MusicConnects (previously Galway Music Residency ) has announced its 2026 season, which begins this February.
Highpoints include the international premieres of new works by Irish composers Judith Ring and Ronan Guilfoyle.
This year’s theme, Threads, knits together composers whose music is connected by shared ideas, relationships, and places. The 2026 season opens with music shaped by the thread of love — both romantic and platonic, with tickets for events available on Eventbrite and www.MusicConnects.ie
Across the season, MusicConnects’ Ensemble-in-Residence, ConTempo Quartet traces these connections — from friendship and love to homeland and musical echoes — weaving past and present into a rich tapestry of music across time and place.
Guided listening sessions will take a deep dive into selected works. Hosted at Galway City Library in partnership with Galway City Council Arts Office, these talks feature guest composers and University of Galway Music lecturers, with live demonstrations by ConTempo Quartet. Sessions are filmed and available online.
Visual artist Maeve Curtis and author Mike McCormack will guide participants in the Lines of Listening event to respond to music, while chamber music will be performed the first Tuesday of each month in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church. More events will be scheduled across the county, including on Inis Mór over the June Bank Holiday.
