Elizabeth Cooney (violin) Ruth McGinley (piano)

Derry-born Ruth McGinley quickly became a young star of classical music when she won the piano final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 1994. She went on to perform as a concerto soloist and recitalist, before becoming uncomfortable with the pressures of life as a concert pianist, returning to Derry in 2004.

Ruth began performing in public again as a solo pianist in 2013 as part of Derry’s City of Culture year, and has gradually rediscovered her love of the piano and all its possibilities. Her debut album ‘Reconnection’ was launched in 2016.

Elizabeth Cooney performs internationally as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader. Starting violin at the age of five  in Cork, she went on to win the Strings Final of Ireland’s RTE Musician of the Future Competition Now London based, she has been invited as guest principal to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Northern Sinfonia orchestras, and has performed with many other leading orchestras. Elizabeth is a keen chamber musician and has performed with pianists John O’Conor, Finghin Collins, Cristina Ortiz, Huw Watkins and Mei Yi Foo among others. She has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Room, the Conway Hall in London, the Weill Hall at Carnegie and at many of the major festivals including Canterbury, Cambridge, West Cork Chamber Music, Edinburgh Fringe and the Musica Nova Festival in Brazil.