Musicians 2026
Patrick Rafter
Violinist and Conductor
“There were moments when the two soloists could not be told apart. It’s no small feat to match a player of Vengerov’s calibre in this way.”
— Michael Dervan,
The Irish Times
Patrick Rafter is recognised as one of Ireland’s leading classical musicians. He has performed as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician across Europe, the Middle East, South America and Asia.
A protégé of Maxim Vengerov, Rafter has appeared alongside Vengerov, Shlomo Mintz, Barry Douglas and John O'Conor. He has worked with composers including Arvo Pärt and performed under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, Marin Alsop, Sir Mark Elder and Gianandrea Noseda.
As soloist and director, he has collaborated with orchestras including Prague Philharmonia, Mannheim Soloists, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Kyiv Soloists and Camerata Ireland, appearing in major venues such as the National Concert Hall (Dublin), Royal Albert Hall (London), Konzerthaus Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Seoul Arts Centre.
In 2024, Rafter signed to Rubicon Classics for a multi-album collaboration. His debut recording with pianist Fiachra Garvey was released in December 2024, with a second album — featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra — scheduled for release in December 2026.
In 2023, he founded the Marble City Music Festival in his native Kilkenny. Under his artistic direction, the festival now presents editions in May and December annually, welcoming leading artists including Barry Douglas and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
Rafter began his studies with Fiona Warren at the Kilkenny School of Music. He later received a full scholarship to the Royal Irish Academy of Music, studying with Eyal Kless and Fionnuala Hunt, before graduating with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music, London, where he studied with Mateja Marinković. Following a performance for Maxim Vengerov, he was personally invited to continue his studies at the International Menuhin Music Academy in Switzerland.
A first-prize winner of over one hundred national and international awards, his distinctions include the National Concert Hall Young Musician of the Year (Ireland), Clandeboye Festival Young Musician of the Year, Valiant Violin Competition (Switzerland), London Performing Arts Competition, the RDS Music Bursary and the Dublin Feis Ceoil National Conducting Competition.
Upcoming performances include appearances with the Vratsa Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Ireland, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Menuhin Soloists, and tours in South America and China in 2026.
RTE Concert Orchestra
Introducing orchestral music to new audiences since 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra has built a strong connection with the public that saw it voted the World’s Favourite Orchestra 2015. Eclectic programming sees the RTÉ CO perform with artists including Pavarotti, Lang Lang, Lalo Schifrin, Marvin Hamlisch and Cleo Laine. Performances with Irish artists include Declan O’Rourke, Sinéad O’Connor, Imelda May, Eleanor McEvoy, Wallis Bird, Maura O’Connell, Lisa Hannigan, Mick Flannery, James Vincent McMorrow, Faye O’Rourke, Andrea Corr and Jerry Fish. A hugely successful collaboration with RTÉ 2fm and DJ Jenny Greene won the IMRO Outstanding Achievement Award 2018, and early in 2020 A Woman’s Heart Orchestrated and a Leonard Cohen tribute made a strong impact both as live events and as TV and radio broadcasts.
The RTÉ CO performed in seven Eurovision Song Contests, including the famous Riverdance interval act. Film credits include Stephen Rennicks’ score to Room and Brian Byrne’s Golden Globe-nominated score to Albert Nobbs. Recordings include Korngold’s Violin Concerto with Andrew Haveron conducted by John Wilson, Howard Shore’s A Palace Upon the Ruins and Niall Horan’s Flicker. Opera, ballet and choral performances include collaborations with Irish National Opera, English National Ballet and Our Lady’s Choral Society. Films performed with live score include the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the world première of Vertigo, and the Irish première of A Nightmare Before Christmas performed with Danny Elfman and Mise Éire.
The RTÉ CO has appeared as the ‘house orchestra’ on The Late Late Show, on Dancing with the Stars, in the Centenary concert, in Instrumental, The High Hopes Choir and Shine. ‘The RTÉ Concert Orchestra Presents…’ broadcasts on Bank Holidays on RTÉ Radio 1 have featured collaborations with top talent including Villagers, Zoë Conway, Moving Hearts and John Grant.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the RTÉ CO produced a wide range of work including new Guy Barker jazz arrangements, an award-winning John Lennon tribute, a 50th anniversary Clannad celebration, a chart-topping single and a TV tribute to David Bowie with an international line-up including members of Bowie’s own band. The Bowie project developed into live concerts in 2024 and 2025.
Other recent projects include Thin Lizzy Orchestrated, a rare combination of blues and orchestra in The Delta Blues Project, introduced by Morgan Freeman, celebrations of the Callas and Puccini centenaries and Max Richter’s Recomposed with Mari Samuelsen. Irish live premieres in jazz include Guy Barker’s Kind of Blue Orchestrated and the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong Porgy and Bess album.
The Luminosa Orchestra
Founded in November 2018, Luminosa String Orchestra was the visionary creation of executive director Lucy Hayward O’Leary and cellist Nicola Geddes. Since its inception, the ensemble has established itself as one of Ireland’s most vibrant and compelling string orchestras, captivating audiences in Galway and across the country with performances of exceptional artistry and imagination.
The name Luminosa, meaning “brilliant light” in Italian, reflects both the luminous quality of the ensemble’s sound and the extraordinary calibre of the professional musicians who now live and work in Galway. From the outset, Luminosa has sought to bring music into the light — illuminating hidden gems of the repertoire alongside the great pillars of classical string literature.
Renowned for its innovative and thoughtful curatorial approach, Luminosa programmes combine lesser-known masterpieces, newly commissioned Irish works and iconic repertoire in ways that create meaningful connections across eras and styles. The orchestra is deeply committed to championing Irish composers and regularly commissions new works, ensuring that contemporary voices sit proudly alongside the great traditions of the past.
Critically admired for performances of intensity, refinement and emotional depth, Luminosa’s musicians are equally at home in early music, Classical elegance and Romantic sweep, performing on modern instruments with stylistic insight and expressive conviction. The ensemble is led by Paul Ezergailis, Concertmaster of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, while its section leaders include members of the internationally acclaimed ConTempo Quartet, alongside many of Ireland’s most distinguished string players.
To attend a Luminosa concert is to experience the passion and immediacy of world-class live music-making — performances that are powerful, heartfelt and deeply human. Proudly rooted in Galway, Luminosa continues to bring its radiant energy to audiences throughout Ireland.