Tullamore International Summer Organ Series returns this July
Tullamore International Summer Organ Series (TISOS) returns to the Church of the Assumption with a programme of concerts featuring internationally renowned performers from Ireland, France, Italy and Russia.
The annual series will present four concerts on consecutive Tuesday evenings at 8pm throughout July, showcasing the rich diversity of organ and choral music.
The series opens on Tuesday, July 7, with Voices of Light: Choral Music by Women Composers, featuring the Choir of St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, Dublin, under the direction of Thomas Charles Marshall.
The programme combines works by Johann Sebastian Bach with music by contemporary British composer Cecilia McDowall, including Easter Light, Adoro te devote and Standing as I do before God.
The concert also pays tribute to Professor Gerard Gillen, one of Ireland’s most distinguished organists and church musicians, who served as artistic director of the Tullamore International Summer Organ Series from its inception in 1999 until 2024.
Professor Gillen, former Professor and Head of Music at Maynooth University and long-serving titular organist of Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral, has enjoyed an international career spanning more than 1,000 recitals in major venues across Europe, America, Asia and Australia.
On Tuesday, July 14, Russian organ virtuoso Ekaterina Melnikova brings From Moscow with Majesty: Russian Organ Masterworks to Tullamore.
An acclaimed organist, composer and international competition winner, Melnikova has performed at prestigious venues including Westminster Abbey, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall.
Her programme will feature works by Sergei Taneyev, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich and Alexander Borodin, alongside several of her own improvisations and compositions.
The third concert, From Saint-Sulpice: The French Symphonic Organ, takes place on Tuesday, July 21, and features celebrated French organist Daniel Roth.
Widely regarded as one of the leading figures in the organ world, Roth served for decades as titular organist of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, following in the footsteps of legendary French organists Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré.
He will be joined by his son, composer and horn player Félix Roth, for a programme including works by Bach, Franck, Widor, Messiaen and Duruflé.
The series concludes on Tuesday, July 28, with Splendours of Baroque Bologna, a celebration of Italian Baroque music.
The concert will feature Italian countertenor Francesco Giusti, Irish cellist and viol player Norah Catherine O’Leary, and TISOS Artistic Director Thomas Charles Marshall.
Audiences can look forward to music by Frescobaldi, Colonna, Gabrielli, Perti and Cazzati, offering a glimpse into the rich musical traditions of seventeenth-century Bologna.
Originally from Westmeath, Thomas Charles Marshall is Organist and Director of Music at St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, Dublin, and Director of Music at St Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare.
He took over as Artistic Director of the Tullamore International Summer Organ Series in 2025.
All concerts take place at the Church of the Assumption, Tullamore, beginning at 8pm.
Tickets are €15 per concert, and are available at https://eskerarts.ie/whats