Gillian Williams

GILLIAN WILLIAMS
Dublin-born Gillian Williams is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s most gifted violinists.
Commanding a wide-ranging repertoire, her characteristic warmth, intensity and clarity have won her public and
critical acclaim. Her repertoire for solo violin and orchestra includes Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, concerti by Bruch,
Tchaikovsky, Brahms, all the concerti by Mozart -including the Sinfonia Concertante which she performed on several
occasions with French cellist Arun Rao as well as Double Concerti by Brahms, Delius and Saint-Saëns. Her several solo
performances at the National Concert Hall with the NSOI under distinguished conductors (Markson, Pearce, etc)
were all recorded or broadcast live on RTE Lyric FM. Ms Williams also collaborated with a host of distinguished
pianists (Philippe Cassard, Roger Vignoles, Elisaveta Blumina, Finghin Collins, Bernard Lansky, Lance Coburn, François
Zeitouni, Una Hunt) in chamber music recitals at all the major Dublin venues. Her 2005-cycle of the three violin
sonatas by Brahms at the National Gallery was broadcast on Lyric FM. Ms Williams has a special affinity with French
music: she has performed Ravel’s Sonata for Violin & Cello no less than forty times as well as chamber music works
(sonatas, trios, quartets,etc) by Fauré, Ravel, Poulenc, Messiaen, Debussy (including the viola part of his Trio Sonata),
Milhaud, Honegger, Ropartz, Renié, Vierne, Roger-Ducasse, Saint-Saëns and Langlais.
Her partnership with cellist Arun Rao DUO CHAGALL is one of Ireland’s longest and most celebrated. It made its
formal debut in 1993 Dublin.They have since brought seldom-performed masterpieces to Irish audiences and
collaborated with distinguished pianists and string players in larger ensembles. DUO CHAGALL appeared on RTE
radio and television in the 1990s and recorded a CD of predominantly French music in 2009. They were invited to host
summer series at the Musée Vuillod-St-Germain in Pezenas (south of France) 2011-13, and took part in the ‘Festival de
la Vallée du Tarn’ in July 2017, where they collaborated with the Franco-Ukranian piano duet Bringuier-Monakh. They
have premiered works for written for them by Raymond Deane, Rhona Clarke,Stephen Gardneramong others.
Eminent Irish conductor and composer Colman Pearce: expressly wrote no fewer than five chamber works for them
including Duo Concertante (2017), Piano Trio (May 2018), Duetto d’amore (2021) and In MemoriA-M for violin and piano, in
response to the brutal killing of Aisling Murphy in January 2022. All were premiered at the Hugh Lane Gallery.
In 2010 DUO CHAGALL in partnership with Fingal Arts, launched the annual classical series AUTUMN SOUNDS, at The
Ballroom in Farmleigh, the State Residence, at the invitation of the Office of Public Works.
Most recently, Ms Williams recorded a CD of French music from the fin de siècle and the Belle-Époque with pianist and
scholar Dr. Una Hunt, ‘The French Violin’, with the financial support of Fingal Arts. It includes the world premiere
recording of an Idylle for violin and piano by Marguerite Canal (1890 - 1978) and a rare performance of the first Sonata
for solo violin by Benjamin Godard (1849-1895), as well as violin favourites by Saint-Saëns (Habanera), Ravel (Tzigane),
Fauré (Berceuse), Lili Boulanger and Cécile Chaminade. The CD was launched at the Ballroom, Farmleigh, at this years
edition of Autumn Sounds.
Gillian has been in much demand as an orchestral player throughout her career, having had the honour to perform as
leader and Co-leader with the NSOI, The RTECO, The ICO, The Irish Screen Ochestra among other festival and
freelance orchestras. She is permanent leader of The Orlando Chamber Orchestra and delighted to be collaborating
with Ite O Donovan here tonight.
Ms Williams lectures at the TU Dublin Conservatoire.