Our Instrumentalists
Our Instrumentalists work at the top level of their profession, each having trained in performance to Degree or Masters level. They are versatile, adaptable players with unparalleled professional experience, having worked with some of the world’s most loved and respected musicians.
Read on, and imagine these players performing at your wedding!
Deirdre
VIOLIN
VIOLINIST
Deirdre
Deirdre Reddy began playing the violin at the age of 4. As a classical musician, Deirdre has won multiple prizes and awards. In 2011, she completed the Bachelor of Music Degree course at DIT receiving first class honours and was awarded the Michael McNamara medal for achieving the highest mark in performance. Deirdre then went on to successfully complete a Masters in Music Performance at the prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music.
Since then she has played with many artists around the world including Michael Bublé, Andrea Boccelli, Josh Groban, Tommy Fleming and Nathan Carter.
Deirdre plays regularly for weddings, corporate events, film recordings and band recordings as well as for orchestral and chamber music performances. Deirdre is a highly diverse player with experience in all genres of music; classical, pop, rock, traditional and musical theatre.
Deirdre also leads our fabulous String Quartet — discover more here!
PIANIST
Maria
Maria Geheran was born in Dublin and holds an honours degree in Piano Performance from TU Dublin Conservatoire. As a soloist she has won multiple first prizes in piano, organ and sight-reading, and as an organist and musical director has held positions nationwide. Maria has been employed as a répétiteur at TU Dublin Conservatoire, and has also worked in this capacity with Irish National Opera, NI Opera, Wide Open Opera, Opera Collective Ireland, the DIT Chamber Choir, Dublin City Choral Union, as a singer with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra Chorus, and in collaboration with traditional and popular musicians at the Electric Picnic, the Dublin Fringe Festival, the Temple Bar Tradfest, and on tour across the US and Canada. Having been mentored by the Vanbrugh Quartet, Maria’s performances as a chamber musician are regularly broadcast live on RTÉ Radio 1 and on RTÉ television.
Maria is currently pursuing a busy career as one of Ireland's most in-demand collaborative pianists.
Maria
PIANO, ORGAN, KEYBOARDS
Méabh
HARP
HARPIST
Méabh
An honours graduate of DIT Conservatory and Drama with a BMus in Performance specialising in Pedagogy, Méabh McKenna is a freelance harpist and vocalist based in Dublin. She regularly performs on both Irish and pedal harp with a wide repertoire spanning genres of classical, traditional, jazz, folk, and pop.
A creative and intuitive performer and teacher, Méabh has many areas of interest. She has been Harpist in Residence at The Merrion hotel since 2017, works as a stage manager in the National Concert Hall with the IAYO, and as a teacher with the Athenry Music School. She has lead workshops internationally on the Irish Harp and Irish music, as well as working as a freelance session musician appearing on television and radio, and recording with contemporary ensembles such as Sfiiinx.
Méabh has attended masterclasses with international artists such as Anneleen Laenarts, Catrin Finch, Elinor Bennett, Cristina Braga, Park Stickney, Deborah Henson Conant, and Maeve Gilchrist. She performed with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for Gounod's 200 year anniversary concert as part of their mentoring scheme in 2018. Her orchestral appearances include principal harpist of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, the DIT Symphony Orchestra, Trinity Orchestra and the Hibernian Orchestra. She has also played with the Ulster Youth Orchestra, the City of Dublin Chamber Orchestra, the Co-Orch, and in the televised ‘Concert for Paris’ event that took place in St Patrick’s Cathedral in 2015. She has also appeared in concert as a soloist with the DIT Chamber Choir in 2014 and 2016.
As a member of the DIT Harp Ensemble she has performed internationally at the Welsh International Harp Festival 2018, Wales Harp Festival 2016, and the Edinburgh International Harp Festival 2015. The group has performed at such events as the official visit of HRH the Prince of Wales in Hillsborough Castle, as featured artists in the RDS Rising Stars series, and as part of the commemorative 1916 Reflecting the Rising events and Culture Night celebrations in Dublin.
Solo appearances include concerts for/in the Georgian Society, the Pepper Canister Church, Maynooth Cathedral, Trinity College, the Royal College of Physicians, Culture Night, and the opening of the Brian Boydell Centenary Conference in 2017 in the RIAM.
Conor
Clarinet
CLARINETTIST
Conor
Conor Sheil was born in Dublin and studied clarinet and piano in the DIT School of Music (now Conservatory). His clarinet teachers included Joe Coughlan and Brian O’Rourke.
Recent theater work of Conor’s includes Improbable Frequency and Taming Of The Shrew with Rough Magic, and Sweeney Todd and Streetcar named Desire at the Gate. Recent TV work and documentaries include solo clarinet performance for The Irish Pub and Older Than Ireland.
As an orchestral musician Conor has been engaged by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and many freelance groups. He has worked consistently in opera for Opera Theatre Company and for Wexford Opera Festival, with both of whom he has enjoyed a long association.
Feilimidh
Feilimidh Nunan is a professional freelance violinist, employed by all the principal orchestras of Ireland. He works mainly with the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra and the Wexford Opera Festival Orchestra, but has also worked with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Irish Film Orchestra and the Dublin Philharmonic. Feilimidh’s musical interests are wide. He takes an active interest in Jazz, Choral and other genres of music. He was the founding member of Big Swing, a swing jazz group that performed regularly in many of Dublin’s finest venues, and also at various music festivals countrywide.
Feilimidh
VIOLIN
Fiona
HARP
HARPIST
Fiona
Fiona Gryson is a harpist from Skryne, Tara, County Meath.
Fiona recently completed a Masters Degree in Music Performance at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama with Denise Kelly-McDonnell and graduated with a First Class Honours BMus degree in Performance and Pedagogy from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama where she was awarded the Nuala Levins Perpetual Award for Pedagogy. She is a Nissan Generation Next Ambassador.
Over the years, Fiona has been a multiple prizewinner in national competitions. In 2014, Fiona was awarded the John Vallery Memorial prize for 'the best performance by a string player' at the Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year competition as well as the RTE Lyric FM Instrumental Bursary at Sligo Feis Ceoil.
Fiona is an active orchestral and chamber musician. She has performed as Principal harpist with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra. She has performed as soloist with orchestras on numerous occasions, including performances of, Danses Sacrée et Profane by Debussy and ‘Handel’s Harp Concerto in B-flat major’ as well as Marbhna Requiem for 1916 composed by Odhrán Ó Casaide. With clarinettist Berginald Rash, Fiona has performed at the Boyne Music Festival 2018 as well as the Tara Summer Festival 2018.
As a soloist and member of the DIT Harp Ensemble she has performed at the Wales International Harp Festival and An Chúirt Chruitireachta Annual International Harp Festival as well as the RDS Rising Stars series, the Edinburgh International Harp Festival and the Boyle Music Festival.
She is a member of the Aurora Flute and Harp duo with Katie Hyland. Most recently they participated in ‘Tuning Up’, a schools education project and performed in concerts and masterclasses at the 2017 West Cork Chamber Music Festival and Fringe Festival. The duo has availed of many of the Apprentice training programmes available in Ireland such as The Galway Music Residency Apprentice Ensemble Programme, the KBC Great Music in Irish Houses Support Act Residency and the Boyne Music Festival Young Associated Artists Programme.
Fiona is currently continuing her studies at the DIT as well as studying for a Masters in Harp at the Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado, Milan with Irina Zingg while pursuing a busy career as a freelance harpist and teacher.
