Ríona Ó Duinnín is a flute lecturer at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), specializing in the Wind, Brass & Percussion department. She graduated from RIAM with Licentiate diplomas in flute and piano, studying under William Dowdall and Dr. John O’Conor. A Fulbright Scholar, she earned her Master’s degree in New York under Jeanne Baxtresser of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Performance Roles: Guest Principal Flute with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, RTÉ NSO, and RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Leadership: Principal Flute of the Wexford Festival Opera Orchestra since 2006. She co-founded Triocca , a flute-violin-harp trio touring globally (UK, Ireland, Germany, Singapore, US). Their debut CD, featuring commissioned works by Irish composers, was released on Lyric FM. Awards include RIAM’s “Most Outstanding Student,” Ulster Bank Music Foundation Award, and Licentiate diplomas.
Amy Ryan is a Lecturer in Aural Training, Harmony & Counterpoint, and Music History at Trinity College Dublin, St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM). She also serves as Artistic Director of Music Generation Wicklow County Children’s Choir and the Wicklow Get Vocal Programme, and directs the Tallaght Hospital Choir. Her academic roles include teaching Pre-Instrumental Training at RIAM and holding leadership positions in choral music education. Dr. Ryan holds a Master’s Degree with distinction in Music Pedagogy from the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy of Music (Hungary) and an Advanced Diploma in Choral Conducting. She was awarded the Kodály Institute’s ‘red diploma’ for outstanding academic achievement, alongside the Eamonn Kelly Memorial Bursary and Arts Council Travel and Training Award during her studies. Her research interests focus on music pedagogy, choral conducting methodologies, and the application of the Kodály approach in educational settings. She has extensive experience in choral direction, having worked with groups like the Irish Youth Chamber Choir and Lyric Opera Chorus. Her artistic leadership spans prestigious ensembles such as the Music Generation Wicklow Choir and Tallaght Hospital Choir, recognized for their excellence. Amy has received prestigious awards for her academic and artistic contributions, including the Kodály Institute’s highest academic honor and funding from the Arts Council. Her teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate curricula in music theory, aural skills, and musicianship across multiple institutions. Additionally, she maintains active involvement in cello performance and chamber music.
Lynda Lee is a prominent Irish classical singer and vocal faculty member at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), where she has taught since 2008. Specializing in Baroque & Oratorio, she holds an MA in Music (Performance) from CIT Cork School of Music, awarded the Gold Medal. Her expertise spans operatic roles in Handel's works (Agrippina, Xerxes), Wagner's Tannhäuser , and Bach's St Matthew Passion , alongside performances at venues like the Vatican and collaborations with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Education: MA (Performance), CIT Cork School of Music (Gold Medal recipient). Performance Highlights: Operatic debuts with Opera Theatre Company in Handel's Tamerlano Staged Bach's St Matthew Passion with Jonathan Miller for BBC Soloist at the Vatican in Handel's Messiah Roles at Oper Leipzig including Donna Anna ( Don Giovanni ), First Lady ( Die Zauberflöte ), and Mutter ( Hänsel und Gretel ) Recognition: Cardiff Singer of the World representative (Northern Ireland) Opernwelt Magazine nomination for Radamisto performance Active in academia and performance, she collaborates with the Academy Chamber Ensemble in Ireland and internationally, including tours in China and Latvia.
Dr. Andrew Synnott is a prominent figure in Irish opera as a conductor, vocal coach, and composer. He holds roles at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) in the Vocal Studies department, specializing in opera conducting and vocal coaching. His work spans conducting orchestras like the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and leading Ireland’s major opera companies including Wexford Festival Opera and Irish National Opera. His compositional career includes four operas, notably La cucina (2019)—the first opera by a living Irish composer staged on Wexford Festival’s main stage—and Dubliners (2017), which reimagines James Joyce’s stories. He has conducted over 200 opera performances and collaborated with leading Irish vocalists for three decades. As an educator, Synnott mentors RIAM students through vocal coaching and operatic productions. His research includes a 2016 doctoral thesis on methodology in operatic composition. Notable works include orchestral and choral pieces, with commissions from prestigious institutions. He co-founded the Crash Ensemble in 1997 and served as its artistic director.
Gavin Maloney is a Lecturer in Conducting and Analysis at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), Ireland's national conservatoire. He currently serves as Associate Principal Conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and maintains long-standing collaborations with the National Symphony Orchestra and Choirs. His career spans prestigious institutions including the Danish National Opera and Lucerne Festival Academy under Pierre Boulez. Education: Trained at Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester) and Mozarteum University (Salzburg). Early career highlights include winning the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra's Assistant Conductor position at age 21. Artistic Focus: Specializes in contemporary music curation (directed NSO's Horizons series), ballet collaborations (produced Swan Lake with Ireland's national ballet company), and high-profile orchestral partnerships with artists like Maxim Vengerov (who called him 'a great maestro'). Recognition: Bryden Thomson Trust Fellowship recipient. Recordings on NMC/Lyric FM labels praised by Gramophone magazine. Extensive broadcast history across BBC, RTÉ, European Broadcasting Union, and North American/Australian radio networks.
Anderson Augusto Simiscuka is a Researcher affiliated with the Performance Engineering Laboratory and the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at Dublin City University (DCU). His work centers on Internet of Things (IoT) communications performance and integrating rich media with IoT devices. Education : B.Sc. in Information Systems (2014), Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering (2020), Dublin City University, Ireland Research Interests : IoT Communications Performance Engineering Rich Media Integration with IoT Devices Adaptive Video Streaming in Collaborative Environments Virtual Reality (VR) and 360º Multimedia Systems Real-Time Communication Technologies Professional Affiliations : IEEE Young Professionals IEEE Communications Society IEEE Broadcast Technology Society Current Projects : He is a key contributor to the EU Horizon 2020 TRACTION project, focused on Opera co-creation for social transformation. His responsibilities include developing tools, algorithms, and technologies for real-time communication in rich-media environments, supporting adaptive video, VR, and 360º content collaboration. Past Experience : Prior to his postdoctoral work, he collaborated with Wittel (2010–2013), DCU/Ericsson (E-Stream Project, 2014), Arkadin (2014), and IBM (2015) on telecom and software development initiatives.
Dr. Estelle Murphy is an Assistant Professor in Music at Maynooth University, specializing in the intersection of historical musicology and contemporary popular music studies. With a PhD from University College Cork, she has held positions at UCC before joining Maynooth in 2014. Her research bridges 17th-18th century British/Irish court music (particularly odes and manuscripts) and modern heavy metal culture. Her work employs material analysis of historical sources while examining political, gendered, and cultural dimensions of music. Major projects include reconstructing William Boyce's court odes through Bodleian Library manuscripts and developing the 'Musical Court Odes' digital database. She collaborates with performing ensembles like the Irish Baroque Orchestra to revive historical works. Recent publications demonstrate methodological diversity: from Baroque violin attribution studies to analyses of female vocalists in death metal. Her research consistently reveals how musical practices construct social identities across historical periods. Major Awards: BSECS Bodleian Fellowship (2022), Charlemont Grant (2019) Affiliated Organizations: Society for Musicology in Ireland (Chief Copy Editor), Royal Musical Association, International Association for the Study of Popular Music Doctoral Supervision: Recently guided Cathal Twomey to PhD completion (2021)
Frances Kelleher serves as Lecturer in Piano and Coach Accompanist at Munster Technological University (MTU) Cork School of Music, teaching across undergraduate and Masters programmes while simultaneously holding the position of Head of Keyboard at Ampleforth College, UK. Her academic foundation includes an undergraduate degree from University College Cork, a full two-year postgraduate scholarship at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama (GSMD) where she earned the Anthony Lewis Memorial Prize in Accompaniment and Guildhall Lieder Prize, and a first-class honours MMus from the Royal Irish Academy of Music under Dr. John O'Conor. Specializing in vocal collaboration, her career spans decades as a repetitieur for major institutions including Opera Ireland, National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Opera North (UK), and Cork Opera 2005, with additional experience as Musical Director for Oyster Opera (London). She maintains an active international performance schedule as a recitalist. Her professional recognition includes: Anthony Lewis Memorial Prize in Accompaniment (Guildhall) Guildhall Lieder Prize Selected by Graham Johnson for performance in his Almanac series at St. John's, Smith Square, she bridges academic instruction with professional opera coaching, mentoring students in collaborative piano techniques while contributing to Ireland's vocal music ecosystem through masterclasses and institutional partnerships.
Gary Beecher is a Lecturer in Piano and Contemporary Keyboards within the Keyboard Studies department at Munster Technological University's Cork School of Music. A classically trained pianist with extensive international experience, he maintains an active career spanning solo performance, vocal accompaniment, répétiteur work, and cross-genre collaborations across classical, jazz, pop, musical theatre, and Irish traditional music. Education: MA, Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) - Fellow and staff coach accompanist BMus and MA, Cork School of Music (Munster Technological University) - 1st class honours and top overall performer Research & Performance Focus: Dr. Beecher specializes in collaborative piano with particular emphasis on art song repertoire and vocal coaching. His research interests bridge classical traditions with contemporary styles through practical performance applications. He investigates interpretive techniques in lied performance, cross-genre improvisation, and the pedagogical approaches for training collaborative pianists across diverse musical idioms. His work demonstrates exceptional versatility in adapting pianistic techniques to support vocalists across multiple genres. Awards & Recognition: Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year (2014) 1st Prize at International Nadia and Lili Boulanger Voice-Piano Competition Rudolf Jansen Pianist Prize at International Vocal Competition LiedDuo 2nd Pianist Prize at International Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition Franz Schubert Institute Lieder Prize Multiple Young Artist awards including Britten-Pears and Samling programs Professional Activities: Gary Beecher maintains an active performance schedule as soloist with major orchestras including RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and Southbank Sinfonia London. He serves as répétiteur for Irish National Opera and Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, with performances at Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre, and National Concert Hall. His radio broadcasts include BBC Radio Three and RTÉ Lyric FM. As an educator, he trains pianists in both classical techniques and contemporary keyboard applications within MTU's Keyboard Studies program.
Rhoda Dullea serves as Lecturer in Applied Musicianship and Academic Studies at Munster Technological University's Cork School of Music, where she also earned her Masters in Piano Accompaniment in 2007. She maintains an active performance career as a piano accompanist across choral, opera, and ballet contexts, having begun performing at a young age and winning the RTE Musician of the Future competition twice as an undergraduate with the Cork School of Music Piano Quintet. Dr. Dullea holds a PhD in musicology from University College Cork (2005), funded by an Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship, and a Master's in Education from the University of Cambridge (2013). Her educational background reflects her interdisciplinary approach that bridges performance practice with scholarly inquiry. Her research focuses on situated learning in performing arts contexts, with particular emphasis on historically informed performance practice and Gregorian chant. As director and organist for the Gregorian Schola at St Peter and Paul's Church in Cork, she performs Gregorian chant and related sacred Renaissance polyphonic works while conducting research on community engagement with historical chant repertories. Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent exploration of authentic learning in professional performance settings. Her work examines how non-formal educational programs with organizations like Canadian Opera Company, Ballet Ireland, and Opera Collective Ireland create meaningful learning experiences through direct engagement with professional practice, rather than traditional classroom instruction. Dr. Dullea actively contributes to scholarly discourse through conference presentations at venues including the Society for Musicology in Ireland and the REMA Regional Meeting Ireland. Her recent collaborative research with scholars from Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University investigates attitudes toward learning and performing chant in Irish choral educational contexts, demonstrating her ongoing commitment to bridging academic research with community practice.
Mark O'Keeffe serves as Assistant Lecturer in Trumpet at the Cork School of Music, Munster Technological University, and has held the position of Principal Trumpet with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra since December 1996. His extensive orchestral career includes guest principal roles with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Opera House Orchestra, and other major ensembles across Europe. As an educator, he maintains teaching positions at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Glasgow), Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester), and NESMS Aberdeen. O'Keeffe's professional focus centers on advanced trumpet performance techniques within symphonic and chamber music contexts. His work emphasizes interpretative depth in orchestral repertoire and collaborative artistry in ensemble settings, particularly through his involvement with Scotland's Red Note Ensemble. This dual career as performer and pedagogue positions him at the forefront of brass performance education in the UK and Ireland. Awards and Recognition Creative Scotland bursary (2004) for collaborative project with Theatre Cryptic Distinguished Alumni of Cork School of Music (2018) Through his ongoing performances with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and guest appearances worldwide, O'Keeffe maintains active engagement with contemporary orchestral practices while shaping the next generation of brass musicians through his multi-institutional teaching commitments. His career exemplifies the integration of professional performance excellence with academic instruction in music conservatoire settings.
Kelley Petcu is a Lecturer in Vocal Studies at Cork Institute of Technology's Cork School of Music, where she teaches full-time on the BA in Musical Theatre and BA in Popular Music degrees. An accomplished Irish soprano formerly known as Kelley Lonergan, she has established herself as a significant figure in Ireland's classical music scene. Her educational background includes a first class honours BMus majoring in piano and an MA majoring in piano accompaniment and voice, both from the CIT Cork School of Music. She also studied singing at the Conservatorio di Verona in Italy during an Erasmus exchange, continued vocal studies at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, and participated in Opera Theatre Company's Young Associate Artist programme in Dublin. Kelley Petcu is described by The Irish Times as "a natural" and has received numerous awards including the prestigious RDS Music Bursary, the John McCormack Bursary, the Mrs. P.J Geoghegan Memorial Cup, and the Gervase Elwes Cup for best overall singer of the competition. As a performer, she has sung with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, performed at Cork Opera House in site-specific operas nominated for Irish Times Theatre Awards, and appeared with Ireland's leading opera companies including Wexford Festival Opera and Irish National Opera. She has a passion for chamber music, having performed at the Ortús Chamber Music Festival, Junction Festival, and Westport Chamber Music Festival. Her teaching experience spans over 10 years at studios in Dublin and Cork, including Voiceworks studio, Montforts College of Performing Arts and Centre Stage. RDS Music Bursary (Ireland's largest bursary for young musicians) John McCormack Bursary Mrs. P.J Geoghegan Memorial Cup Gervase Elwes Cup for best overall singer Kelley is deeply committed to vocal education and professional development, having participated in training courses with Janice Chapman at Guildhall in London and conferences such as Vocology in Practise. She brings her extensive performance experience to her role as an educator at CIT Cork School of Music.
