, soprano Danielle de Niese, pianists Gabriela Montero and Barry Douglas, and violinist Ray Chen. Making their NSO debuts are exciting new talents violinists Karen Gomyo and Leia Zhu, and conductor, Julio García-Vico.
The cream of Irish artists will be in plentiful abundance, with appearances by sopranos Ailish Tynan, Celine Byrne and Claudia Boyle, mezzo-sopranos Niamh O’Sullivan and Paula Murrihy, tenor Gavan Ring, baritone Benjamin Russell, pianist Finghin Collins, Mark Redmond on uilleann pipes, Catriona Ryan and Emer McDonough on flute, harpist Tríona Marshall, vocalist Rita Connolly, and conductor David Brophy.
Irish composers also feature prominently, with music by Irene Buckley and Linda Buckley, Siobhán Cleary and Ina Boyle, two NSO commissioned world premieres by Brian Byrne and Shaun Davey, and the Irish premiere of Gerald Barry’s double bass concerto, From The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant.
The season’s other premiere is the first performance in Europe of Australian composer Joe Chindamo’s trombone concerto, Ligeia. In the centenary year of his death, Dublin-born Charles Villiers Stanford is remembered in the three-concert series, Stanford 100, and we celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Royal Irish Academy of Music
Do you want to work with the orchestra
If you are interested in working with the orchestra as a deputy musician, please email your CV to the Orchestra Manager, Debbra Walters
Meet the Orchestra
Get to know the people behind the instruments of the National Symphony Orchestra…
Elaine Clark leader, violin
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
1996
What do you enjoy most about being in the NSO?
Playing the best symphonic music with wonderful colleagues and friends.
Who is your favourite composer, and what is your favourite work?
I love playing Mahler and Richard Strauss. Mahler’s Second Symphony, the Resurrection, would be up there as one of my favourites.
What do you enjoy doing away from the NSO?
Reading, sea-swimming, gardening.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?
I’d like to be a counsellor or psychotherapist. I’m interested in people’s stories,
What is your greatest achievement?
Raising a family while having a career. I am enormously proud of my two daughters, now aged 21 and 18.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
I can’t decide between ‘Don’t take anything personally’ and ‘Pick your battles’!
Who is your musical idol?
The artistry of Cecelia Bartoli is astounding. I would love to hear her live.
David Atcheler sub principal, horn
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
1985
Where did you study?
Royal Academy of Music, London
Why did you choose to play your instrument?
I didn’t. It chose me. When my grandfather died, we were clearing out his garage and found an old tenor horn which he used to play in the fire brigade band. I took it into school one day and the music teacher suggested I take lessons. Which I did.
What is your favourite NSO memory?
Funnily enough, it occurred on my first day in Studio 1 out in RTÉ. The orchestra tuned and then suddenly started playing the first piece all by itself, or so I thought. Unseen by me was the diminutive conductor who I couldn’t see due to the distance between me and the rostrum. An orchestra that can play by itself. Now that’s clever, I thought, as a young 22-year-old!
Who is your favourite composer, and what is your favourite work?
Mahler. And any of his symphonies. He writes so well for the horn.
What do you enjoy doing away from the NSO?
Gardening. I have a large garden in the Wicklow mountains and there are always endless jobs to do. I recently acquired a greenhouse so can spend hours pottering away in there.[Text Wrapping Break]I also love living in the mountains and enjoy walks to see the amazing wildlife that surrounds me.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
My horn teacher at college told me if I wanted to get a horn job to always go for the Fourth Horn seat as it will prolong your career. I did, and it proved wise advice!
Bernard Reilly sub principal 1, percussion
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
I grew up in this orchestra with many contracts over the years. I became a member in 2017.
Where did you study?
Dublin and London
What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
Doing what I love – and I am so lucky to able to do that.
What do you most enjoy about being in the NSO?
Playing great music with talented people!
Why did you choose to play your instrument?
Percussion offers so many different instruments and techniques. There is always something new to learn.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you most like to do?
I’d run a boutique hotel in Andalucía…. saving that for later in life!
What is your greatest achievement – musical or otherwise?
Composing and conducting my own music in Paris, Berlin and Madrid.
Magdalena Kowalska, second violin
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
2006
Where did you study?
Poland
What do you most enjoy about being in the NSO?
Working with talented musicians.
Who is your favourite composer?
My favourites are Mahler’s symphonies, the greatest creations, extraordinarily rich, both orchestrally and thematically, especially the Fifth. It is his most famous because of its fourth movement, an Adagietto scored only for strings and harp. A beautiful love letter to his wife, Alma.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing with the orchestra?
In my free time I like travelling, being active, going to the gym and meeting with friends.
What was the last book/podcast/TV series you really loved?
I enjoyed watching Maestro on Netflix, starring Bradley Cooper as West Side Story composer Leonard Bernstein. It is all about the great loves of his life: music and his wife.
Sinéad Farrell, principal piccolo
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
2008
What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
I trusted my gut and was blessed to have parents who supported following dreams, so I took a chance and went for a career doing what I loved most.
What do you most enjoy about being in the NSO?
I love working with such amazing colleagues and friends. The NSO is very special to me. I idolised it growing up, and still do..
Tell us your favourite NSO story/memory so far.
My very first concert was incredible. I’d spent a long time dreaming about getting a job in an orchestra, so I couldn’t believe it when it actually happened, in my home town. The Rite of Spring was on the program that night and I was completely blown away. I’ll never forget it.
Do you have any pre-concert rituals or superstitions?
Try to stay calm, not over think things, trust in the preparation and go for it!
Who is your favourite composer and what is your favourite work?
I love Shostakovich, you can’t resist him as a piccolo player! Also adore Bach, Ravel, Puccini, Mozart (just sublime), Rachmaninov for the romance and Copland for reflection. There’s really always something for every mood. It’s too difficult to chose a favourite work.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing with the orchestra?
I love sport and have to keep moving. I go through different phases but horse riding has always been a passion and I’m a huge animal lover. I adore dressage and have a horse called Ella. I also love swimming in the sea, running, yoga and will give any sport a try.
What is your greatest achievement?
Feeling truly content in my life and being blessed with so many wonderful people and pets around me.
Fintan Sutton, principal bass clarinet
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
1987
Why did you choose to play your instrument?
Actually, I wanted to play trumpet but my parents weren’t too keen as I think they thought it would be too loud. So I took up the clarinet.
What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
When I left school I worked in a bank for four years. But I didn’t want to spend my life working in banking so I auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music in London. I was lucky to get a position in the NSO shortly after finishing my studies.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received – either musical or general?
Find something you enjoy and work hard at it. .
Do you have any secret talents?
I enjoy a good ballad session!
You’re stranded on a desert island. You’re allowed 3 CDs. What would they be, and why?
Christy Moore Collection: I used to go hear him play in the Baggot Inn when I was young; Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band: an amazing Big Band; Tom Waits’ Closing Time: he’s his own man and a great performer.
If you could have dinner with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be, and why?
Nelson Mandela. He was amazing man who had a very interesting life.
David Clark, first violin
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
1993.
Why did you choose to play your instrument?
My brother brought home a violin as he was starting in a Suzuki group at school. Anything he did, I wanted to do as well.
What is your favourite NSO story/memory?
Driving towards the Alps in the evening sunlight with my future wife (NSO viola) on the way to a concert in Innsbruck. First time I’d been in the Alps; I’d met her family for the first time in Germany before we set off on the drive. We stopped over in a mountain guest house, had a morning walk up to the snow level on the mountain track. Don’t remember much about the concert though!
What is the best piece of advice you ever received – either musical or general?
Find something My violin teacher told me read The Inner Game of Tennis. It discusses the importance of the mental aspect of performance under pressure, and also in the learning process.
What is your greatest achievement, musical or general?
I tried to be there for others when times were hard.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing with the orchestra
Tennis. I’ll play any chance I get. I’m very much a late starter, so lots of room for improvement.
If you could have dinner with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be, and why?
Willie Miller, former captain Aberdeen FC, to get the inside story of the glory days of Aberdeen in the 1980s.
Bethan Watkeys, principal french horn
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
1st March, 2006.
Why did you choose to play your instrument?
I always wanted to play the trumpet like my dad. But he said it was not a good idea to have two trumpet players in one house, so I chose the next best thing: the French horn, which actually turned into the best thing!
What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
I didn’t decide, it chose me! I loved playing music so I practiced really hard and managed to get a place in music college. Then I started auditioning for orchestras. I never dreamed I would actually get a job!
What do you enjoy most about being in the NSO?
I get to do my most favourite thing every day.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing with the orchestra
Spending time with my family. Either a forest walk or on the beach. We have such an amazing choice in this country.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you most like to be?
I would be working with children. I love their enthusiasm for life.
What is your greatest achievement, musical or general?
Having my two children Molly and Ben.
What was the last book/podcast/TV series you really loved?
Strictly come Dancing and The Great British Bake Off. I actually applied to be on the Irish Bake Off!
You’re stranded on a desert island. You’re allowed 3 CDs and 1 book. What would they be, and why?
I am a massive fan of Joe Stilgoe, ‘We look to the stars’ is a favourite one for me; Mika’s Life in Cartoon Motion; West End musicals I love singing and dancing in the kitchen with my mad family. My book would be Harry Potter. I just love it.
Claudie Driesen, first violin
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
September 2009.
Where did you study?
I studied in Belgium, Germany and Scotland.
What do you enjoy most about being in the NSO?
When we play a really good concert, sometimes with a fantastic soloist, it still gives me goosebumps.
Who is your favourite composer and what is your favourite work?
J.S. Bach, and his Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Always try to be yourself.
What is your greatest achievement, musical or general?
I think one of my greatest achievements has been having resilience – having the strength to maintain a positive attitude, and find new purpose through difficult times in life.
If you could have dinner with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be, and why?
It would be with someone who I could have a stimulating conversation
with, someone who could teach me something new, and someone
who would make me laugh. Maybe Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or the Dutch comedian, Toon Hermans.
You’re stranded on a desert island. You’re allowed 3 CDs and 1 book. What would they be, and why?
A book ‘How to build a boat step by step’ so I can build one to get off the island! One of the CDs would definitely be Opera Proibita by Cecilia Bartoli.
Sebastian Liebig, principal violin
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
2005.
Tell us your favourite NSO story/memory so far.
There are a few… one of them is when we performed a Mozart symphony and, just before the downbeat of the second movement, in complete silence, my belly made a very loud noise. At that moment the conductor paused with his hands mid-air and hesitated, and my colleagues on both side of me nearly choked trying not to laugh!
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing with the orchestra?
Spending time with my family and dog, reading, watching movies, learning new things.
What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
I had no choice. My parents were musicians!
Who is your musical idol?
I have a few, but if I had to choose just one, then David Oistrakh.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received – musical or general?
Try always to be kind and respectful.
You’re stranded on a desert island. You’re allowed 3 CDs and 1 book. What would they be, and why?
Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Schubert’s Quintet for Two Cellos, music from the movie Top Gun. Book: How to Survive on a Desert Island.
Violetta-Valérie Muth, string sub-principal cello
When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?
2005.
Why did you choose to play your instrument?
I started to play piano. String instruments fascinated me because there are no keys. It seemed a mystery to me. Cello is the most versatile of all the string instruments but I wasn’t thinking of that when I started. I was very proud on the street to carry around that big instrument.
What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
I loved it more than anything else.
Who is your favourite composer, and what is your favourite work?
I don’t have favourites, but I like Tchaikovsky a lot. I generally prefer music with lovely tunes that moves the heart. I’m not so keen on experimental music
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing with the orchestra?
Teaching music, and specifically the cello, as I find it a challenge to be a good teacher and to find a solution for another person. Other than that, I like going into nature and going jogging, meeting friends who are not necessarily musicians. I also like cooking, baking and eating good food, spending time with the family.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received – musical or general?
If you want to be really prepared for an audition you have to be able to play perfectly at 4am in the morning.
Do you have any secret talents?
Besides the piano I also learned to sing. I like it very much but it’s hard to keep it going besides a busy life.
