University Concert Hall hosts an exceptional summer solstice weekend, bringing together world-class orchestras, a celebrated soprano and the pipes and bands of the Irish Defence Forces.
Limerick Summer Proms takes over the University Concert Hall from Thursday June 19 to Saturday June 21, marking the summer solstice with three evenings of live orchestral music.
Now firmly established as one of the highlights of the city’s cultural calendar, this year’s Proms brings together the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and the Military Pipes and Bands of the Defence Forces for a weekend of exceptional live music.
UCH Director Sinéad Hope said the festival had grown into something far greater than a music event. “Limerick Summer Proms has become more than a music festival,” she said. “It’s a celebration of who we are — a city proud of its heritage, creativity and inclusiveness.”
The three-night programme opens on Friday June 19 with the Irish Chamber Orchestra presenting French Reverie, a programme of beloved works by Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie and Maurice Ravel, alongside an elegy by Katherine Hunka.
Saturday June 20 sees the RTÉ Concert Orchestra take to the stage for Pet Sounds Live, performing the iconic Beach Boys album in full with a cast of vocalists under the baton of conductor Richard Balcombe — described as a rare opportunity to hear the record reimagined with full orchestral arrangement.
The festival closes on Sunday June 21, the longest day of the year, with A Summer Celebration, featuring the Combined Bands of the Irish Defence Forces, led by Captain Ben Jacob, alongside acclaimed Irish soprano Claudia Boyle in a programme of Irish favourites, military marches and operatic classics, rounded off by a performance from the Pipes of the Irish Defence Forces.
Tickets for all three evenings are available through the University Concert Hall box office.