Land of Winter comes to Kilkenny in a performance that brings Crash back to the music of its Artistic Partner Donnacha Dennehy. One of Ireland’s most internationally acclaimed composers, Dennehy co-founded Crash Ensemble in 1997, and his music has been central to the ensemble’s identity ever since, shaping its sound, ambition, and approach to contemporary performance.

Land of Winter has already garnered international recognition, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, and winning a Grammy award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble performance with Alarm Will Sound. Following its Irish premiere performed by Crash at Sounds From a Safe Harbour Festival (2025), and Dublin premiere at New Music Dublin (2026), we are thrilled to see this work take to the stage at Kilkenny Arts Festival. 

Rooted in Dennehy’s ongoing fascination with time, light, and cyclical process, Land of Winter draws on Ireland’s Roman name, Hibernia, to explore seasonal recurrence, historical memory, and renewal across 12 movements, each representing a month of the year. In this performance, Crash reunites with a composer whose artistic vision is inseparable from its own, bringing a work of striking scale, intensity and resonance to Kilkenny Arts Festival audiences.

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Time/Date: 7 August 2026, 9pm

Venue: St. Canice's Cathedral

Tickets: €30/€25

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“Land of Winter reveals Dennehy as a master of his craft’”

The Journal of Music

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“…Land of Winter offers further proof, if it were required, that Dennehy is Ireland’s most significant composer to have emerged since Gerald Barry”

Gramophone

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