Published: Wednesday, 11th November, 2009 5:00pm

Renowned Irish duo to play Tullynally

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The Great Hall at Tullynally Castle, Castlepollard is expected to draw one of its larger crowds on Saturday night of next week, November 14, when renowned Irish musicians Hugh Tinney and Catherine Leonard take centre stage.

Tinney (piano) and Leonard (violin), who have toured extensively together and collaborated on numerous projects - most notably a recording of Beethoven's poetic Kreutzer Sonata - will star in a concert expected to bring around 150 people to Tullynally's intimate surrounds.

Next weekend's programme begins with Beethoven's Violin Sonata in E-flat major (Op. 12, no. 3), followed by Claude Debussy's Violin Sonata in G minor, L140.As a duo with an appreciation of contemporary Irish composers, it's no surprise that Deirdre McKay's Variation on a Theme of Hamilton Harty is also on the programme, following interval refreshments.The evening will end with a recital of Beethoven's Sonata in G Major (Op. 96).

Catherine Leonard, described by the Irish Times as "Ireland's leading violinist", is a regular guest at some of Ireland's most prominent festivals and recital series, such as the West Cork Chamber Music Festival.She is a principal artist for the California-based chamber ensemble, Camerata Pacifica. Her most recent chamber music collaborations saw her work with Mullingar-born soprano, Ailish Tynan, among other artists.

Award-winning pianist Hugh Tinney is a professor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, a veteran of the BBC Proms, and in the past, he has worked with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and other prestigious ensembles.

In 1983, he was the winner of first prize in the International Ettore Pozzoli Piano Competition in Italy, and he has since performed at numerous festivals and concerts throughout Europe.

Admission to the concert - which is presented by the Derravaragh Music Association - is €20 per person, and tickets are available locally.