Harmonically Speaking

Bringing Season 1 of Harmonically Speaking to a close is Irish pianist, Fiachra Garvey.Growing up in the countryside in Wicklow, his two passions are music and animals, and on leaving school he faced a dilemma regarding choice of career, studying both music and veterinary for a year before deciding on former at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.Upon completing his masters with first class honours and distinction, at the Royal Academy of Music in London,, he faced that all too familiar challenge of transitioning from student to professional.Already a laureate of numerous international competitions, he mastered this, building on a successful career as a solo pianist and chamber musician, by founding two highly regarded festivals - the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival and Classical Vauxhall.Wishing to gain an insight into his career path, the challenges it entails, and how he thinks musicians need to evolve in an ever more competitive environment, I sat down to talk with Fiachra, where I began by asking how he came to pick piano….

My guest today is the CEO of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Gerard KeenanA native of Dublin, he learned trumpet through the VEC at the College of Music in Dublin, later joining the Army No. 1 band before transitioning into management.During his time at the Irish Chamber Orchestra, they have built incredible partnerships, most notably with Jorg Widmann, and toured the globe, performing in many of the worlds greatest concert halls and festivals.However, it hasn’t all been plain sailing, and his time at the helm has also involved navigating many challenges, including the severe fallout from the Great Recession which saw funding and staff numbers cut, and more recently the Global Pandemic which saw tours and engagements cancelled.Curious to find out more about these partnerships and challenges, what running a highly successful ensemble entails, and his thoughts on the future of classical music, I sat down with Gerry where I began by asking about his position as CEO, and how he ended up there….

My guest today is conductor Killian Farrell, Generalmusikdirektor, of one of Germany's most historic opera houses, the Stattstheater Meiningen.A native of Dublin he made his professional conducting debut aged 15 by organising and directing a performance of St Johns Passion before studying music at Trinity College Dublin. Following this, he made the move to Germany, becoming First Kapellmeister in Theater Bremen, and later at the Staatsoper Stuttgart, before taking up his current position in 2023 and the age of just 29.Curious to know more about the life of a conductor and all it entails, including the serious work of running an opera house, we sat down to talk where I began by asking what exactly a Generalmusikdirector is, and what they do...

My guest today is the Chief Executive of two of the worlds most prestigious artist management companies, Askonas Holt and Opus 3, Donagh CollinsWhilst studying mechanical engineering in UCD, he began amassing administrative experience running a successful string quartet in Dublin, before moving to London in 1999 to work in Askonas Holt.Before taking up his current position as CEO there in 2014, he was director of tours and projects there, representing many of classical musics most acclaimed artists and orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic.Curious to find out about what a career in artist management is really like, and to get an experts perspective on how classical music is changing, and the challenges it faces going forward, I sat down to talk with Donagh, where I began by asking about his current position and what exactly it entails..

My guest today is clarinettist Carol McGonnell.A fellow Dubliner, she initially wanted to play the flute, before taking up the clarinet in the then DIT College of Music. After studies in Queen's University Belfast and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt she moved to New York for her Masters, where she studied at the Manhattan School of Music with the legendary clarinettist and pedagogue, Charles Neidich.As a soloist and chamber musician she performs worldwide and is a tireless champion of contemporary music, collaborating with and commissioning works from, many of its brightest talents.In May 2024, in the run up to her performance at the Dublin International Chamber Music festival with the JACK Quartet, we sat down to talk, where I began by asking when she decided to pursue a career in music…

My guest today is the Lithuanian pianist, pedagogue, and presenter Gintaras Januševičius. Hailing from a musical family his career to date has been defined by versatility and constant innovation.A graduate of the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover, and prize winner at multiple competitions, Gintaras now sits on numerous international competition juries and is artistic director of the Klavierstadt Einbeck series of competitions.Alongside a busy performing career as a solo pianist, chamber musician, and soloist, he runs a successful private studio in Hannover, and gives masterclass all around the world.In 2017, and seeking to equip young artists with all the skills necessary to succeed in the modern world, he founded two international piano academies - Klaipeda Piano Masters in Lithuania, and the invite only Feuerwerk Einbeck in Germany.In early January of 2024, I visited him in his private studio where I began by asking what drew him to the piano...

My guest today is the Austrian clarinet maker, Gerold Angerer.Hailing from the town of Fritzens in the Tyrolean Alps, he first served an apprenticeship with Hammerschimdt in Wattens, later spending time with Howarth of London, before embarking on his own path and founding Gerold Klarinetten .In the more than twenty years since, his instruments have become some of the most exclusive and sought after world wide and as of time of recording, are no longer available to order, so long is his waiting list.I myself am lucky enough to own a set of Gerold Soloist d’arte clarinets, and on a trip to his workshop to collect them from some much needed care and attention, we sat down to talk about his career, his process of building instruments and how he manages to constantly innovate. I began by asking about his first encounter with the clarinet...

Hello and welcome to Harmonically Speaking, the podcast that meets high achievers from the field of music and gives you an insight into their lives.I'm clarinettist Macdara Ó Seireadáin, and my guest today is violinist Maighréad McCrann. A native of Dublin, she studied Music in Trinity College Dublin and was a student of Brian McNamara at the then College of Music in Dublin before going to Vienna to study with Ersnt Kovacic.She is currently first konzertmeisterin of the ORF Sinfonieorchester Wien (Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra). In addition to this she is Professor of violin in Graz, and artistic director of the Neuberg masterclasses.I have always been curious about her experience of moving and studying abroad, winning the audition for her job, and also her pedagogical approach to training the next generation of musician.Therefore, I was delighted to have the chance to talk to her where I began by asking how she came to play the violin.

Hello and welcome to Harmonically Speaking, the podcast that meets high achievers from the field of music and gives you an insight into their lives.I'm Macdara Ó Seireadáin, a clarinettist in the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and my guest today is internationally renowned Irish pianist Finghin Collins.Born in Dublin, Finghin studied in the RIAM and the Geneva Conservatoire, and is a multiple competition winner, most notably winning the Clara Haskil Competition in 1999. As a soloist and chamber musician he performs worldwide, and alongside this busy performing career, he is artistic director of the New Ross Piano festival and Music for Galway, and is chair of the jury for both the Clara Haskil and Dublin international piano competitions. In early 2024, during a tour of Ireland with the Ficino Ensemble, where we were performing Penderecki’s magnificent sextet, we sat down to talk, and I began by asking what drew him to the piano, and when he decided to pursue a life in music.He also talked about the importance of finding the right teacher, what he listens for when sitting on a competition jury, and how he would like to see mental training for musicians become more commonplace.