Arts Week with Judy Murphy

Every year, pianist Finghin Collins takes a two-week holiday and “tries not to think about music and shows so I can relax the body and brain”.  It’s a rare moment of downtime in a busy schedule which will bring him to Galway next week with the National Symphony Orchestra to perform a new work by Jane O’Leary, written to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Music for Galway, the organisation she co-founded. Finghin is the soloist on the piece entitled, unfolding soundscapes for piano and orchestra.

Finghin has had a busy few months, performing “in Germany, Switzerland and France, making up for Covid times”. Mostly, he’s been playing work by a variety of composers, something he enjoys.

“When you’re performing different composers – Debussy, Beethoven, Brahms and a bit of Schumann – there’s cross-pollination going on in a way that’s enriching in mind and body.

“I enjoy that and the audience enjoys it,” says Finghin whose new CD is due out soon.

He likens playing those different composers to “flitting around like a bee in a flower garden”, which makes it sound easy. But this is a man whose work ethic matches his talent.

One of Ireland’s top performers, Finghin has served as Music for Galway’s Artistic Director for the past decade and he also programmes the New Ross Piano Festival, which was on last weekend.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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