The Esker Festival, now in its 13th year, has established itself as Ireland's most exciting orchestral and choral festival, bringing together Irish and international young professionals and advanced students in Galway each summer.
This August we present our most ambitious festival programme to date based on the theme of ‘Rustic Delights and Dangers’. This will include an orchestral concert with works by Aaron Copland, Johannes Brahms and Ethel Smyth and concert performances of Pietro Mascagni's verismo masterpiece Cavalleria Rusticana, featuring a world class cast of International and Irish singers and the Esker Festival Orchestra and Choir. On top of this there will be performances of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf for children and chamber music performances by orchestra members and our ensemble in residence, the Kandinsky Quartet.
Principal Concerts will take place in St Nicholas Collegiate Church, Galway (August 18th and 22nd) and Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (August 23rd) conducted by artistic director Peter Joyce as well as performances in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall in the University of Galway on August 19th, 20th and 21st.
For information about joining the Esker Festival Orchestra or Choir please visit our Applications and F.A.Qs pages.
For details of which opportunities are available for composers visit our Composers page
Details of our concerts and ticket information will be found on the Events Page
Esker Festival Orchestra 2025
Joseph Haydn - The Creation
Esker Festival Orchestra 2024
Gustav Holst - ‘The Planets’
Esker Festival Orchestra’s 10th Anniversary Celebration
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 2
“Resurrection”
This project featured the largest orchestra in our history and for the first time the newly formed
Esker Festival Choir which was be made up of singers of all ages from all over Ireland.
From August 14th to 20th 2023, we were once again be resident in the beautiful surrounds of the University of Galway and performed concerts in Galway and Dublin, with soloists from the Irish National Opera Studio Madeline Judge and Kathleen Nic Dhiarmada under the baton of founder and director Peter Joyce.
Esker Festival Orchestra 2022
Esker Festival Orchestra 2021
To learn a little more about the beginnings of the orchestra, meet some players or see some highlights from our Film music concert in 2015 why not check out this video from our good friends at the Galway Film Fleadh!
