Faculty Biographies

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Stephanie Abe

Piano, Theory

Born in Japan, Stephanie started playing the piano at the age of six. From 2002 she studied under Brian Beckett at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and has participated in masterclasses with artists including Barry Douglas and Pavel Nersessian. She holds a BSc in Science and an MA in Performance and Musicology, both from NUI Maynooth, as well as an ARIAM Diploma in piano teaching and an LRIAM Diploma in piano performance, and she recently completed a course on the Kodály Method held by the Kodály Society of Ireland. In the past Stephanie taught not only piano but keyboard, clarinet and music theory in Maynooth School of Music and Castleknock School of Music. She also has extensive experience in performing, both as a soloist and accompanist. In 2010 she performed in the National Gallery of Ireland as part of a series of concerts to commemorate Chopin’s 200th anniversary. She has also performed in lunchtime concerts in NUI Maynooth and Mary Immaculate College in Limerick and has won various prizes in the Feis Ceoil, RIAM Music Festival and Newpark Music Festival in solo piano competitions.

Emer Barry

Voice, Introducing Singing for Adults, Opera Workshop

Emer Barry Emer has an honours BA in Music and Italian from University College Dublin and holds a Masters degree in Performance from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. She has performed extensively throughout Ireland as a soloist on both the concert platform and as guest soprano with choral societies and orchestras. She is a regular soloist at the National Concert Hall and has performed as guest soprano with leading Irish composer and singer Liam Lawton. Operatic roles include Fulvia in Rossini's La Pietra del Paragone, Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. She also played the female lead role of Serpina in La Serva Padrona, which toured northern Italy in July 2009 under the direction of Opera Theatre Company's Annalise Miskimmon. Bursaries and prizes include the John McCormack and Oliver O'Brien bursaries from the John McCormack Society of Ireland, the Stevenson award for overall vocal championship at the Ballymena Music Festival and the RTÉ lyric fm bursary for most promising singer at the Sligo Feis Ceoil, 2007. Emer has taught at the New School since 2006.

Michael Behan

Acoustic / Classical / Electric / Jazz Guitar, Theory

Michael Behan Michael holds a BMus degree and a Higher Diploma in Education, both from Trinity College Dublin. He has been playing guitar for over twenty years and has performed in a variety of genres, including jazz, classical, rock and blues. Michael is very active on the Dublin jazz scene, playing with his own quartet in clubs including Le Circ and The International Bar, and accompanying singers in venues such as the Supper Club in the Burlington Hotel and Café en Seine on Dawson Street. He also accompanied the late New York jazz singer Herb Dade in the RTÉ television documentary Mono in 2004, has played regularly with the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra and has supported the acclaimed American band, The Jazz Crusaders. Michael has taught at the New School since 2005.

Majella Boland

Piano, Theory, Introducing Piano/Keyboard for Children

Majella Boland Currently completing a PhD in music at University College Dublin, where she has also tutored and examined keyboard harmony and general musicianship, Majella received a double honours BA International degree in Music and French from NUI Maynooth, completing a year at Université Jean Monnet in St. Étienne, France. She received her AVCM diploma at an early age and is currently preparing for both ABRSM and LVCM diplomas. Majella has taught piano to many children and adults since 2000, and has developed her own teaching methods as a result of this experience. She also enjoys playing violin and singing, and has performed extensively with the Kildare County Orchestra and the NUI Maynooth Choral Society. She is co-editor of The Musicology Review, Issue 6.

Marta Burns

Voice, Piano

Marta Burns A native of Poland, Marta began learning piano at the age of six and later pursued vocal studies. After receiving her teaching diplomas, she studied for an MA in Musicology at Adam Mickievicz University in Poznan and at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, where she also gained invaluable experience as a music critic. After graduating, she came to Dublin and continued her vocal studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, receiving a Diageo Ireland scholarship. At the RIAM she studied with both Kathleen Tynan, head of the Vocal faculty, and Dr. Veronica Dunne. Marta has sung widely in Ireland and has performed for the Dublin City Council, Cork City Council, Polish Embassy and Polish-Irish Society, among others. She has also worked as a voice-over artist for radio and is active as a composer. Marta has taught at the New School since 2006.

Ciara Byrne

Sounds Samba outreach workshop

Ciara Byrne Ciara is a highly experienced workshop facilitator and has led Sonna Samba, a 22-piece samba group that has performed nationwide at numerous festivals and other events, for over ten years. She has conducted samba workshops for the Ronanstown Youth Centre's samba band for the last six years and was responsible for teaching ongoing workshops in Scoil Naomh Treasa on Donore Avenue and Quarryvale Community Centre. Ciara has organised and run drum workshops, parades and performances at many events, including the Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures, Kilkenny Arts Festival, Dublin City Marathon, Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival, Phoenix Festival in Tullamore, Athy Water Festival and the Civic Theatre in Tallaght.

Helen Byrne

Classroom Music Made Easy

Helen read music at Trinity College Dublin, graduating with honours in 2001, and in 2006 completed a Masters by research at Trinity on the Irish music education system. Her thesis looked at the history of music education in Ireland, examining the paths which led us to our current curricula at both primary and secondary levels, and examined the effectiveness of these courses through teacher surveys and analysis of examination results. She continues to pursue her interest in music education, in particular the Kodály and Dalcroze methods in relation to pre-instrumental music. Helen has also studied singing under Toni Walsh at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama and Philip O'Reilly at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She was a choral scholar at Trinity (1998-2001) and subsequently conducted the choir (2003-2005). Helen ran the Music for Me pre-instrumental courses at the New School for four years before moving on to the DIT Conservatory of Music, where she now teaches early years music and musicianship. She has worked in a number of schools, as curricular music and orchestra teacher in St. Andrew's Preparatory School Blackrock, singing teacher in St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir School and choir director at the King’s Hospital School and St. Fintan's in Sutton. Helen has built up a successful piano teaching practice in the Clontarf area and enjoys working as an accompanist.

Joyce Byrne

Voice

Joyce Byrne A native of Wexford, Joyce studied voice at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, where she completed her BMus in Performance with honours. In 2003 she successfully completed a Masters in Performance and Musicology, also with honours, from NUI Maynooth, followed by study in London with Janice Chapman. Joyce has received several awards at the Feis Ceoil, particularly in the areas of Irish song and oratorio, including the Dermot Troy Trophy (for oratorio), the German Government Cup (Bach), the Plunkett Green Cup (for interpretation) and the Denis O’Sullivan Medal (for Irish song). Her performing experience covers a wide range of musical styles, from light entertainment and pantomime to grand opera, and she has performed all over Ireland and parts of Europe as a soloist in oratorios such as Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria. As a recitalist, her varied repertoire includes musical theatre, lieder, French , Irish and English song and operatic arias, and her stage roles include Madame Popova in William Walton’s The Bear with the Anna Livia Opera Festival, Nettie Fowler in Carousel with the R & R, and Rosie in A.J. Potter’s The Wedding at the DIT. Joyce enjoys teaching very much and has been at the New School since 2001. Her students range from beginners to Diploma candidates and in age from young teenagers doing school exams to mature adults who want to sing for fun.

Robert Casey

Piano, Theory, Sibelius software

Robert Casey Rob studied as an undergraduate at Leeds College of Music and completed a Masters degree in Music and Media Technologies at Trinity College Dublin. He is an active composer and performer with a keen interest in improvised and contemporary music and has had his music performed at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Improvised Music Festival and the National Concert Hall, as well as concerts in the UK and Europe. Rob has also written a number of reviews and articles on contemporary music for the Journal of Music and Music Network. In addition to a busy career teaching, composing and performing, he is currently working on a PhD at the Sonic Arts and Research Centre at Queens University Belfast.

Janyce Condon

Voice

Janyce Condon Born in Dublin, Janyce has a Masters in performance from the opera studio at the Liceu in Barcelona, where she was awarded the Quintana Rodes scholarship for three years to study with Eduardo Gimenez, and is currently working on a PhD at the RIAM under the supervision of Veronica Dunne. She also has an honours BA in English and Classical Civilization from University College Dublin and an H.Dip.Ed. from Trinity College Dublin. Janyce has performed widely, in such roles as Ginevra (Ariodante), which she also directed, Tosca, Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) Norina (Don Pasquale), First Lady (The Magic Flute), Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) and Elektra (Idomeneo). Her oratorio work includes Brahms’ Deutsches Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, Monteverdi’s Magnificat, Haydn’s Nelson Mass and a number of Bach cantatas. Her collaborative work with artists in other fields includes the film piece Sleepwalker using Bellini’s La Somnambula, with sculptor Jesse Jones; the music for Arthur Miller’s Resurrection Blues at the Dublin Theatre Festival, with improvising musicians; and Chorspiel, devised by artist Ulla Von Brandenberg. Janyce has taught voice students of all ages and abilities and facilitated singing workshops in Wheatfield Prison, Clondalkin.

Barbara Dagg

Piano, Theory

Barbara Dagg A graduate of Trinity College Dublin (B.Mus., H.Dip.Ed.), Barbara studied piano with Rhona Marshall at the RIAM in Dublin and Eleonore Wunderlich in Düsseldorf. She studied organ with Peter Sweeney and Gerard Gillen, with Ludwig Doerr at the State Conservatory in Freiburg, and with Almut Rössler in Dusseldorf, completing the Rhineland State Examination in Church Music with Distinction in piano. She also studied harpsichord with John Beckett at the RIAM and harpsichord continuo with David Roblou in London. A keen pianist and piano accompanist, Barbara also teaches piano at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. Having completed a postgraduate diploma in instrumental teaching (piano) from the University of Reading in 2009, she is currently researching piano sight-reading processes for her MA dissertation. Barbara has given organ solo recitals at many venues in Ireland, England, Germany and Australia. During three years as Assistant Organist at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin, she performed liturgically and in concerts at cathedrals and churches across Ireland and the UK, and in broadcasts for RTÉ radio and television and BBC Radio 3. She was also Assistant Sub Organist for five years at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin. As an organ and harpsichord continuo player, she has appeared across Ireland with orchestras and early-music ensembles. In particular, she performed half of all organ continuo parts in the Orchestra of St. Cecilia’s project, completed in 2010, to present all 200 church cantatas of J.S. Bach over ten annual concert series in Dublin.

Elena Elioutina

Violin, Viola, Introducing Violin for Adults / for Children

Elena Elioutina A native of Russia, Elena received her Diploma in orchestral playing and violin teaching, with distinction, from Voronezh State College of Music, as well as a BA in Music Performance, specialising in orchestral string instruments, from Voronezh State Institute of the Arts. She has continued with postgraduate studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Professor Eyal Kless. In Russia Elena taught violin to students from beginner to diploma level, as well as youth violin ensembles. With extensive experience in children’s music education, she currently teaches violin to children from four years up at several Dublin-area schools, in addition to her work teaching both children and adults at the New School since 2003.

Peter Erdei

Electric Bass, Jazz Bass

Peter Erdei A native of Hungary, Peter began his music studies with violin at the age of five, and added orchestral percussion and piano at the Zoltán Kodály High School of Music in Kecskemét and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, but his real love was bass. After coming to Ireland, he earned a BA degree in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre, where he studied with Cormac O'Brien and Ronan Guilfoyle, and went on to complete a Masters degree in music at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. As a bassist Peter has performed all over Europe in such festivals as the Bratislava Jazz Festival, Jazz Hoeilaart Festival in Brussels, Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures and Wexford Arts Festival – and he has performed and recorded with a number of prominent artists and groups, from the Elastic Axis Band to Niwel Tsumbu and Liam Ó Maonlaí to the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra. Whatever style of music he is working with his students on, Peter’s teaching philosophy emphasises an organic connection between individual instrumental skill and ensemble work, as well as developing their creative composition and arranging skills.

Michael Fay

Musical Theatre in the Classroom outreach workshop

Michael begin his musical career in Tosca on the Gaiety stage at the age of eight, and since then he has been involved in productions of Bizet's Carmen, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Godspell, The Hired Man, and many others too numerous to mention. He received a B.A. in Music from NUI Maynooth and has been involved in musicals for many years, working as musical director for West Side Story, The Full Monty, Little Shop of Horrors and Jesus Christ Superstar, among others. Michael is an accomplished accompanist and chorus master and is currently musical director of the acclaimed Electric Maynooth Gospel Choir, which has recently toured Ireland with Jack L. In addition to his work with the New School, he continues to perform with some of the best musicians around.

Brian Fleming

Sounds African outreach workshop

Brian Fleming Since graduating from UCD in 1991 with a BA in psychology, Brian has given numerous percussion workshops to schools, community groups and universities, including UCD, UCC, TCD and Ballyfermot VEC – and he has been invited to give workshops and presentations in Cuba, the US and Singapore. In 1995, he formed the renowned Afro-Irish music group De Jimbe, specialising in Irish melodies and West African rhythms. Brian has visited Gambia and Senegal on four occasions, performing with De Jimbe and local musicians. De Jimbe have also played in Bangladesh, Cuba, Expo 2000 in Hanover, France, Japan, the US and Korea, where they performed at the opening Ceremony of the World Cup 2002. Brian features in the 2001 Guinness Book of World Records as the creator of the Millennium Drum, the world’s largest drum. He has recorded on over 20 CDs and appeared many times on RTÉ television, including the Late Late Show, Jack L Live at the Point and on national television in the US, Korea, Cuba and Japan. He has worked in theatre with Macnas, Barabbas, Calypso, The Abbey Theatre, Dublin Theatre Festival, St. Patrick’s Festival, Els Commediants, The Ark, Monaghan Youth Theatre and Red Lemon Youth Theatre.

Sinéad Flynn

Voice, Introducing Singing for Adults, Musical Theatre Workshop,
Musical Theatre in the Classroom outreach workshop

Sinéad received her BMus Performance degree from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama and also trained in the Gaiety School of Acting, the Academy Drama School, London and Navan Youth Theatre. She is currently co-director of Karma Productions, a company of actors, musicians and writers, and has performed in the National Concert Hall, the Peacock Theatre, Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, Temple Bar Music Centre, the Gaiety Theatre and Théâtre les Tréteaux, Brussels. Theatre roles include the title role in Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy, Grusha in Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle, Gerd in Ibsen’s Brand, Ann in Tom Murphy’s On the Outside, Madam Y in Strindberg’s The Stronger and various roles in the critically acclaimed play Hades by Declan Gorman with Upstate Theatre Project. Sinéad co-wrote and performed the play Discord, which toured originally with Bare Bodkin Theatre Company and is now touring with Karma. With Opera Ireland she sang Firodiligi (Cosi fan tutti) and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) in a Mozart cycle in the Gaiety Theatre and the USA. With the Opera Ireland Chorus she has sung in Tosca, The Magic Flute, Jenufa and Orfeo. Television and film work includes Glenroe (RTÉ) and Beached (Samson Films). In addition to her work at the New School since 2006, Sinéad has directed plays and taught drama in St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Navan, for Navan Travellers Workshop and for Meath VEC’s School Completion Programme, and she has a particular interest in outreach education.

Evelio Galán

Drumming Around the World outreach workshop

Evelio Galan Evelio was born in Havana, Cuba, and studied percussion, singing and dance at the prestigious Ignacio Cervantes music school in Havana, working under such internationally-renowned artists as Tata Guines, Changuito and Merceditas Valdés. Since then he has shared stages around the world with such luminaries as Arturo Sandoval, Paquito de Rivera, Carlos del Puerto, Los Van Van, Ibrahim Ferrer (Buena Vista Social Club), Compay Segundo, Tito Gómez and Changuito. Evelio was invited to Ireland in 2001 by the Cuban pianist Danilo Karell, and since that time he has performed at more than fifty arts festivals around the country, including the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, St. Patrick’s Festival and Kilkenny Arts Festival. He has also given numerous performances with the Irish groups Havana Che, Salsa Brava and A Night in Havana. Evelio is currently a member of Juan de Marcos González’s renowned Afro-Cuban All Stars, and in addition to his busy performance schedule both in Ireland and internationally has given numerous percussion and singing workshops in Sweden and Ireland.

Vita Galla

Piano

Vita Galla A native of Latvia, Vita started her music studies at the age of six and graduated from Gulbene Music School, where she studied piano. From there she continued her studies in Rēzekne Music College, where she focused on piano performance as a soloist, accompanist and ensemble musician. She studied and performed in many styles there, from Baroque to contemporary, also studying music theory and history as well as psychology. Vita went on to the Riga Teacher Training and Education Management Academy, where she received a BA degree in piano teaching and performance. She taught piano at two music schools in Riga before coming to Ireland, where she now teaches students ranging in age from 5 to 75 at the New School and the Lucan School of Music. She is very active as an accompanist and currently works with ‘Diva Voices’, a women’s choir, as well as accompanying in examinations for different instruments and voice. Vita has taught at the New School since 2006.

Eamonn Galldubh

Uilleann Pipes, Traditional Flute, Tin Whistle, Low Whistle, Tin Whistle outreach courses

An All-Ireland champion with a teaching diploma from Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, musician and composer Eamonn Galldubh began playing traditional music on the tin whistle at the age of eight, moving on to the uilleann pipes (he learned traditional piping technique from Dublin piper Ivan Goff and Mick O'Brien) and later flute. While Irish music is his first love, he has pursued an interest in other music forms, for example playing saxophone while studying jazz performance at Newpark School of Music. He enjoys working both as a session player and performing as a solo artist. Eamonn has both recorded and played live with a wide range of artists, including Clannad, Riverdance, Moya Brennan, Cara Dillon, Damien Dempsey, Ragus, Hazel O’Connor, Rua, Druid Theatre and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, as well as writing and recording his own material. He has taught at the New School for over a decade.

Jenna Harris

Voice, Introducing Singing for Adults, Jazz Vocal Workshop

Jenna Harris Jenna is part of an emerging coterie of musicians that look set to invigorate the Irish jazz scene. She began her music studies with classical voice until she discovered her passion for jazz, and she now holds a diploma in Jazz Performance awarded by Trinity Guildhall and an honours BA in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre (she was the first woman in Ireland to hold a degree in Jazz Performance). Jenna regularly performs with her own Quintet/Quartet/Trio/Duo, with Daniel Jacobson's ZoiBand and as a session musician with various other groups. As well as teaching with the New School since 2006, and with Newpark on their BA programme, she is involved with several youth groups and has a particular interest in jazz music education.

Jessica Harris

Oboe, Voice, Music Therapy

Jessica Harris Jessica completed both a BA in Music Performance and an MMus at the Royal College of Music in London. She has since performed throughout Ireland and the UK as an oboist with orchestras and ensembles such as the National Symphony and National Concert Orchestras of Ireland and with such artists as Placido Domingo and Maxim Vengerov. As a singer, she has extensive experience performing in small venues and for private functions, singing jazz standards, ballads and popular songs. More recently, her skills in working with young people and passion for music education led her to pursue and complete a two-year Masters degree in Music Therapy at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. Jessica looks forward to balancing three careers of musician, teacher and music therapist in the future.

Colm Hassett

Sounds Indian outreach workshop

Colm Hassett Originally the drummer for the influential Irish rock band Whipping Boy (1989-2006), Colm has studied tabla and classical Indian percussion for over twenty years – in Benares, India, the US and Ireland. He has also performed widely as a drummer with several other bands, including The Onset and The Seagraves, and as a tabla player, both live and recorded, with Indian classical groups. He has explored various teaching techniques for Indian tabla and classical percussion in order to share the instrument with others in Ireland and has collaborated with many musicians working in other musical genres, incorporating traditional and modern rhythms.

Majella Higgins

Leaving Cert. Music Preliminary and Easter Revision courses, One-Day Revision workshop

Majella Higgins Currently director of the Somerton School of Music in Birr, Co. Offaly and the Midland Examining Board, Majella received her BA from UCD and Associate Diploma from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She has a wide range of experience teaching curriculum music at second level and has co-authored textbooks and workbooks for senior cycle music, including the Notes for Leaving Certificate Music textbook and workbooks as well as Foundation for Senior Cycle Music, a Transition Year workbook. Majella also wrote both the Junior Cert. Music and Leaving Cert. Music study notes on the Naxos Music Library website, and she has compiled and presented notes for the Post-Primary Music Teachers Association’s Leaving Cert. revision days. Majella has a keen interest in music technology and also provides training for both teachers and student in the Leaving Cert. music technology option.

Liza Hingerty

Piano, Keyboard, Introducing Piano/Keyboard for Adults

Liza Hingerty Liza studied both piano and music theory at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, obtaining her ALCM and GNEIM diplomas. She went on to teach at the Rathdown School for seven years, as well as continuing her musical studies with voice lessons, before coming to the New School. She has performed widely both as a jazz singer (with her own Trio and Quartet as well as numerous other musicians) and pianist (specialising in music of the 1930s and 40s, from George Gershwin to Cole Porter) at numerous Irish and Italian venues, including The Button Factory, The Bleu Note and Le Basement Jazz Club, among othes. She has been teaching piano and keyboard at the New School, to students at all skill levels, for over a decade.

Andrew Hogan

Piano, Theory

Andrew Hogan Andrew graduated with an honours BA in Music from University College Dublin and studied pianoforte performance and musicianship at both the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, where he achieved an LCM Diploma. He has also received a Diploma in piano teaching from the ABRSM. Andrew studied organ for two years at DIT and is currently organist at the Church of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom at UCD. He is currently studying for a City and Guilds certificate in music technology and sound engineering, and his interest in electronic music composition has led him to compose and produce music for several film projects.

Catherine Humphreys

Violin, Introducing Violin for Adults, Violin outreach courses

Catherine Humphreys Catherine began studying the violin at the age of six at the Cork School of Music, and went on to receive ATCL and LTCL diplomas from Trinity College of Music in London, achieving distinctions in both, as well as an MA in Classical String Performance from the University of Limerick. Catherine also holds a BSc (Hons) in Clinical Speech and Language Studies from Trinity College Dublin. A keen orchestral and chamber musician, Catherine has been invited to perform with the World Youth Orchestra on three occasions, and has also performed with the University of Limerick’s Academos Irish World Academy Strings ensemble, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Goethe Institute Choir and Wexford Opera Festival Orchestra. In addition to private teaching, she has been actively involved in primary school and community music education projects, organising and teaching a string instrumental education programme in Ballyfermot and community music classes for St. Vincent de Paul.

Mairéad Hurley

Concertina, Tin Whistle, Tin Whistle outreach courses

Mairéad hails from Ballymote, Co. Sligo. Born into a family of traditional Irish musicians, she began learning tin whistle at the age of five from her father, flute player Michael, and later progressed to the concert flute, winning All-Ireland medals on both whistle and flute. At the age of 14, Mairéad took up the concertina, which is now her primary instrument. Further All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil medals on concertina followed, culminating with winning the Senior All-Ireland concertina title in 2006. She has performed in Ireland, North America and Scandinavia with the group Ceoltóirí Coleman, a showcase of the music, song and dance of her native North Connaught region, and also plays regularly with New School teacher Eamonn Galldubh, and performed with him on the Irish Sping Tour of Germany 2010. Mairéad is highly in demand as a concertina teacher, and has been a tutor at the South Sligo Summer School, the Joe Mooney Summer School, the Craobh Náithí Scoil Fhómair, Corofin Traditional Music Festival and the Concertinas at Witney weekend in Oxfordshire, UK. Mairead has also appeared on the RTÉ Radio programme ‘The Bloom of Youth’, made television appearances on The Late Late Show and Geantraí, and has recorded with artists such as Ná Bac and Tommy Fleming.

Solomon Ijigade

Drumming Around the World and Sounds African outreach workshops,
African Drumming, Song & Dance

Solomon Ijigade Solomon learned his drumming and singing from relations and family friends when growing up in Nigeria. Since he moved to Ireland in 2000, he has been performing with the award-winning African musical group Adun Oyin. With them he has also given workshops and performances to schools, colleges and community groups around Dublin. In 2003, Solomon played St. Patrick in Mixing It on the Mountain – a musical co-produced by Calypso and Tower of Babel – at the Samuel Beckett Centre. He also played a leading role in The Gods Are Not to Blame, an Arambe/Project co-production at the Project Theatre as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival. Solomon is a soloist with the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir and has performed on RTÉ radio on Rattlebag and Tonight with Vincent Browne as well as on RTÉ Television, on the Late Late Show, Mono and Would You Believe?.

Caroline Kelly

Violin, Introducing Violin for Adults

Paddy Kiernan Caroline studied violin performance at the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester) and the Royal College of Music (London). She enjoys both playing and teaching and has performed with many professional orchestras, including the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, Birmingham Opera Company and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. After leaving college she joined Southbank Sinfonia, an orchestra for recent graduates who wish to further develop their orchestral skills. Caroline also enjoys chamber music and performed last year as part of the Shallid String Trio in several concerts in both the UK and France. She lived until recently in England and taught violin in a number of primary and secondary schools around Manchester.

David Kennedy

Guitar and Junior/Leaving Cert. Music outreach courses

David Kennedy David has an honours BMusEd degree from Trinity College Dublin and the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, where he studied a wide range of music education methodologies and approaches, from early childhood education (including Orff, Kodály and Dalcroze teaching methods) right up to post-primary music education. In addition to his teaching experience in various Dublin-area post-primary schools, David has played guitar for years, majored in performance in his final year in university and is well versed in most styles of the instrument, including classical, rock/pop, blues and even gospel (he regularly performs with the Dublin Gospel Choir).

Patrick Kiernan

5-String (Bluegrass) Banjo, Irish Tenor (4-String) Banjo
Introducing 5-String Banjo, Introducing Irish Tenor Banjo

Paddy Kiernan Paddy’s interest in the banjo grew out of his original love of Irish music, and he first took up the 5-string banjo after hearing Luke Kelly's famous recording of 'On Raglan Road’. He soon turned his attention to the bluegrass and folk world, learning from recordings of famous players such as Earl Scruggs and Béla Fleck, and studying with banjo legend Tony Trischka. Paddy played with Dublin's longest-running bluegrass band, Fair City Grass, from 2006 to 2008 and has performed and recorded with various bluegrass and folk bands and musicians at festivals throughout Ireland and the UK. He currently plays, arranges and teaches traditional and contemporary bluegrass, Irish traditional music, folk music and jazz on the 5-string banjo.

Beata Kmak

Violin, Piano, Adult String Ensemble, Violin outreach courses

Beata Kmak Beata comes from a musical family in Krakow, Poland and started playing the violin and piano as a child. She received her Diploma as Professional Musician-Instrumentalist (violin, piano) and a postgraduate certificate in Pedagogy from the renowned Jagiellonian University in Kracow. Beata has performed, recorded, taught and toured extensively in Europe with 'Male Slowianki', a Polish folk music and dance group, and has a particular interest in Klezmer music. As a teacher in Krakow she created an innovative 'Best Musician of the Year' competition, which included a variety of rewards and medals for musicianship and choreography. She has been teaching at the New School since she came to Ireland in 2006.

Martina Kozhuharov

Cello

A native of Bulgaria, Martina studied at the prestigious Vesselin Stoyanov Professional Music School in Russe, with Alexandra Elenkova, graduating with a Diploma in Violoncello, Piano and Music Theory. After graduating, she took further tuition from Professor Anatoly Krustev in Sofia, before returning to Russe, where she taught cello. Martina has worked as a music teacher in Dublin since arriving in 2002, teaching both cello and piano privately, and since 2007 at the New School.

Miguelangel Lejarza

Classical / Spanish & Flamenco Guitar, Flamenco Guitar Basics

Miguelangel Lejarza Angel was born into a Spanish family in Mexico, where he started his career in music. He studied in the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City and later at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica in Madrid, and finished his studies of Renaissance and Baroque music (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) and specialised in French and Spanish styles at the Ecole Superior de Musique et Art Dramatique, Schuola Cantorum de Paris in Paris, graduating with first class honours. Angel has been five times awarded the prize of Arts in Mexico by the National Council for the Culture and the Arts. He was also winner of the International Competition at the Rachmaninoff Conservatory in Paris and was invited by Trinity College in Cambridge to play for the Heitor Villa-Lobos hundredth anniversary celebration. In addition to teaching at the New School for over a decade, he has been guest teacher and performer at music festivals in Europe as well as in Asia, China and the US.

Francis Long

Acoustic / Electric Guitar, Electric Bass, Banjo, Mandolin, Introducing Guitar for Children / for
Adults, Electric Blues Guitar Basics, Music Technology courses, Inside Rock outreach workshop

Fran Long Fran has been involved in the music business for many years. At the age of eight he joined the Artane Boys Band, where he learned to play the clarinet, oboe and the bell lyre – before moving on to guitar (in which he earned an ABRSM diploma) and bass. He has played professionally with different bands, releasing several CDs and recording various artists, including Cathy Davey. His most recent project is the band torc, which released the album The Last Love Song in 2011. Fran has worked in several music shops and was Manager of Waltons Music for five years. In addition to teaching at the New School since 2003, he has also given lessons at several Dublin-area primary schools through our In-School Music Programme, facilitated workshops at the Ballyfermot Community Centre aimed at helping young people understand the music business and co-facilitates our Inside Rock outreach workshop.

Harry Long

Tin Whistle, Low Whistle, Traditional Guitar, Introducing Tin Whistle, Classroom Music Made Easy

Harry Long Author of The Waltons Guide to Irish Music and the Leaving Cert. Music coursebook Soundscapes: Irish Music & Aural Awareness, Harry has devoted a lifetime to the study and teaching of Irish history and traditional music, in all its forms. He has played tin and low whistles for almost three decades and performed with the Irish National Folk Company at St. Enda's National Historic Park, in international music and dance festivals and throughout Ireland both solo and in sessions. As a teacher he has guided hundreds of students at both private and national schools in Dublin and County Wicklow. Harry has composed and recorded music for RTÉ radio and television documentaries, including Head Waters (1991), on the area where Turlough O’Carolan was born, and A Change of Heart. He has taught Irish music appreciation and tin and low whistle at the New School for thirteen years and has taught tin whistle beginners from all over the world in our summer lessons and courses. His solo whistle playing can be heard on the album Rinka (2002), as well as the Waltons double CDs, Ireland's Best Tin Whistle Tunes, Volumes 1 and 2 and Ireland's Best Tin Whistle Tunes for Children.

Niamh McCormack

Voice, Piano, Introducing Singing for Adults

Niamh McCormack Niamh received her BMus and MMus Performance degrees from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. Since then she has performed in the National Concert Hall, the Gaiety Theatre, Place des Arts in Montreal, Radio City Music Hall in New York City, as well as at the Giza pyramids in Egypt. She has won numerous awards in feiseanna and music festivals, including the Stevenson Award and bursary from the Ballymena Festival. She has also toured extensively as vocal soloist with Riverdance and performed such operatic roles as Musetta in La Boheme, Papagena in The Magic Flute and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. Niamh has sung with the National Chamber Choir and continues to be a deputy member. She is also a regular recitalist and performer of Early Music and has recorded a lunchtime recital for RTÉ lyric fm. In addition to her work with the New School, Niamh has taught singing and musical theatre with An Grianán, Co. Drogheda.

Cathy McEvoy

Waltons Gospel Choir, Bluegrass Fiddle

Cathy McEvoy Cathy is a full-time musician, arranger and composer with extensive gospel and choir experience. She holds an honours Music degree from Trinity College Dublin and a Masters in Composition from N.U.I. Maynooth. She is currently musical director of both the Ballymun Gospel Choir and The Gospel Project, and she has directed choirs as diverse as the Forever Young Chorus (Finglas), the Lambay Singers, the Rathgar Gospel Choir and Gardiner Street Gospel Choir. In addition, Cathy maintains a busy schedule as a freelance fiddle player, performing with a great number of traditional, roots and bluegrass bands, as well as the Dublin Symphony Orchestra, among others. Well-known artists with whom she has performed include the Manic Street Preachers, Mary Coughlan, Eleanor McEvoy and Ronan Hardiman (Lord of the Dance).

Kieran McEvoy

Songwriting Workshop

Kieran MvEvoy Kieran hails from Dublin and has been a professional musician for many years, performing with many different bands and solo artists. He lived and worked as a musician for eight years in New York City, where he played guitar, sang and contributed songwriting to bands such as the Sony-signed roots act Naked Grape, Indie folk rocker Melissa Sheehan and Electra Records glam rockers Smashed Gladys, among others. On returning to Ireland in 1996, he recorded on his sister Eleanor McEvoy's Columbia Records album What's Following Me and toured the US, Europe and Ireland with Eleanor and her band. He also co-wrote ‘Make Mine a Small One’ with Eleanor, which features on her album Early Hours. Since then he collaborated with Australian singer-songwriter Chiara Browne and co-wrote many songs with her for The Rose Ponies, the band they formed together. Kieran is currently writing a new album with B & The Honeyboys, the band he formed with his partner Aileen Mythen in 2006, who have received critical acclaim for their eponymously titled debut album. He is also a full-time singer and songwriter in The Gospel Project, whose debut album, released in the summer of 2009, features his song ‘Overcome’. Kieran continues to work with many other bands and artists, including Luan Parle, Bagatelle and Mickey Harte, as well as with B & The Honeyboys.

Eddie McGinn

Latin Percussion, Introducing Latin Percussion, Sounds Samba outreach workshop

Eddie McGinn One of Ireland’s top percussion players and teachers, Eddie studied percussion at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Ballyfermot’s Progressive Traditional Music Course, the Newpark Professional Musician’s Course and at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba. Eddie has recorded and toured with such acts as De Jimbe, the Macnas theatre group, Máire Breatnach, Scullion, Sonny Condell, Mike Hanrahan (Stocktons Wing), Pucho & the Latin Soul Brothers, Salsa Brava and the Night in Havana Orchestra, and he has appeared at the Quimper festival (alongside Anuna, Davey Spillane and Begley & Cooney) and at the Percuba festival in Havana. His television appearances include Kenny Live, the Late Late Show, PM Live and Ireland AM. He has conducted numerous workshops and written drum pieces for community arts groups and the DIT percussion ensemble. Eddie has taught at the New School for over a decade.

Michael McInerney

Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica, Introducing Harmonica, Acoustic Blues Guitar Basics,
Fingerstyle Guitar Basics

Michael McInerney Michael began playing the harmonica in his late teens, and is currently one of Ireland's most accomplished harmonica players and teachers. He started learning guitar initially as a way of trying to make sense of the musical jargon that confounded him as he tried to teach himself the harmonica and has since explored blues, jazz, flamenco, slide guitar, Irish traditional, some classical and a little ragtime – though his main interests remain blues, slide and fingerstyle guitar. In addition to teaching at the New School since 1995, Michael has written and performed a range of solo guitar music for theatre and film and performed as a flamenco guitarist; he can also be heard on harmonica with his band Master Blaster. He holds an LGSM (P), DipJazz from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, a BA in English and Philosophy from NUI Maynooth, and a Diploma in Drama Studies and an MA in Modern Drama from UCD.

Michael MacLennan

Piano, Theory, Songwriting

Michael MacLennan Growing up in a small village in the Scottish highlands, Michael began playing the piano at the age of seven. Having always been drawn equally to both classical and popular music and in particular great song writing, he performed as a solo artist and in various bands throughout his early teens. In 2000 he began studying at the Royal College of Music in London, under the guidance of John Byrne. Throughout his time as a student he performed extensively across London and the UK, including the opening ceremony of the new London Symphony Orchestra’s St. Luke's venue. Since leaving college with an honours BMus degree in 2004, Michael has enjoyed a busy career as both performer and teacher. Having released the critically acclaimed EP History in 2009, Michael is releasing a new album, Wolves, in March 2012 and continues to have a busy teaching practice. A recent performance on BBC Radio Scotland was described by senior producer Pennie Latin as ‘Jaw droppingly good. Stunning!’

Ian McTigue

Drum Kit, Bodhrán, Drumming Around the World and Sounds Irish outreach workshops

Ian McTigue A former student at the New School, Ian has worked as a professional musician and teacher, specializing in bodhrán, drum kit and percussion, for over fifteen years. Moya Brennan, Frankie Gavin & De Dannan, Don Baker, Robin James Hurt and Jeff Tuttle are just a few of the artists whom he regularly works with. Ian has played drum kit, percussion and bodhrán with Riverdance in the United States, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Dubai, Kazakhstan and most recently at the pyramids in Egypt, where Riverdance shared a headline concert with Mariah Carey. At home, Ian took part in the 2006 Ryder Cup opening ceremony at the K Club, performing specially-commissioned pieces by Donal Lunny while sharing the stage with Carlos Núñez, Michael McGoldrick and Liam O’Flynn. Ian is also no stranger to the orchestral pit, having played with Improbable Frequency at the Black Box in Galway, Macbecks in the Cork Opera House and The Women of Ireland in Killarney’s INEC. In 2010 Ian branched into country music, playing drums with Nashville recording artist Jeff Tuttle.

Sinéad Madden

Fiddle, Introducing Fiddle, Sounds Irish outreach workshop

Sinead Madden Sinéad started playing the fiddle at the age of seven and went on to study both classical piano and violin, all the while playing numerous fleadhs and sessions nationwide. After moving to Dublin in 1994, she studied music at Trinity College Dublin, graduating with a BA. During this time she began a performing career that has included collaborations and performances with such artists as Moya Brennan (Clannad), Jim McCann (The Dubliners) and Aoife ni Feartagh. Sinéad has toured extensively in Scandinavia, Asia, America and Europe, and guested with various artists such as ten-time All-Ireland champion Seamus Connolly and the Dublin City Orchestra, as well as playing support to the legendary Drifters frontman Ben E. King. Her recent musical projects include the solo album Honey Promises (2009), featuring Moya Brennan and Cormac de Barra; The Beehive Suite, with uilleann piper Darach De Brún; and Urbanethnic, with the Dublin-based group Rinka. She also selected and performed the tunes for the Waltons publication, 110 Best Irish Fiddle Tunes, volume 2. Sinéad has taught fiddle to hundreds of students at the New School for over a decade.

Jim Magill

Drum Kit

Jim Magill Jim started drumming at the age of 15, studying with jazz drummer Dave McCune. He continued with improvisation study under the guidance of Tommy Halferty and further tuition under the renowned percussionist Keith Copeland. In a busy performing career, Jim has played at numerous festivals and venues both Irish and international, including the Phoenix Festival, Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park, the Mill Street Festival and Belfast Festival at Queen’s, as well as the Olympia Theatre, Gaiety Theatre, Vicar Street, Whelan’s and London’s Barbican. Television and radio appearances include the Late Late Show, The View and (with Supertonic Sound Club) Mark Lamarr’s God’s Jukebox on BBC Radio 2. He performed and toured the UK and Europe in the late 90s with singer Naimee Coleman and has worked more recently with a range of bands – from salsa to rock to soul/funk. Jim has taught students at all levels, from beginner to pre-professional, at the New School for over a decade.

Prof. Sansão Maia

Capoeira in the Classroom outreach workshop

Sansao Maia Sansão has been training, studying and developing capoeira for over 17 years. He co-founded the Oficina da Capoeira Brazil group and worked with hundreds of children in the Projeto de Orientacao da Crianca pela Arte before arriving in Dublin in 2001. Over the past three years he has developed the Mundo Capoeira Ireland group and introduced many other aspects of Brazilian culture to a wide audience, thanks to his regular classes, workshops, performances, radio interviews, and appearances on national television and in print. Under his guidance, the group has appeared in numerous street performances, dance festivals (Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures, University of Limerick Festival of Traditional Dance, Drogheda Samba Festival, Latin Quarter Experience, Bloomsday celebrations), and theatres. Sansão has also facilitated many workshops for the International Dance Festival of Ireland, The Ark and the Tallaght and Ballymun community centres, as well as schools, colleges and universities. Capoeira has brought him to Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Holland and England to facilitate workshops and to perform in festivals and gatherings.

Elisabeth Meuleman

Piano, Theory

Elisabeth Meuleman Born in Belgium from an Irish mother and a Belgian father, Elisabeth has been a student of music since the age of eight, progressing through the different levels of the Conservatory of Binche, Belgium, where she studied piano with Rosella Clini. She subsequently attended the Royal Conservatory of Music in Mons, where she studied eight years with Rosella Clini and Thomas Paule, obtaining a Premier Prix in Piano, Harmony and Sol-Fa – Music Theory, and then a Master’s Degree in Piano as well as a teaching degree. Besides the Conservatory, she attended and performed several times at the International Masterclass Music-A Braine l’Alleud in Belgium and the Paris International Summer Sessions at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, both directed by Nelson Delle-Vigne Fabbri. Since obtaining her degrees, Elisabeth has worked as a piano and music theory teacher in music schools and academies in Belgium, France and Ireland. She now lives in Ireland but still performs regularly in Belgium.

Clara Monahan

Music Therapy and Guitar outreach courses

Clara Monahan Clara received a BMus degree from NUI Maynooth before qualifying as a music therapist with an MA in Music Therapy from the University of Limerick. Her experience with music therapy is wide ranging, and she has worked in both the Republic and in Northern Ireland with children and adults with autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, Down Syndrome and learning disabilities, as well as with children with developmental delay. Clara has also worked with older adults both in the nursing home and hospital settings. Her approach to music therapy is client-centred and eclectic, looking at the ‘whole person’ in assessment and developing therapeutic goals from this basis. Clara has also given a number of general music therapy workshops and presentations for centres and organisations in which parents, carers and teachers can learn about music therapy and how it works.

David Mooney

Double Bass, Electric Bass, Acoustic / Electric Guitar, Jazz Ensembles, Guitar outreach courses

David Mooney Dave hails from south Dublin, but his musical pursuits have led him far and wide. He holds a BMus degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with such world-renowned musicians and composers as John Lockwood and Joseph Smith, and also holds a Diploma in Jazz Performance from the Guildhall School of Music in London. Dave has performed and recorded with a vast and varied array of artists, from Sarah Brightman and Jeff Ramsey (Al Jarreau Group) to Sarah Brindell, the Young European Strings and Stambandet (a Scandinavian Folk group). He was one of the founding members of the established New England jazz ensemble 3D4tet, and has recently returned from a successful tour of the Balkans, leading his own jazz quartet. Dave’s performances have included the National Concert Hall, and he was chosen to represent Ireland at the IASJ schools of jazz conference and concert in London. He has worked as a music educator both in the US and Ireland, and has taught at the New School since 2005.

Kieran Moynihan

Concert Flute, Piccolo, Flute Ensemble

Kieran Moynihan Kieran studied with Evelyn Grant at the Cork School of Music before moving to London in 1995 to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied flute with Averil Williams and piccolo with Sarah Newbold. Since graduating he has enjoyed a busy and varied career incorporating symphonic work, opera, ballet and musicals. Kieran has performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra and Camerata Ireland. He has also worked regularly with such opera and ballet companies as the Royal Opera, Opera Ireland, Anna Livia Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Ballet National de Cuba. As a musical theatre player, Kieran has performed in the London productions of Phantom of the Opera and Lord of the Rings as well as touring with major West End productions of The King and I, Miss Saigon, Mary Poppins and the recent 25th anniversary version of Les Misérables. CDs include recordings with Placido Domingo, Altan, Sharon Shannon, Les Misérables Live! and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Gloria Mulhall

Violin, Viola, Piano, Theory

Gloria Mulhall Gloria holds an honours BA in music from the Waterford Institute of Technology, a Postgraduate degree from Trinity College Dublin and a Licentiate diploma from Trinity College London. As a symphonic composer she has produced three albums under the name of Rua and in 2007 had a world premiere performance in China of a work entitled ‘Red Alert’. She currently holds the title of World Fleadh Composition Champion and in 2007 received an Art Achievement Award from the China International Folk Art Festival in Beijing. Her music features in the film Unborn but Forgotten and was taken as the theme music for Fugi FinePix in Korea. As a solo violinist and solo pianist she has performed at venues world-wide, including Carnegie Hall, The Israeli Opera House in Tel-Aviv, with Carlos Núñez in France, in Shanghai and Beijing, where she performed to audiences in excess of 5,000. She is currently working on her fourth album, composed for full symphony orchestra and choir and recorded in Moldova. 2011 will see her tour China. In addition to teaching at the New School for over fourteen years, Gloria lectures in music (composition, history and pedagogy) at Griffith College, Dublin.

Eoin Mulvany

Classical / Acoustic Guitar, Theory, Sight Singing Made Easy,
Leaving Certificate Music Two-Year Course

Eoin Mulvany Eoin received a first class honours degree from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in both music composition and guitar performance, coming top of his class with an upper division merit in the teaching diploma course he also completed. He has also obtained a Masters degree in composition from Dublin City University. In addition to guitar, Eoin has extensive experience teaching music theory, musicianship and composition to students from beginner to teaching diploma level. He also has experience in – and has performed – a wide range of music, having played and sung with groups ranging from jazz ensembles to classical choirs, traditional Irish music groups to rock bands. Eoin has taught at the New School since 2004.

Junshi Murakami

Irish Harp

Junshi Murakami Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Junshi has been living in Ireland since 1999. He studied Irish harp with Áine Ní Dhubhghaill at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where he was awarded a Diploma in Irish harp performance in 2005. Junshi has been involved in a number of events and recordings in Ireland, Denmark and Japan, including the critically acclaimed debut album from Lisa O'Neill, lisa o’neill has an album (2009) and performances at the Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures and Electric Picnic. One of the finest young harpists currently working in Ireland, Junshi’s arrangements of traditional Irish tunes can be found in the compilation Rogha na gCruitirí (Cáirde na Cruite, 2010), which are included in the RIAM syllabus for Irish harp examination. He has taught at the New School since 2007.

Sian Murray

Music for Me courses

Sian Murray Sian completed a BA in Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Limerick and went on to complete a Cert. in Professional Musicianship at Newpark Music Centre and a Masters in Community Music at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. Her BA afforded her the opportunity to work as a researcher and assistant to composer Bill Whelan, exposing her to a spectrum of musical cultures, especially the Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban traditions. Sian worked as a Special Needs Assistant, Language Support teacher and regular classroom teacher in primary schools in Limerick and Dublin, which led her to pursue a Masters in Community Music as a way to marry her interest in music, children’s education and special needs. Since graduating, she has continued her work with special needs children, while also working with the Irish Chamber Orchestra’s Music Factory camp for children. Sian also has a keen interest in how dance and movement can benefit the musicality, confidence and general health of children and is an active member of the Latin dance community in Dublin. In addition to her teaching work, she has sung professionally with the band Nick Carswell and the Elective Orchestra for eight years, and provided backing vocals in the National Concert Hall and on The Late Late show for Liam Ó Maonlaí.

Ciarán Nagle

Voice, Intensive Vocal Workshop

Ciaran Nagle Ciarán Nagle has amassed nearly eighteen years’ experience as a professional performer and producer, and he has coached numerous singers in practical performance techniques. After training in the DIT College of Music and the RIAM, he became a member of the National Chamber Choir, singing with them until 1998. He also worked extensively with Opera Ireland and appeared in many of their productions. A keen fan of musical theatre and operetta, he performed roles as varied as Gaylord Ravenal in Showboat, Ralph in HMS Pinafore and Tony in West Side Story, that led to his appointment in 1998 as the lead male singer of Riverdance, with which he toured for two years across Europe and Japan. Upon returning to Dublin, Ciarán became the founding member of the Three Irish Tenors, which has gone on to win huge national and international success. He has also sung the National Anthem for both the Hurling and Gaelic Football All Ireland Finals in Croke Park to capacity crowds in excess of eighty thousand. In addition to the Three Irish Tenors, Ciarán’s recent projects include Druid, a touring show featuring top Irish singers; Ishna, a project with American violinist Tara Novak; and Edgewood Productions, a booking agency and management company producing events for corporate and governmental bodies at the highest level. He has also studied Mediation and Conflict Resolution in University College Dublin with a particular focus on dispute resolution in the Arts.

Tara Novak

Violin, Jazz Violin, Viola, Fiddle

Although originally from a classical background, Tara Novak is one of those rare violinists who is equally at home in a multitude of genres – from jazz, rock, pop, and traditional music to Broadway shows and experimental theatre pieces. She credits the foundation of her technique first to her years spent studying with the international concert violinist Benny Kim, and then to the diversity demanded of a freelancing musician in New York City. While in NYC, Tara became frustrated with the lack of spontaneity in the modern classical music scene and decided to dedicate her time to discovering other styles of playing. In the next few years, she attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mark O’Connor’s fiddle camp in Nashville, studied privately with Irish fiddler Dana Lyn, blues violinist Marty Laster, jazz-rock violinist Rob Thomas, and worked with many bands in New York within the Irish, glam-rock, punk and experimental genres. Since 2007, when she started teaching at the New School, Tara has been dividing her time between Ireland and the the US. In addition to working extensively as a soloist, she is also the lead violinist with both the Three Irish Tenors and Druid, and she is currently recording her first EP, due out at Christmas 2010 She has toured throughout Ireland, the UK, Holland, North America and the Caribbean, and hopes to someday make it to the rest of the world!. In addition to her busy performance and teaching schedule, Tara is an active composer, writer and educator.

Dara O’Brien

Sounds Indian outreach workshop

Dara O Briain Dara studied western music in Newcastle College, Indian classical music in North India and completed an MA in ethnomusicology (with first class honours) at the Irish World Music Centre, University of Limerick. He specialised in classical sitar and music in education for his MA and was awarded a Higher Education Fieldtrip Grant and later an Arts Council Travel Award to pursue his studies in India. Dara’s extensive experience facilitating workshops for young people includes working with the Backstage Academy of the Performing Arts and in schools and centres throughout the country, as well as directing numerous large ensemble performances. As both composer and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, sitar, voice, harmonica, percussion), Dara regularly performs in a variety of contexts. A founding member of the Indian/Arabic/Irish/jazz fusion band Mandalla, he also plays Indian classical sitar in the traditional duo format and performs classical/jazz/blues solo guitar recitals. As a composer, Dara has written for a large number of contemporary dance projects and co-founded Shakram Dance and Music Company (fusing Indian and contemporary styles in dance and music).

Hugh O’Byrne

Drum Kit

Hugh started out learning the piano but after a short time moved on to his real love – the drum kit. In his late teens he studied under Monica Bonnie at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, and went on to complete a teaching diploma in drum kit and orchestral percussion with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In a wide-ranging career, Hugh has performed with many different groups and in a variety of styles, including rock, Latin, jazz, funk, blues, trad and African. He was an original member of the Afro-Irish group De Jimbe, who have performed at most of the major music festivals in Ireland and have also travelled to France, Germany, Cuba, Senegal, the US and Korea. Some of the other groups he has played with include The Mexican Pets, Salsa Brava, The Radio, Mangéira, the Dublin Gospel Choir and the Arcana Drummers. Most recently Hugh has finished a run of shows in Ireland, England, Spain and South Korea with the Dance Theatre of Ireland. He has been teaching at the New School since its founding in 1994.

Kevin O’Hare

Bodhrán, Traditional Guitar, Introducing Bodhrán

Kevin O Hare Kevin lives in Dublin, where he has been involved with traditional Irish music for over 22 years. In that time he has played with many well-known artists throughout Ireland and Europe. His main instruments are bodhrán, DADGAD guitar, standard guitar and mandolin; recently he has started fiddle, bass and banjo. In his travels Kevin has picked up various styles of playing the bodhrán, which range from the common Kerry style (holding the tipper mid-way), the rarely seen Limerick style (holding the tipper towards the top of the stick), knuckles (playing with the hand) and the ‘upside down method’ seen in Co. Clare (as the name suggests, holding the tipper at the bottom). This flexible approach allows students to explore and learn in the style with which they feel most comfortable. Kevin has taught at the New School since 2007.

Joan O’Malley

Voice, Introducing Singing for Adults

Joan O Malley Joan received her BMus Performance degree as well as a postgraduate Diploma in Performance from the DIT Conservatory of Music & Drama and also trained at the Stageworks Drama School. She has won several awards for her singing, including the DIT Opera Studio’s MacNamara Gold Cup and the Feis Ceoil’s Veronica Dunne and Wilson Cups. Joan has performed in numerous productions with Opera Ireland (Cosi fan tutte, Don Pasquale) and the Anna Livia Opera Company (Lucia di Lammermoor, The Pearl Fishers) and as soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Coronation Mass, among others. Joan has taught at the New School since 2007.

Melanie O’Reilly

Voice, The Art & Craft of Songwriting workshop

Melanie O Reilly Melanie is an internationally-known singer-songwriter and music educator from Ireland, currently based in California. She holds an Arts degree from University College Dublin and studied theatre at the Brendan Smith Academy, also in Dublin. She is accredited by both the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Goldsmiths College in London. Melanie’s own songs have been published on six albums and eight compilations, her music has been featured on PBS Frontline's documentary An Uneasy Peace (directed by Niall McKay), and she has won numerous awards from the Arts Council of Ireland. She was lauded by Downbeat magazine as one of Ireland's foremost jazz ambassadors and is a regular performer on radio and TV. Her own radio show, Jazz on the Bay, which she created and hosts on RTÉ Radio 1, won the 2008-09 PPI Radio Award (Ireland) for ‘Music Program of the Year’ (specialist category), and she recently hosted a six-part music series for National Public Radio in the US. Melanie teaches songwriting courses regularly at various arts centres and music schools in California, and is on the advisory board of the Celtic Arts Centre in Los Angeles. She is also a vocal Instructor at the Starland Music Academy in Alameda, where she specialises in jazz, folk, pop and musical theatre, and she teaches at the Jazz School in Berkeley. She has taught at the New School during our Summer Term since 2004.

Anne Orr

Piano Accordion, Tin Whistle

Anne has played the piano accordion since the age of eight and for over thirty years. She became interested in traditional Irish music in her teens and joined a céilí band, The Shores of Éireann, which played gigs all over Dublin and competed in many Fleadhs. After obtaining Grade VIII in classical accordion, she joined Sean Kearney’s Accordion Orchestra, which won the All-Ireland Accordion Championships several times and appeared on the Late Late Show. Developing an interest in tin whistle, Anne attended many sessions in Áras Chrónáin and has since taught the instrument at the Mater Dei Institute of Education as well as in primary after-school music classes. Currently studying piano, and singing with the Culwick Choral Society, Anne has been teaching piano accordion at the New School for fourteen years.

Ronan O’Sullivan

Clarinet, Saxophone, Recorder, Music Fundamentals, Introducing Piano/Keyboard for Adults

Ronan O Sullivan Ronan studied clarinet, saxophone and piano at third level at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, earning both a Teacher’s Diploma and a BA degree in Performance. He then completed his postgraduate training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Ronan has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra, Irish Youth Wind Ensemble and the European Youth Wind Orchestra. Aside from his extensive teaching practice (he has taught at the New School for over a decade), Ronan performs regularly with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and performs many concerts as a freelance musician around Ireland.

Rory Pierce

Music Technology, Music Notation with Sibelius workshop

Rory Pierce Rory was trained in Composition, Contemporary Music and Music Technology at the Royal Academy of Music, London. He has written all sorts of music (from string quartets to animation soundtracks and orchestral music to hardcore dance) for such organisations as the BBC, the National Theatre, Aer Lingus, CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Dublin Youth Orchestra, the BBC Singers and the British Council. In the studio and in performance he specialises in marrying the latest music technology with acoustic instruments – a style he calls 50/50: 50% electronics and 50% real instruments played by human beings. As well as composing, he has also worked as musical director for various stage productions, scriptwriter and presenter for RTÉ lyric fm, and music critic – and he has performed and toured nationally and internationally with various bands, playing piano/keyboard, cello, uilleann pipes, marimba, flute and percussion. Rory has taught at the New School since 2005.

Daniela Quaresima

Capoeira in the Classroom outreach workshop

Daniela Quaresima studied capoeira under Professor Sansão Maia and arrived in Ireland in 1999. With Prof. Sansão, she has given workshops and performances for schools, colleges, universities and community groups throughout the country. Together with the Mundo Capoeira Ireland group and supported by the Happy City Samba Band, she represented Brazil in welcoming the football star Pelè on his visit to Dublin. She has also performed at the Dublin Fringe Festival, Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures, Dance Theatre of Ireland, International Dance Festival of Ireland, Drogheda Samba Festival, Ballina Salmon Parade, the Latin Quarter Experience, Spirasi Asylum Services Initiative, and at the Launch of the World Awareness Week organized by the National Youth Council of Ireland, just to name a few. She has also performed with several Dublin-based music groups such as De Jimbe, MaSamba and Afronova project in numerous festivals, has been training, studying and developing capoeira for almost 10 years. She is the co-founder of the Mundo Capoeira Ireland group and has introduced many other aspects of Brazilian culture to a wide audience, thanks to her regular classes, workshops, performances, radio interviews and appearances on national television.

Anni Rorke

Piano, Jazz Piano, Theory

Anni Rorke Anni hails from Finland and has been an active member of Europe's jazz community for many years. After graduating from Norway's prestigious NTNU Jazzlinja, one of the foremost conservatories for jazz music in Europe, she has gone on to play a number of significant festivals and performance spaces around the continent. She performs regularly as a solo pianist, with her trio and also with larger groups, notably composing works recently performed by the Jyväskylä Big Band in Finland. Anni’s study of both classical and jazz piano has allowed her to draw on both of these traditions in her performances and her teaching practice. Her teaching history includes lecturing in performance studies at the Finnish Music Conservatory, and she also has extensive experience teaching pianists at all levels. A sympathetic and considerate teacher, Anni tailors her approach to suit each individual student but sees enthusiasm and creativity as the common keys to encouraging commitment and development.

Vourneen Ryan

Concert Flute, Recorder

Vourneen Ryan Vourneen began her studies with Doris Keogh at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and in 1995 was awarded a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she received a BMus degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Orchestral Studies. She held the position of sub-principal flute with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra from 2004-2007 and now freelances regularly with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, RTÉ Symphony Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Opera Theatre Company and the Scottish Ballet. Vourneen has given many concerts at home and abroad, including chamber music recitals with the Merchant Winds quintet, the Fusion wind quintet and the Oriel trio, and she recently performed on the critically acclaimed Louth Contemporary Music Society's CD, A Place Between. Along with a busy performance and teaching schedule, Vourneen has recently been involved in setting up a Career and Enterprise skills programme for students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She is a recipient of Countess of Munster, Hattori Foundation and Arts Council of Ireland bursaries.

Suzanne Savage

Voice, Violin, Theory, Pre-Instrumental workshops

Suzanne Savage Originally from Belfast, Suzanne received her BMus degree from Queens University, where she studied voice and violin, and was awarded a scholarship to the Music Department of Fabrica, Benetton’s ‘applied creative laboratory’ in Treviso, Italy, where she worked on music and multimedia projects with several international collaborators. She was principal soloist for three years with Riverdance and has performed internationally as a vocal soloist with a number of music groups in different genres, written or co-written albums and film soundtracks and appeared on television and radio in Ireland, the UK and Italy. Described as 'probably the best voice out of Northern Ireland in the past thirty years' (Belfast Telegraph), Suzanne recently recorded her first album, Jellymould. In addition to teaching voice and violin at the New School, Suzanne has conducted outreach workshops for us in pre-instrumental music for very young children.

Mark Sisk

Acoustic / Electric / Jazz Guitar, Introducing Guitar for Adults

Mark Sisk One of the most in-demand guitarists in the Dublin music scene, Mark has played guitar for over two decades and worked as a musician and teacher for the last fifteen years, covering a wide range of styles including rock, jazz and blues. He has recorded and toured with international artists as a session musician and is also a regular on the Dublin live circuit. Mark has taught at the New School for over a decade; his teaching goal is to make music accessible to everyone by breaking down musical barriers with simple explanation and demonstration.

Candra Sleeman

Contemporary Vocal Workshop

Candra Sleeman Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Candra (pronounced 'Chandra') completed her Diploma in Contemporary Music Performance, majoring in voice, in 1999, and then undertook a Bachelor of Contemporary Music degree at Southern Cross University. There she polished her technique under the tutelage of Valerie Tamblyn-Mills and other acclaimed performers. After completing her degree, Candra's interest in education and teaching saw her undertake a Graduate Diploma in Music Education, and she has since taught voice, musicianship and theory, both in classroom and private settings, in Australia, London and Dublin. She has also had extensive experience in live performance, solo, in duos, trios and large ensembles and in a variety of different styles, ranging from soul to jazz and Latin to pop. Candra's experience with the renowned ‘Jo Estil Technique’ and her understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the voice removes the ‘smoke and mirrors’ that often comes with trying to teach technique to vocal students, promotes good vocal health and achieves results. She currently teaches voice and vocal development on the Higher National Diploma in Music Performance at Ballyfermot College (the Rockschool) and has taught at the New School since 2005.

Kleber de Souza

Capoeira in the Classroom outreach workshop

Kleber studied capoeira in Brazil under Professor Sansão Maia and arrived in Ireland in 2009. With Prof Sansão, he has given numerous workshops and performances for schools, colleges, universities and community groups throughout the country. He holds his own classes in Bray and Cork.

Conleth Stanley

Voice, Introducing Singing for Adults

Conleth Stanley Conleth started his musical career as a member of the Palestrina Choir, and he graduated from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama with a BMus in Vocal Pedagogy, studying voice there with Dr. Robert Alderson and working with repetiteur Roy Holmes. At the same time he worked professionally with Opera Ireland and the Anna Livia Opera Company in Dublin, performing repertoire by Bellini, Bizet, Donizetti, Gounod, Mascagni, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, Saint-Saëns, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Verdi. He was also a key member of the production team in DIT, which staged their first full-scale opera in over twenty years, Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Conleth also works with the Yorke Trust in South Creake, Norfolk, England, where they perform operatic works for scholarship students. His Yorke Trust work - working alongside renowned musicians such as Alec Crowe, Darren Hargan, Robert Houssart and Gidon Saks - includes Purcell’s Dido & Aneas, Lampe’s Pyramus & Thisbe, Handel's Theodora, Rameau’s Castor et Pollux and Monteverdi's L'Orfeo. In Dublin, he has worked alongside Vivienne Coates in Lyric Opera Productions of Lehar's The Merry Widow, Mozart's Don Giovanni, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Verdi’s La Traviata at the National Concert Hall.

John Sweeney

Acoustic / Electric / Traditional Guitar, Introducing Guitar for Teens / for Adults,
Trad Guitar Basics, Inside Rock outreach workshop

John Sweeney John comes from a musical family and has been studying and playing guitar and bass for over thirty years. He works in many different styles, including traditional, rock and jazz, and has performed and recorded with a number of Irish groups, gigging extensively throughout Ireland, Canada, the UK, the US and Spain. He began teaching in 1988 at the Scarborough School of Guitar in Toronto, Canada, where he also studied composition and flatpick technque. He has also studied flamenco guitar with Miguel Escudero Lopez in Seville, Spain and traditional music at St. Enda’s Folk Park & Museum, and he continues to develop techniques of both melody and rhythm accompaniment for Irish music. John has taught at the New School since 2003.

Brian Tavey

Classical / Acoustic / Electric Guitar

Brian Tavey Brian has been playing guitar for over 25 years, both at home and abroad. He began his music career playing electric guitar in a metal band in secondary school, went on to study at the Ballyfermot Rock School and continued at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, from which he received a Bmus Performance degree in classical guitar in 1998. Brian has played acoustic, electric and classical guitar, as well as bass, in a wide range of groups, settings and music genres - from rock bands to musicals and trad groups to gospel choirs. He has taught at the New School for over a decade.

Johnny Taylor

Piano, Jazz Piano

Johnny Taylor Johnny was born in London and studied classical piano and clarinet from a young age, playing in orchestras and gaining an ABRSM diploma in piano performance. Upon moving to Ireland, he became a music scholar at Trinity College and graduated with a First Class Honours degree in 2006. After studying with a scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Johnny returned to Dublin and began playing jazz full time. He currently leads his own piano trio as well as playing in the groups of various notable Irish musicians including Nigel Mooney, Cormac Kenevey, Alex Mathias and Suzanne Savage. Johnny regularly plays in Dublin and around Ireland as well as performing at festivals in other European countries and in the Middle East.

Nicola Wallace

Outreach Junior & Leaving Cert. Music, Outreach Choir

Nicola Wallace Nicola has had a passion for music from an early age. She began studying piano at the age of eight and has sung in a number of choirs, performing a wide range of music genres. She graduated from UCD with a BA honours degree in Music and Irish, and the following year sshe completed her BMus honours degree. During her time at UCD she received both a Bachelor of Arts scholarship in music for excellence, and the Patrick Semple medal for her contribution to music. Nicola has experience teaching music to students of all ages. She has taught piano since 2005 and also currently teaches pre-instrumental classes to young children as well as music to secondary school students.

Steve Walters

OurSong outreach workshop

Steve Walters Steve grew up near London and started piano lessons at five and guitar at eight years old. Walters attended the New York Institute of Technology on a basketball scholarship, and it was there that he met and studied bass with the great Jaco Pastorious. Returning to London, he decided to devote himself to music, practicing fourteen hours a day for two years, and since then he has worked as a professional bass player at the top of his profession for over twenty years. Steve has played live and recorded with many international multi-million selling artists, and his most recent tours have taken him to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and America with George Michael. Along the way Steve has written many songs and composed for films and websites. He has always worked – since the Atari era – with the latest music technology available and is currently endorsed by such music technology giants as M-Audio, IK Multimedia, Propellerhead and Yamaha. Before coming to Ireland, Steve taught music and creative imagery in Greenwich Steiner School, Ashburton Community School and the Teenage Cancer Trust, and was a mentor to students at various London area schools.

Therese Ward

Piano

Therese Ward Therese has been teaching piano since 1992 and received her piano teaching diploma, which included a comparative thesis on piano teaching methods, from the London College of Music in 2000. An active musician in her local community, Therese has not only maintained a busy teaching practice but has also acted as musical director for Christmas and Easter music in Marino Church since 1999, has worked extensively as a musical director for local musicals, and has been a member of the Marino Folk Group for over twenty years.

Dennis Wijers

Saxophone, Clarinet

Denis Wijers Of Dutch parentage (his surname is pronounced ‘Wyers’), Dennis currently balances three busy careers as composer, musician and teacher. He began playing music in a brass band at the age of six and set up his own jazz group in his early teens. Since then he has played with jazz ensembles, orchestras, big-bands and rock/soul groups all over Europe and has taught in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands. Dennis moved to the UK in 2000 and studied jazz and classical saxophone at Cardiff University as well as completing a BA in Business Management. Following a return to Ireland, he now holds a BA in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre in Dublin and is studying for an MA in Composition at the Waterford Institute of Technology. Dennis's music has been performed at the National Concert Hall and Vicar Street, and he has recently become involved in composing for film. On top of this, he finds time to manage his own ensemble, Rhombus, which has just finished recording an album of his music, due for release later this year. He has taught jazz and classical saxophone and clarinet at the New School since 2008.

So-Young Yoon

Piano, Jazz Piano, Jazz Piano Basics

So Young Yoon So-Young was born in Seoul, Korea, where she was classically trained from the age of five and won several local and national competitions. She also studied jazz piano at the Seoul Jazz Academy, a sister school of Boston's Berklee College of Music. Since moving to Ireland in 2003, So-Young has performed with numerous ensembles in all of Dublin's main jazz venues, and in 2007 formed her own quartet, for which she has been composing original music. In 2008, she acquired a First in the BA in Jazz Performance degree course at Newpark Music Centre, where she studied with leading pianist Phil Ware and composer Ronan Guilfoyle.

Agnieszka Zimniak

Piano

Agnieszka Zimniak A native of Poland, Agnieszka received her High Music Diploma from the School of Music in Leszno and went on to receive a BA in Music at the Teachers Training College in Leszno and a Masters degree in Music Education from the Academy of Music in Poznan. She taught piano and musicianship at several music schools in Poland before coming to Ireland in 2004, and in addition to teaching at the New School she is currently a Local Centre Examiner for Royal Irish Academy of Music piano exams.

Waltons New School of Music

Faculty Biographies

Stephanie Abe

Emer Barry

Michael Behan

Majella Boland

Marta Burns

Ciara Byrne

Helen Byrne

Joyce Byrne

Robert Casey

Janyce Condon

Barbara Dagg

Elena Elioutina

Peter Erdei

Michael Fay

Brian Fleming

Sinéad Flynn

Evelio Galán

Vita Galla

Eamonn Galldubh

Jenna Harris

Jessica Harris

Colm Hassett

Majella Higgins

Liza Hingerty

Andrew Hogan

Catherine Humphreys

Mairéad Hurley

Solomon Ijigade

Caroline Kelly

David Kennedy

Patrick Kiernan

Beata Kmak

Martina Kozhuharov

Miguelangel Lejarza

Francis Long

Harry Long

Niamh McCormack

Cathy McEvoy

Kieran McEvoy

Eddie McGinn

Michael McInerney

Michael MacLennan

Ian McTigue

Sinéad Madden

Jim Magill

Prof. Sansão Maia

Elisabeth Meuleman

Clara Monahan

David Mooney

Kieran Moynihan

Gloria Mulhall

Eoin Mulvany

Junshi Murakami

Sian Murray

Ciarán Nagle

Tara Novak

Dara O’Brien

Hugh O’Byrne

Kevin O’Hare

Joan O’Malley

Melanie O’Reilly

Anne Orr

Ronan O’Sullivan

Rory Pierce

Daniela Quaresima

Anni Rorke

Vourneen Ryan

Suzanne Savage

Mark Sisk

Candra Sleeman

Kleber de Souza

Conleth Stanley

John Sweeney

Brian Tavey

Johnny Taylor

Nicola Wallace

Steve Walters

Therese Ward