Chamber Music Series: Pirosmani Quartet: Tenderness and Turmoil

Mairéad Hickey, violin
William Hagen, violin
Natanael Ferreira, viola
Oleksey Shadrin, cello

Schumann String Quartet in F major Op.41 No.2 [1842]
Jane O’Leary new work [2026] †
Schubert String Quartet in G major D.887 [2026]
† First performances

Acclaimed Cork violinist Mairéad Hickey brings together colleagues from Brazil, Ukraine and the USA for a third tour by the Pirosmani Quartet

They open with the second of the three vividly expressive string quartets that Schumann wrote in a frenzy of creativity in the early summer of 1842. The previous September, his wife Clara - apart from Liszt, the most famous pianist of their time - had given birth to their first child, and perhaps that is the inspiration behind the disarming lullaby themes of the first two movements and the mischievous scampering of the scherzo and finale.

Galway-based composer Jane O’Leary is writing a new quartet for the Pirosmani Quartet to present on this tour.

Schubert’s vast G major quartet D.887 is a work of symphonic scale and emotional extremity. Like much of Schubert’s music in the last years of his short life it revolves around conflict between grief and joy, darkness and light, restless angst and sublime lyricism, often expressed through abrupt switching from major to minor or by the juxtaposition of music of near brutality with moments of great tenderness. This wonderful work is one of the greats, highly recommended!

Mairead Hickey, violin
Celebrated Irish violinist Mairéad Hickey is acclaimed for her captivating expression, soaring tone and fearless virtuosity.  Her natural ability to communicate sincerely, with beauty and integrity, entrances audiences worldwide.  

As a soloist Mairéad has performed with National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Württembergisches Kammerorchester, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz, Kremerata Baltica and Camerata Ireland and many others in some of the major halls around the world.  Her Carnegie Hall debut was described as ‘…magical, penetrating to the heart and soul of the music.’ (New York Epoch Times)

A passionate chamber musician, Mairéad has performed with Sir András Schiff, Barry Douglas, Tabea Zimmermann, Fazil Say, Marc Coppey, Mate Bekavac, Irena Grafenauer, Alexander Lonquich, Andreas Reiner, Paul Neubauer, Andrés Díaz, Pieter Wispelway, Michel Lethiec, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Boris Berezovsky and the Vanbrugh Quartet among many others. Mairéad has been invited to perform at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Westport Festival of Chamber Music, the Clandeboye Music Festival, Mantova Chamber Music Festival, Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, Rolandseck Festival and Chamber Music Connects the World Kronberg 2016 where she performed with Steven Isserlis and Christian Tetzlaff. Her love of chamber music led her to co-found the Ortús Chamber Music Festival in 2016 in her native Cork, of which she is Artistic Director.

William Hagen, violin 
William Hagen has performed as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Highlights of the 2023/24 season include a return to the Detroit Symphony and a tour of the Netherlands with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.

As soloist, William has appeared with the Chicago Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Detroit Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony (HR Sinfonieorchester), San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, and many others around the globe.

As recitalist and chamber musician, William has performed at venues such as Wigmore Hall and the Louvre, and collaborated with artists such as Steven Isserlis, Gidon Kremer, Edgar Meyer, and Tabea Zimmerman, among others. He maintains an active schedule on both sides of the Atlantic, making frequent trips to Europe and cities around the US to play a wide range of repertoire. 

William performs on the 1732 “Arkwright Lady Rebecca Sylvan” Antonio Stradivari, and on a violin bow by Francois Xavier Tourte, both on generous loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation.

Natanael Ferreira, viola
Natanael Ferreira began studying the piano at the age of nine. He then began to teach himself the viola with the help of his uncle, a conductor. Shortly after joining the Youth Orchestra of Goias in Brazil, he toured Europe as first viola, later earning a scholarship to study at the academy of the São Paulo Symphonic Orchestra. In 2013 he won first prize at the Campos do Jordão Winter Festival in Brazil and began his studies with Miguel da Silva at the Haute Ecole de Musique Genève the following year. In 2015 he won several prizes at the Académie Ravel as well as third prize at the 2018 Rahn Musikpreis. Natanael Ferreira was a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in 2016 and often performs with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He regularly gives concerts in Switzerland, France and Belgium with such musicians as Régis Pasquier, Miguel da Silva, Henri Demarquette, Lorenzo Gatto, Marc Coppey, Ilya Gringolts and Heinz Holliger.

During the 2018-2019 season, he was regurly invited to perform at La Belle Saison and Les Folles Journées de Nantes. He will soon release his first CD with clarinettist Vitor Fernandes and pianist Elio Coria. He plays a viola from the El Pasito Foundation and is supported by the Music Academy of Villecroze.

In 2019 he entered the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel as Artist in Residence in the class of Miguel da Silva.

Oleksey Shadrin, cello
Cellist Aleksey Shadrin, who was a member of the Kronberg Academy Master Program, was born into a family of musicians in Ukraine. He won the first prize of the 4th M. Lysenko International Music Competition in 2012. In 2018, he has been awarded the 3rd Prize at the Prague Spring Competition and the 4th Prize at Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2022.

In 2005, Aleksey Shadrin was a finalist in the 3rd David Popper International Competition in Hungary, and in 2008, he won the 2nd prize at The International Competition in Minsk. Following his competition successes, he has performed in major concert halls of Ukraine, Germany, France, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Holland, Singapore, and Belgium.

Aleksey Shadrin has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the Opéra national de Montpellier, the Sudwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, and the Belgian National Orchestra. In 2016, he made his debut appearance at the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2017, he appeared as a soloist with the NDR Radiophilharmonie with Andrew Manze in the Grosser Sendesaal in Hannover and made his debut appearance at the Hamburg Chamber Music Festival.

Aleksey Shadrin received his Bachelor and Master of Musical Arts at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hanover with Prof. Leonid Gorokhov and studied with Prof. Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy. He is currently studying with Gary Hoffman at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.

Presented by NCH in association with the National String Quartet Foundation