Kantos Quartet

The Kantos Quartet brings its debut tour to Esker Arts in Tullamore on Thursday, 17 September 2026, an evening of classical string quartet repertoire from a newly formed Irish ensemble. Esker Arts bills it as the first outing for “an exciting new quartet comprising four of our finest and most experienced musicians,” bringing established individual reputations together under one name for the first time.

What to expect

The quartet is Sarah Sew and Hugh Murray on violin, Alexandros Koustas on viola and Aoife Burke on cello. The programme opens with Beethoven’s early B flat quartet, described by the venue as moving “from a brilliant and uplifting opening movement, through a gentle adagio and a wildly irregular scherzo,” continues with a Pulitzer Prize winning composition and an Irish-American work written in memory of Terence MacSwiney, and closes with Janáček’s first string quartet, a piece the venue calls “raw, fragmented and intensely direct.” It is a substantial classical programme rather than a light crossover concert, aimed at listeners with an interest in chamber music as much as newcomers curious about a new quartet’s first tour. Esker Arts’ auditorium is a purpose-built space for this kind of acoustic, unamplified performance.

Getting there

Esker Arts is on High Street in Tullamore town centre, within walking distance of the bus and rail station. The venue has its own on-site parking as well as access to nearby town centre car parks.

While you’re in Tullamore

Tullamore is Offaly’s county town and home to Tullamore D.E.W. whiskey, distilled since 1829 on Bury Quay a short walk from High Street. There is more to see in Tullamore and across Co. Offaly.

Good to know

• Thursday, 17 September 2026, 8pm
• Esker Arts, High Street, Tullamore, Co. Offaly
• €20 / €18 concession, plus booking fee
• Box office: 057 9383801 or eskerarts.ie