Matilda Lloyd and Alexandra Whittingham confirm Letterkenny date

Music Network is delighted to announce their April tour features Matilda Lloyd on trumpet and Alexandra Whittingham on guitar, with a Letterkenny date.

The exciting artists currently taking the classical world by storm and will play on Sunday, April 21, at the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny at 8pm.

Matilda Lloyd was recently selected as an ECHO rising star for 2024/2025 (nominated by the Barbican Centre, London). Described by The Times as an ‘eloquent trumpet soloist’, Lloyd captivates audiences with her artistry and communication while her ‘flawless sound and virtuosic technique’ (Saarbrücker Zeitung) bring a unique flair to every performance.

Lloyd’s repertoire ranges from Haydn to Tomasi, and from J.S. Bach to Ligeti. Committed to expanding the trumpet repertoire, she has also premiered several new works including John Woolrich’s Hark! The echoing air at Snape Maltings in 2021 and Alissa Firsova’s Stages in 2022, both with Britten Sinfonia. Released in April 2023 and selected as BBC Music Magazine’s Recording of the Month in June 2023, Casta Diva, Lloyd’s debut album for Chandos Records, is a stunning collection of Italian operatic arias in brand new arrangements for trumpet and orchestra recorded with Britten Sinfonia and Rumon Gamba. Lloyd has won many prizes at international competitions, most notably 1st Prize at the

Eric Aubier International Trumpet Competition in Rouen, France in 2017, and is a Yamaha Artist.  

Recognised by The Guardian as “a young 21st-century virtuoso” guitarist Alexandra Whittingham has reached listeners worldwide, not only through a busy concert schedule and competition successes but also online, where her video performances of classical guitar repertoire have collectively surpassed 40 million views. 

Having just signed exclusively to Decca Classics, recording continues to play an important part in Alexandra’s career. In 2021, her debut studio album My European Journey, released on Delphian, received widespread critical acclaim. An exploration of the guitar’s great coming of age in nineteenth century Europe, the album sees her passion for this era of guitar music combined with a love of discovering lesser-known composers and bringing them into the spotlight. 

To date, Whittingham has had an impressively diverse career with her spectacular online audience leading to live concert performances all over the world including the Cayman Islands Arts Festival and Texas’ South by Southwest Festival. Whittingham has performed at London's Abbey Road Studios alongside singer-songwriter Imelda May for EMI Music and Sound Foundation, and she has also appeared as a concerto soloist with Gorton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dorset Chamber Orchestra and Orquestra Vigo 43.

Music Network is also committed to providing opportunities for Irish composers through its programmes. It commissions a number of new works annually which are performed for audiences across the country under its National Touring Programme. This tour sees the premiere of Caprice, a Music Network commission by Dr. Greg Caffrey written specially for these musicians.

Irish composer Caffrey read music at Queen’s University Belfast, completing a PhD in 2002. His music is commissioned and performed internationally and available on 13 record labels. He has received numerous awards for compositions and received the prestigious PRSf 2022 Composers Award in 2022. In 2021 he also was selected to represent Ireland at the ISCM World Music Days in China.

Speaking about Caprice he said: “The most significant challenge in writing for guitar and trumpet is that of dynamic balance. While this issue can be addressed by amplifying the guitar, my solution to the problem in this work is the use of the Harmon mute on the trumpet. But, as someone who has spent a lifetime admiring the playing of Miles Davis, who of course exploited the Harmon mute to the extent that it became synonymous with his sound, my decision to use this mute was as much motivated by the resulting timbre it produces, as by the need to balance the instruments.”

Check out Music Network’s website for more information and to book tickets.