Celine Byrne is Madama Butterfly: the best classical and opera shows this week

András Schiff brings enlightenment to NCH; Maxim Vengerov multitasks with RTÉ NSO

‘Living on the edge is the most fun’

Dearbhla Collins, curator/planner of the upcoming Dublin Song Series, is hard at work with German soprano Juliane Banse rehearsing for their NCH concert

Encores After Beethoven album review: One more curtain call

ENCORES AFTER BEETHOVENAndrás Schiff (piano) ****ECM New Series 481 4474

Christian Blackshaw takes Mozart to places others cannot reach

Mozart is the focus of this year’s Kilkenny Arts Festival, and the English performer’s approach is unconventional

A strange forum for Irish composers whose noses are out of joint

Dave Flynn’s Burren venture is an alternative to the massive 1916 centenary survey – but the fine print is bewildering

Kilkenny Arts Festival announces its 2016 programme

Stephen Rea, Loudon Wainwright III and Christian Blackshaw are among the highlights

The mysteries of Bach unwrapped at Kilkenny Arts Festival

Kilkenny’s 10-day immersion in Bach was a box-office success and provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

Kilkenny Arts Festival goes back to Bach and the shock of the old

Shakespeare, Dante and Bach feature in a programme that’s strong on the classics

Franz Schubert: András Schiff | Album Review

Niall Doyle is an intriguing choice for the Arts Council’s head of music

Doyle comes to the job as someone who knows how bruising the council can be to clients

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations

Michael Collins: ‘It’s got to come from within. From your heart and your very soul’

English clarinettist Michael Collins has a formidable wealth of experience, but, he says, every concert is still a new learning environment