October 2025
Dear friends,
I can’t believe September flew by so quickly - I was kept busy with the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival which brings such wonderful music from around the world to the streets and venues of our little town here in the South West of Ireland. I’m a member of the crew so am kept pretty busy sound engineering gigs all weekend, but I was able to do a little playing guesting on saxophone and violin with ADT, and directing the wonderful youth orchestra that I volunteer with each week. A concert of young musicians in our local library!!! (Sounds like heaven to me…)
I’ve also been busy making music with people in hospitals (a regular, and very rewarding part of my work) and did a recording and video shoot for my work ‘Litany’ in the beautiful town of Killaloe, of which I’m now working on a pretty interesting and experiemental edit involving re-filming projections! (If you’d like to have an insight to this project, and also help support it in a small way, head to www.patreon.com/justingrounds)
Bach’s E major Gavotte
In a spare 10 minutes after our rehearsal and before our concert on Bere Island on our Barefoot Baroque tour this summer, I sat down in the wonderful old wooded pews and played Bach’s joyful and folky E major Gavotte for solo violin. Here’s a little taste of a piece I played across the islands and towns of West Cork on our tour this summer.
UPCOMING CONCERTS:
I am playing in 3 unique concerts in the coming months:
12 October: Levis’ Ballydehob 7pm: Abair Amhrán
Come and learn to sing 5 traditional songs in Irish, and then sing them with accompaniments arranged my myself with the Vespertine Quintet
17 October: St. Peter’s Church, North Main St, Cork 7pm:
The Marvellous Mademoiselle Maupin
I am playing baroque violin with the Cork Baroque players and mezzo-soprano Emma Power in a concert celebrating Julie d’Aubigny, France’s swashbuckling singer of the 17th Century! (Tickets here)
28th November: One Night for Gaza
A big show with all the musical community from West Cork, raising funds for the people of Gaza. Tickets selling fast!
COMING SOON….
Lots of new things to bring you from my musical life in the coming months. I’m working on an interesting video concept for my work ‘LITANY’ which should be ready to reveal by the end of the year. Also, last year we commissioned luthier and friend Caitlin McGinn to make a 5 string violin, which I chose out the wood for, and designed with her to the spec I was looking for in an instrument. I have now collected the final violin and am playing it in and making some notes for small adjustments for her to make. We’ve been filming the process and I hope to have a film ready soon, thanks to the support of my patrons!
For now, I’ll leave you with a happy memory of a surf session I had recently with my son, where we were the only 2 out at our local break. Time spent in the ocean with family is so healing and rejuvenating - I encourage you all to get into the sea at any opportunity!
Love, Justin
(PS. This photograph, and the one at the top are by my brilliant friend John Beasley)
