The Fidelio Trio Winter Chamber Music Festival 2025 returns with three remarkable days of music, from Friday, 28th of November to Sunday, 30th of November 2025, bringing world-class chamber music performances to some of North Dublin’s most iconic settings. Presented by GlasDrum and curated by the internationally acclaimed ‘virtuosic Fidelio Trio’ (Sunday Times), this year’s festival celebrates dialogue across time and place: from the intimacy of Schumann’s Romanticism to the vitality of contemporary Irish composition, from the stillness of a tree seen through a window at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, to the vast, surging expanse of the wind and sea.
The festival opens on Friday, 28th of November, at the elegant Georgian Library room at eighteenth-century Belvedere House, DCU, with The Schumann Effect. The acclaimed Fidelio Trio are joined by Mahler Chamber Orchestra prinipal violist Joel Hunter for an evening devoted to the music of Clara and Robert Schumann. The programme includes Clara’s Piano Trio in G Minor, Three Romances for Violin and Piano, and Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann for Piano, alongside Robert’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major. Mary Dullea will also perform three contemporary works commissioned by ‘Finding a Voice Festival’ by Irish composers Rhona Clarke, Jane O’Leary and Marian Ingoldsby, reflecting on the opening theme of the second movement of Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio.
On Saturday, 29th of November, audiences are invited to a free lunchtime concert in the beautiful gallery space at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland. Especially apt for the occasion is the world premiere of Nick Roth’s Arts Council of Ireland funded commission of a new work for violin and cello, inspired by the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), which can be seen from the windows of the Visitor Centre where the concert will be held.This contemplative work is placed within a programme of Telemann Fantasias for solo violin and a Bach Cello Suite.
Saturday afternoon offers young composers the opportunity participate in a workshop to test the development of new works for piano trio. This is a private workshop offered in collaboration with the Fidelio Trio and the Contemporary Music Centre.
At 6.30pm there will be a free screening of Yorke Dance Project’s film of Kenneth MacMillan’s Sea of Troubles, ‘not to be missed’ (British Theatre Guide) which the Fidelio Trio provided the soundtrack for with music by Webern and Martinu. The film precedes the main evening concert which features In Three by acclaimed Northern Irish composer Simon Mawhinney. Framing Mawhinney’s piece are Haydn’s popular ‘Gypsy Rondo’ Trio, Felix Mendelssohn’s virtuosic Piano Trio No.1 and a Malay Pantoum Darragh Morgan and Mary Dullea recently performed in Kuala Lumpur by celebrated Malaysian composer, Tazul Tajuddin. Mawhinney will speak, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process.
The festival concludes on Sunday, 30th of November, with The Wind and Sea, a concert of elemental beauty and power. The programme features Chausson’s lyrical Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 3 and Mendelssohn-Hensel’s Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 34. The evening culminates in Debussy’s La Mer, heard in a brilliant arrangement by Sally Beamish.
This festival is an unmissable opportunity to experience world-class live performances in an intimate setting, right in the heart of Dublin. Whether you’re a lifelong classical fan or just looking for something extraordinary to do this winter, the Fidelio Trio Winter Chamber Music Festival promises to captivate, inspire, and delight.
Book your tickets now and be part of a weekend where tradition, innovation, and passion come together for a truly unforgettable experience
Tickets available from eventbrite.ie. Full programme available at this link.
The Fidelio Trio Winter Chamber Music Festival is brought to you by GlasDrum in partnership with Music at DCU, with funding from the Arts Council Festivals Investment Scheme. The event is supported by RTÉ Supporting the Arts, and the Saturday lunchtime concert at the National Botanic Gardens by the Office of Public Works.