Irish Chamber Orchestra

About Us

As Ireland’s national chamber orchestra, we pride ourselves on the excellence and emotional depth of our performances. But we’re so much more than that. We’re also a registered charity, harnessing the power of classical music to change lives and transform communities. A dual purpose organisation, Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) operates as Ireland’s premiere professional chamber ensemble, while simultaneously driving social change and championing equity of opportunity through free access to music lessons for children and young people from partnering communities in Limerick City who would otherwise not have access to the arts.

Based at University of Limerick, ICO is funded by The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, while our free and empowering education and engagement programmes, ICO Schools and ICO Youth, depend entirely on public support to ensure their delivery. Since 2008, ICO Schools has engaged 350 children annually through free weekly singing, song writing and strings tuition, with every child availing of music lessons. In 2023, the number of participants increased to 410. Since 2018, ICO Youth has grown from 8 to 65 participants, providing continued support to further develop their skillset - including free instruments - musically and personally.