Andrew Barney & Mario Espinoza

Andrew Barney and Mario Espinoza first met in Granada, Andalusia, ten years ago, and have been collaborating ever since. Their musical partnership is shaped by a shared fascination with language, memory, folk traditions and sounds that move across cultures and centuries.

Venezuelan singer and composer Mario Espinoza draws inspiration from the folk music of his homeland, alongside influences ranging from Italian Baroque music to flamenco. Liverpool-born composer and pianist Andrew Barney is closely connected to the city’s musical life through his work with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, and was awarded the Rushworth Composition Prize in 2024.

This concert brings the two artists together in Liverpool for a programme of original music by both composers, including works that will be performed live for the first time at the Music Room. Their repertoire moves freely between languages, traditions and musical periods, creating an intimate dialogue between voice, piano and strings.

They are joined by the Equilibrium String Quartet, with arrangements by Adam Webster, bringing together a Liverpool-based ensemble around a collaboration that has developed over the course of a decade.