Belfast-born violinist Darragh Morgan gives the Irish premiere of Luigi Dallapiccola's divertimento for violin and orchestra, Tartiniana Seconda, on Friday 16 January in the Ulster Hall, Belfast. This, Morgan says, is possibly only the second time the work has been performed in its original version for violin and orchestra as opposed to the more usual version for violin and piano. As the title suggests, the piece is inspired by the compositions of the eighteenth-century Italian composer Tartini. The performance will be given by the Ulster Orchestra conducted by David Brophy. A BBC Invitation Concert, admission is free and the concert begins at 7.45 pm.

Darragh Morgan has given solo recitals at Wien Modern and Belfast's Sonorities Festival as well as in Prague, Nicosia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Malta, USA and throughout the UK and Ireland. International festivals at which he has performed include the Warsaw Autumn, Ars Musica, Klangspuren Schwaz, Darmstadt, Aldeburgh and Oxford Contemporary Music festivals, as well as the Besancon Festivale de Musique, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Festival d'Automne à Paris, Jazz sur les Pommiers Coutance, Cheltenham and Spitalfields festivals.

Much in demand as an exponent of new music, Morgan performs regularly with Ensemble Modern and has also appeared with the London Sinfonietta, Icebreaker, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Musik Fabrik, the Almeida Ensemble, and has led Ensemble Corrente, Topologies, Reservoir, The Brunel Ensemble and the Remix Ensemble (Portugal). He broadcasts regularly for BBC Radio 3, and has appeared on Radio 4's Pick of the Week as well as on The South Bank Show, CYBC, RTHK, HN2 and Lyric FM.

As a recording artist he has worked with Paul McCartney, The Spice Girls, The Corrs, Jamiroquai, The Divine Comedy, The Lemon Heads, Travis, Incognito, Brian Kennedy and David Bowie. In the world of Irish traditional music he has worked closely with Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Nóirín Ní Riain and the late Derek Bell. His first solo CD, Cusp, was released by Black Box Music (BBM1040) recently and other solo recordings have been released by Metier Records and Sargasso Records. From 1999 to 2001 Morgan was leader of the Cyprus State Chamber Orchestra. He has also led English Touring Opera, directed the Mostar Sinfonietta and in February 2004 becomes concert master of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, South Africa. He is a faculty member of Apple Hill Chamber Music, New Hampshire, USA and regularly coaches for the Britten-Pears Young Artists programme.