Music Network’s Spring 2017 season features a new collection of artists performing music and songs from Ireland and Scotland. Amongst the acts is one of the UK's most in demand jazz ensembles in the form of Dinosaur, an intriguing French classical duo who will perform chamber music, four of Ireland’s most gifted female violinists, and an American string band led by Grammy-nominated fiddler Darol Anger.

The diverse selection of world-class Irish and international musicians will tour to 20 towns and villages across 16 counties in over forty concerts from February to May.

See the full Spring season listing below:

Dinosaur

Following boldly in the footsteps of the likes of Polar Bear and Phronesis, Dinosaur skilfully weave electric-jazz, Celtic folk melodies and north African drumming styles into a sound reminiscent of late-1960s Miles Davis.

Switching between synth and trumpet, band leader Laura Jurd has been heralded as “one of the strongest, most interesting new trumpet voices in jazz” and her eclectic and thoughtful compositions are delivered with precision and panache by a well-oiled rhythm section comprising Elliot Galvin on keys, Conor Chaplin on bass and drummer Corrie Dick.

The band has been performing together for over six years. The result: utterly compelling live performances and a wonderfully cohesive group sound – a playful fusion of sparse, epigrammatic trumpet lines, catchy riffs, shifting dance grooves and pulsing bass lines. With the release of their highly-acclaimed album ‘Together, As One’ in 2016, Dinosaur is destined to build upon their fast growing international reputation. Catch them while you can.

Dinosaur will tour throughout Ireland from February 21-28. For details on where they will perform and how to get tickets, see here: www.musicnetwork.ie/concerts/details/dinosaur

Emmanuelle Bertrand and Pascal Amoyel

Acclaimed for her technical prowess, ”haunting” lyricism and exquisite tone, Emmanuelle has performed as a soloist with the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Symphonique du Grand Montréal amongst others.

Voted “Solo Instrumental Discovery of the Year” at the Victoires de la Musique in 2005, Pascal Amoyel has established himself as a pianist of note with an impressive career both as a soloist and a chamber musician, appearing with orchestras throughout Europe, America, Russia, Japan and China.

The duo have performed together for many years, garnering widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike and in particular for the “wonderful singing quality” of their playing – the nuanced phrasing of Amoyel the perfect foil for the glowing tones and textures of Bertrand’s cello.

For their Irish tour, Bertrand and Amoyel will perform a programme of Romantic music by Fauré, Saint-Saëns, Liszt, and Brahms, as well as music by Irish composer Kevin Volans.

Emmanuelle Bertrand and Pascal Amoyel will tour from March 21-30. See here for dates and tickets: www.musicnetwork.ie/concerts/details/

Mia Cooper, Katherine Hunka, Ioana Petcu-Colan and Helena Wood

Four of Ireland’s finest violinists – from the country’s most prestigious orchestras to boot – come together for the very first time in what promises to be a scintillating series of concerts.

Leader of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra since 2006, Mia Cooper is a highly-regarded chamber musician who has graced the stage with the Barbican Trio, Gould Trio, Brodsky Quartet, Fibonacci Sequence and Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Katherine Hunka, leader of the Irish Chamber Orchestra since 2002, has collaborated with Murray Perriah, Joshua Bell, Nigel Kennedy and Anthony Marwood amongst others, while Ioana Petcu-Colan, Associate Leader of the Ulster Orchestra, has worked with artists as diverse as Martin Hayes, Arcade Fire, John Abercrombie and members of the Alban Berg and Vanbrugh quartets.

Completing this stellar quartet is Helena Wood, leader of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. A seasoned performer on TV and radio, she has given numerous recitals at such prestigious venues as Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall and the Royal Festival Hall.

The programme will include music by Telemann, Bartók and an exciting new commission by Ian Wilson, inspired by Cy Twombly’s ‘Quattro Stagioni’.

The four violinists will tour from April 19-29. For dates and tickets, see here: www.musicnetwork.ie/concerts/details/

Darol Anger and Republic of Strings

With his unique genre-bending blend of bluegrass, jazz, folk and classical styles, Grammy-nominated fiddler Darol Anger is a master of the unexpected, darting from Swedish polkas to Brazilian choro before segueing seamlessly into a soul classic – all delivered with the rollicking abandon of a hootenanny.

Anger developed his signature sound working alongside great improvisers such as Stéphane Grappelli, Martin Hayes, Jerry Douglas and Béla Fleck, and over the past 40 years has produced an arrayof critically-acclaimed albums, including 17 with the legendary Turtle Island String Quartet alone.

For this journey into uncharted musical waters, he is aided and abetted by a trio of nimble-fingered pioneers. Long-time collaborator and 5-time Grand National Fiddle Champion Tristan Clarridge is co-founder of the chamber-grass group The Bee Eaters. Acclaimed multi-instrumentalist John Mailander has performed with such renowned artists as the Alison Brown Quartet, Victor Wooten and Steve Martin, while the riveting vocal sound of Emy Phelps has graced the albums of a long line of folk stalwarts including Patrick Brayer, Chris Darrow, Norma Tanega and Brian Ransom's Ceramic Ensemble.

Darol Anger will tour from May 3-13. For dates and ticket information, see here: www.musicnetwork.ie/concerts/details/