Film Screening: Celebrating 30 Years of West Cork Music

Enjoy a rare showing of two beautifully crafted short films which give a snapshot of the West Cork Chamber Music Festival on its way to becoming one of the highlights of the world’s chamber music calendar, as well as of Bantry’s summers.
 

Magic in the Air, created in 1998, tells the story of Francis Humphrys and his ambitious dream of staging a world-class music festival on Ireland’s Atlantic coastline. The second film features excerpts from the third edition of the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, with music including Fauré’s ‘Piano Quartet in C minor Op 15’ performed by pianist Marc-André Hamelin and the Leopold String Trio, and Dvořák’s ‘Piano Quintet in A major Op 81’ performed by the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet.

2025 marked the 30th edition of the festival, and West Cork Music has grown, since the films were made, into a formidable non-profit arts enterprise that stages 23 days of festivals each summer, and a growing year-round concert series.

All proceeds from the screening will support West Cork Music’s exciting plans to create space for arts performance and music education in West Cork. An internationally renowned beacon for the arts in rural Ireland, WCM is developing plans for a dedicated arts venue and education hub in the heart of Bantry.
 
Its new facilities will form part of an exciting cultural quarter in our harbour town, creating  a permanent home for music, learning, and community creativity,  as well as a hub for our extraordinary chamber, literary, and traditional music festivals which will continue to spill out across venues around the town and West Cork.

The project is at an exciting juncture – we are on the cusp of submitting a planning application for designs prepared by award-winning McCullough Mulvin Architects, and your support will help move the project forward at this crucial stage. A short film by local photojournalist and videographer Karlis Dzjamko will update the audence on our progress to date: Karlis works closely with West Cork Music to help capture the beauty and atmosphere of our events in print and on film.

 
This event is sponsored by Bantry Cinemax. All proceeds will support the West Cork Music Capital Project, with benefits going to the venue.

Join us to celebrate our wonderful music, memories, and vision for the future!
 

To book, contact West Cork Music. To find out more about the project, visit bantrymusiccentre.ie

Film Details

Produced by: NVC Arts/Warner Classics (2008)
Recorded: 1998 WCCMF
Director: Robin Lough
Studio: Kultur Video
 

Featured artists:

Hugh Tinney, Juanita Lascarro, Leopold String Trio, Marc-André Hamelin, RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet