Aoife Nic Athlaoich

Dublin born Aoife Nic Athlaoich enjoys a versatile musical career equally at home & abroad playing on period instruments as well as performing newly commissioned works. She has collaborated with jazz musicians and contemporary dance groups as well as playing under the baton of such eminent conductors as Sir John Elliot Gardiner, Sir Colin Davis and Bernard Haitink. Aoife gained scholarships for her studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and at the Royal College of Music, London where she studied with Melissa Phelps.

Aoife is a member of the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and plays a cello made by Joseph Hill, London 1771.

David Adams

A former organ scholar of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity College Dublin, David Adams studied organ and harpsichord in Freiburg and Amsterdam winning prizes at international competitions in Speyer, Lüneburg, Dublin and Bruges. In addition to solo CDs recorded on the organs of Trinity College and the National Concert Hall Dublin, he has recorded for Naxos, Black Box and Wergo. Active as soloist, chamber musician and conductor, David has taught at conservatories in Freiburg, Berlin and The Hague and at DIT and TCD and now lectures at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. 

Deirdre Moynihan

As a soprano soloist Deirdre Moynihan has performed with many chamber, orchestral, operatic and choral ensembles both on the International stage and throughout Ireland. Her music career to date, has seen her perform in Canada, U.S.A, Israel, Brazil, Lebanon, Japan, China and throughout Europe. A baroque specialist, Deirdre’s CD of Vivaldi Cantatas was released by Naxos in 2014 to widespread critical acclaim. International Record Review wrote "Moynihan’s singing goes straight to the heart. Unfailingly beautiful in tone". Musical Opinion described the CD as “excellent” while Music Web International complimented a voice “perfectly suited to baroque music”.

Deirdre also embraces the challenge of contemporary compositions and has premiered works by Ian Wilson, Brian Irvine, Rob Canning, Raymond Deane, Marian Ingoldsby, Ben Dwyer and Hugh O’ Neill. She has also worked with conductors such as Christophe Rousset, Jeffery Skidmore, John Wilson, Bo Holten, Matthew Hall and Reinbert de Leeuw.

Deirdre’s latest CD release, ‘From The Olive Tree’, with classical guitarist Alec O’ Leary, received praise for the “striking clarity” (Sunday Business Post) of Deirdre’s vocal performance. She has sung as a soloist with, amongst others, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and Crash Ensemble.  She holds an MA in Vocal Performance from the Cork School of Music. Deirdre is also the Programmes Manager for Music Network. www.deirdremoynihan.com

Kenneth Rice

Regarded as a most versatile violinist, Kenneth Rice enjoys performing with an extensive range of musicians in a broad range of styles.

A member of the Irish Chamber Orchestra he has performed and toured with artists such as Ann Sophie Mutter, Pekka Kuusisto, Freddy Kempf, Stephen Hough, Maxim Vengerov, Nigel Kennedy and Jorg Widman. Based in Dublin, Kenneth is in constant demand as leader of ensembles such as the Orchestra of the National Concert Hall, Casta Diva Orchestra, Lyric Theatre Opera, Crash Ensemble, The Lombard Ensemble and The Irish Sinfonia.

His Nuevo Tango Quartet performs the tango inspired music of Astor Piazzolla. His show 'Good evening Mr. Kreisler' (with Pianist Una Hunt and BBC broadcaster Petroc Trelawny) pays tribute to the life and music of the great violinist Fritz Kreisler. is work with the West Ocean String Quartet explores the boundaries of traditional/classical fusion, recently performing at the Ceiliúradh concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Kenneth also enjoys working as composer and arranger for TV, radio, film, including Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank and Garage, The Irish Chamber Orchestra and a host of contemporary bands. As a recording artist his distinctive sound features on over 800 tracks with artists as varied as Kirsty McColl, Van Morrison, Bono and The Corrs. His solo playing features with Sinead’O Connor on the Oscar nominated soundtrack to the movie Albert Nobbs and also on the forthcoming soundtrack to Jim Sheridan’s The Secret Scripture.

Malachy Robinson

Malachy Robinson is a dedicated chamber musician, as passionate about Early Music as he is about New Music. As well as being a founder member of CrashEnsemble he has been principal double-bass with the Irish Chamber Orchestra since 1995. A prizewinning graduate of the Guildhall School of Music, he also holds a Masters’ degree in Historical Musicology from the University of London and has appeared with many period-instrument groups. The quintet Lunfardia led by Argentinean guitarist Ariel Hernandez received four-star reviews from the press for their recordings and his Robinson Panoramic Quartet is challenging the accepted string quartet paradigm. He has collaborated with the Vanbrugh, Callino, Parisii, T'ang, Con Tempo and Vogler String Quartets.

He has worked closely with and premiered pieces by many Irish composers including Kevin O’Connell, Judith Ring and Ian Wilson. His double-bass playing has been described by the Irish Times as "rich in rhetoric" with "rhythmic life” and “unassuming virtuosity" and by the Irish Examiner as "remarkable virtuosity" employing a "variety of timbres". The Classical Review magazine (reviewing in 2012 the album 'Night Music' by the EQ Ensemble) praised his "adroitly lowering, often exquisitely bathetic double bass"!

Alex Petcu Colan

An Irish musician of Romanian origin, Alex is quickly establishing himself both nationally and internationally as a percussionist of the finest calibre. His recent appearances as a soloist with both the RTÉ National Symphony and Concert Orchestras are some of his main highlights so far. He was also chosen to be the 2015 National Concert Hall Rising Star recitalist and an artist in residence for the Cork School of Music for 2015 and 2016.

Recent projects include curating and performing in "WoodMetalWater" as part of the Sounds from a Safe Harbour Festival in Cork, recitals at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, NCH John Field Room and much more. He is a founding member of the Bangers and Crash Percussion Group, a new, exciting Irish percussion ensemble. An active freelance musician, he also regularly performs with the various professional ensembles in Ireland such as the Crash Ensemble, RTÉ Symphony, RTÉ Concert, Irish Chamber and Irish Baroque orchestras.

Aside from his performing activities, he is also a keen teacher and has given lecture recitals at Ireland's universities, given a series of workshops for West Cork Music's "Tuning Up" outreach scheme and more. He holds an MA in music performance from the Cork School of Music, an MSc in Physics from University College Cork and a BSc in Physics from the same institution.

Maeve O'Hara

Maeve O'Hara is a percussionist and music teacher based in Dublin. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (hons) degree in Music which she gained while studying at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Richard O'Donnell. Since graduating in 2010, Maeve has performed, toured and recorded with various musical groups in Ireland including the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the EQ Ensemble, Anúna, Opera Theatre Company and Ensemble ICC. She is also a regular member of the band Ensemble Eriu and performs with the Clare Memory Orchestra. Maeve recently founded a duo with fellow percussionist, Caitriona Frost, and they had their debut concert in the John Field Room at the National Concert Hall in September 2014. She also regularly performs with the Bangers and Crash Percussion Group. As a percussionist and singer, Maeve has performed nationally and internationally including parts of Europe, China, Canada and the USA.

Cian Ó Dúill

Cork born viola player Cian Ó Dúill has performed with the Vanbrugh, Carducci and Callino String Quartets, the Avalon Ensemble, Chroma and The Crash Ensemble. He has played in chamber music recitals with Anthony Marwood, Howard Shelley, Patricia Rozario, Natalie Clein, Benjamin Frith, and with members of the Leopold String Trio, the Nash Ensemble and Schubert Ensemble and has appeared at Cheltenham, Warwick Arts, Chichester, Aldeburgh, Wye Valley, Kings Lynn, Sligo Spring, and West Cork Chamber Music Festivals. He is a member of the Oriel Trio (flute, viola and harp) and of the Chamber Players, a London based string sextet with whom he has recorded music by Mozart and Brahms. Concerto appearances include works by Bach, Telemann, Mozart, Bruch and Hindemith in Ireland, the UK and Spain. Cian is a member of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, is co-principal viola with the London Mozart Players and has a busy freelance orchestral career playing regularly with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Camerata Ireland, London Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Katherine Hunka

Katherine Hunka has been Leader of the Irish Chamber Orchestra since 2002. She regularly directs the ensemble from the violin as well as performing as soloist across a wide range of repertoire. She has shared the concert platform with ICO guest artists, including Jorg Widmann, Pekka Kuusisto Martin Hayes and Nigel Kennedy. As a soloist she has performed across England and Ireland including the Aldeburgh festival - where she premiered a concerto by Benjamin Britten - West Cork Chamber Music Festival, and the Westport Festival. This summer she will perform as soloist with ICO at the Kilkenny Arts Festival. Her trio “Far Flung”  with accordionist Dermot Dunne and bassist Malachy Robinson tour Ireland performing anything from Bach to Tango.

Katherine has been guest leader with groups including the Manchester Camerata, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and The Cadaques Orchestra and has performed solo concertos with the City of London Sinfonia, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

She teaches on the MA programme in Classical Strings at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick which is operated jointly by Irish Chamber Orchestra and the Academy. She is a Professor at the CIT Cork School of Music and has been a visiting Professor at Indiana University USA.

Dermot Dunne

Accordionist Dermot Dunne has established himself as one of the leading Irish musicians of his generation. As a young student he was a frequent competition prize-winner both in Ireland and abroad, it was after winning the 1996 RTÉ Musician of the Future competition that he came to wide public recognition. After completing his studies at the Conservatory in Kiev, Ukraine, he returned to Ireland where he pursues an active career as both a performer and a teacher at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. He has appeared at many Irish venues and festivals including the National Concert Hall, Vicar Street, Belfast Opera House and The BBC Last Night at the Proms - to a live audience of over 10,000. As well as collaborating with many leading Irish performers Dermot has performed chamber music with some of Europe's leading international stars including Natalie Clein, Daniel Muller-Schott, Pekka Kuusisto and Ivan Monighetti. He has often performed as guest soloist with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and in 2010 toured with them extensively in Ireland, China and Singapore.

Besides performing transcriptions of classics from Bach to Liszt, he is a keen performer of contemporary music composed for his instrument. He has premiered works written by leading Irish composers such as Deirdre Gribbin, Ian Wilson and Jane O'Leary. He recorded three CDs with Argentinean singer and guitarist Ariel Hernandez and their group Lunfardia. He has performed with Crash Ensemble at the Edinburgh Festival, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Carnegie Hall, New York and the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C. Together with Katherine Hunka and Malachy Robinson on Double bass their group The Far Flung Trio has been hugely successful.

Marie Bitlloch

French/Catalan cellist Marie Bitlloch studied in Perpignan Concervatoire, Paris Conservatoire, and the RNCM in Manchester respectively with Michel Lefort, Philippe Muller and Ralph Kirshbaum. At the RNCM, she met her fellow Elias string quartet members and decided to stay in England and dedicate herself to chamber music.

Marie has given recitals throughout France, Spain and England and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Goncal Comellas orchestra, the Orchestra de cambra d’Andorra, the Orchestre Languedoc-Roussillon, the RNCM Symphony orchestra, the Chester symphony orchestra, the Gloucestershire Symphony orchestra, the Stockport Symphony orchestra… She has performed alongside artists such as Menahem Pressler, Claude Frank, Valdimir Mendelssohn, Paul Biss, Joseph Silverstein. Participations in music festivals include the Pau Casals festival (Prades), the Musique dans les vignes festival (France), the Musica Vitae festival (Sweden), Ravinia’s Steans Institute for young artists (Chicago), the 3 choir festival (Gloucestershire), Santa Fe’s summer festival (New Mexico), Musique de chambre en normandie (France) …

In 1996, Marie was joint second at the Adam competition in New Zealand and won the jury’s prize at the Bach competition in Leipzig one year later. She has won the Muriel Taylor Scholarship and was awarded an incentive grand at the Pierre Fournier award, consequently appearing at the Manchester Cello festival. For three years she was a laureate of the Natexis foundation, Banque populaire, who helped her with her musical projects.

She has been a member of the Elias Quartet since 1998.

Marie plays on an eighteen-century anonymous Italian cello on loan to her by the Fond Instrumental Français.

Finghín Collins

One of the most significant musicians to emerge from Ireland in recent times, Finghin Collins was born in Dublin in 1977 and studied with John O’Conor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and with Dominique Merlet at the Geneva Conservatoire. He established his international reputation by winning the 1999 Clara Haskil International Piano Competition. Since then he has performed with leading orchestras such as the Chicago, Houston, City of Birmingham and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, the Seoul, London, Rotterdam, BBC and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Gulbenkian Orchestra. He has collaborated with conductors such as Frans Brüggen, Myung-Whun Chung, Christoph Eschenbach, Emmanuel Krivine, Gianandrea Noseda, Sakari Oramo, Heinrich Schiff, Vassily Sinaisky and Leonard Slatkin. In 2013 he completed his three-year tenure as Associate Artist of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, in which he performed the complete Mozart and Beethoven piano concertos.

In the 2014/15 season he performed with the Phiharmonie Zuidnederland, the Orchestra of the 18th Century,  the RTÉ NSO and made a last-minute début with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.  In 2015/16 he performs with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Wuhan Philharmonic and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras. Finghin Collins has been Artistic Director of the New Ross Piano Festival since its inception in 2006, and has also been Artistic Director of Music for Galway since 2013.
 
See www.finghincollins.com for more.

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