Musici Ireland

Musici Ireland

Musici Ireland is a women-led, socially engaged arts collective creating original, multidisciplinary work that blends music, theatre, dance, film, and spoken word. Founded in 2012 by violist and artistic director Beth McNinch, the ensemble has become a platform for bold collaboration across artistic genres, with a strong focus on amplifying underrepresented voices and addressing contemporary social issues.
Signature productions include A Mother’s Voice, a poignant tribute to survivors of Ireland’s mother-and-baby homes; Chronically Hopeful, an immersive response to chronic illness and invisible disability; SLIME!, an eco-conscious performance for young audiences; and Deeds Not Words, a dance-film inspired by the suffragette movement.
Led by co-directors Beth McNinch and choreographer Ali Clarke, Musici Ireland is supported by core members Jane Hackett (violin) and Katie Tertell (cello), whose diverse international backgrounds enrich the ensemble’s work. The group has developed a strong reputation for commissioning and performing new music, with a growing catalogue of premieres created through close collaboration with living composers.
In 2025, the ensemble released their debut album Earthrise on the Métier label (Divine Art Recordings), featuring new chamber works by Linda Buckley, Deirdre Gribbin, Ian Wilson, Liam Bates, and Deirdre McKay. Musici Ireland continues to challenge artistic boundaries and inspire conversation through performance.

Beth McNinch, Founder / CEO / Artistic DIrector / Viola
Beth McNinch is an esteemed Irish violist, producer, educator, and artistic director, recently honoured as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) for her outstanding contributions to the field. Known for her ability to craft compelling programmes that balance classical favourites with lesser-known gems, Beth is passionate about collaboration across artistic genres. This spirit of innovation is at the heart of her company, Musici Ireland, an acclaimed chamber collective and interdisciplinary production house.
Beth began her career in London after studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music. She quickly established herself as a prominent orchestral violist, performing with leading UK ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She has appeared in principal viola positions with the Irish National Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, English National Ballet, Ulster Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.
In the past couple of years, Beth has made her directorial debut with two major Musici Ireland productions: A Mother’s Voice, a multi-media performance honouring women affected by Ireland’s mother-and-baby homes, and Chronically Hopeful, an interdisciplinary work exploring themes of invisible disability through music, movement, and spoken word. Both projects exemplify Beth’s commitment to socially engaged art and creating space for underrepresented voices.
She is a core contributor to Improvising Across Boundaries, a four-year research project led by University College Dublin and the Improvised Music Company, which supports women and gender minority improvisers in Ireland. Her involvement in improvisation led to her participation in the 2023 “Icelandic Sessions” at the Við Djúpið Music Festival in Ísafjörður.
Beth plays on a rare cut-down Barak Norman viol, originally made in the 1650s and converted into a viola by Matthew Hardie in 1818. Her work has been supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Artlinks!, SEVN, and Creation Artists Residency.

Soo-Jung Ann, Piano
Praised by the German music critic Marie-Louise Funk as “an inspiration beyond excellence, beyond time and space” (Die Rheinpfalz), Soo-Jung Ann has been crossing, expanding and recreating the boundaries of music. Ann established her career as a major pianist by winning numerous prizes at reputable International Piano Competitions: first prize at the 5th International Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn (2013), Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli prize of the Piano Academy in Eppan (2013) and first prize at the Concurs Maria Canals of Barcelona (2012). A multi-award winning South Korean pianist based in Europe, she has since been a leading force of 21st century classical music internationally, performing widely across Germany, Italy, Austria, France and Ireland and with major orchestras such as Klassische Bonn Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Kracow Philharmonic Orchestra, Macedonia Philharmonic Orchestra, Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra, Rzeszow Philharmonic Orchestra, RTE National Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Madrid Symphony Orchestra, Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona Catalan Valles Symphony Orchestra and Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. 
Ann studied with Prof. John O’Conor and Prof. Thérèse Fahy and received her Doctoral degree in Music Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She also studied with Prof. Pavel Gililov and completed a Postgraduate Course at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg in 2014. She released her own recording of 12 Soler Keyboard Sonatas No.75-86 (2018) with Naxos, demonstrating her mature skills, her pure and complex sound.

Sarah Smith, Clarinet
Sarah is an Irish clarinet player now based in her home town of Belfast. After her studies in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Sarah worked as a freelance clarinettist with many of the UK’s leading orchestras and chamber groups. During this time she performed in the UK’s most prestigious concert halls including; Royal Opera House, Barbican, Royal Festival Hall and Glyndebourne with groups including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Archangelo, Gabrieli and Britten Sinfonia.
As a soloist, Sarah has performed with the Ulster Orchestra and on BBC Northern Ireland’s Arts Show. Sarah has been the recipient of a number of awards including; Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Young Musicians Platform Award, RPO Sir John Barbarolli Award and the English Speaking Union Menuhin Banff Scholarship. She has recorded with various orchestras for record labels including Hyperion. Sarah’s recording of British wind trio music went on to receive 4* reviews in BBC Music Magazine.
Since returning home, Sarah has continued to work with orchestras based in the UK as well as working with groups closer to home including; RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Camerata Ireland, NI Opera, Belfast Ensemble and the Ulster Consort. 
Sarah is passionate about musical outreach and education and has worked with many organisations including the London Symphony Orchestra Discovery team and the OAE Education team. In Belfast, Sarah teaches at Queens University and Ulster Orchestra Crescendo project, alongside her private tuition. Sarah cofounded the Ulster Clarinetwork with clarinettist Anne Harper and ran its inaugural course in 2021.