Strings Faculty (11)

Edmond Dwan Violin
BA Music, H.Dip. (Computer Music) N.U.I. Maynooth; string tutor, Midlands Youth Orchestra; professional violin teacher and performer.

Paul Ezergailis Violin; Conductor
Concertmaster of Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (Norway) and member of St. Martin in the Fields Orchestra (England); performed with Swiss Chamber Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Strings, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra; tutor, Scandanavian Youth Orchestra; conductor, Galway Youth Orchestra.

Marta Lelek Violin
Graduate, Guildhall School of Music, London; soloist with leading European symphony orchestras and frequent prizewinner in Poland and England; currently member of Clare Music Makers string faculty.

David Stewart Violin
Professor and Head of Violin Department, University of Ottawa; former Leader of Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Norway; frequent soloist with orchestras throughout Europe and Canada; has commissioned and given première performances of a number of solo works for violin and orchestra.

David Gaudry Viola
Acting Co-Principal Viola, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; soloist and chamber music recording artist; graduate of Indiana University and former member of Vancouver Symphony.

Josef Calef Cello
Born and educated in Romania. Faculty, Dublin College of Music; chamber music and solo performer.

Pavel Gomziakov Cello
Pavel Gomziakov is a prizewinner of various international cello competitions, including a special prize at the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and first prize at the 4th International Strings Competition "Julio Cardona" in Portugal in 2003. In addition, he was awarded the Fiermenich Prize at the 2001 Verbier International Summer Festival.

Sharon Nye Cello
MA, FTCL, Dip CSM. Faculty member, Clare Music Makers; performed with National Symphony and RTE Concert orchestras.

Adele O'Dwyer Cello
Graduate Northwestern University, Chicago; Former Principal Cello, Irish Chamber Orchestra; soloist and chamber music.

David Whitla Double Bass
Graduate of McGill University and Maryland University; Double Bass Instructor, Cork School of Music.

Jan Frederick Christianses Trumpet

Woodwinds Faculty (8)

Myra Bennett Flute; Piccolo
Principal Piccolo with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; graduate, Royal Academy of Music; former Principal Piccolo with Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and flute teacher at Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester.

Tanja Fritschi Flute; Piccolo; Recorder
Faculty, Clare Music Makers; graduate, Zurich Conservatory of Music; has performed with Opera Zurick, the Swiss National Youth Orchestra, and the Musichochschule Orchestra.

Chris Lacey Flute; Recorder; Piccolo
Faculty, Colchester Institute of Music; Royal Shakespeare Company and London Festival Ballet Orchestras; London soloist and theatre musician.

Tim Hurtz Oboe
Associate Professor of oboe at Pennsylvania State University; member of the Pennsylvania Woodwind Quintet; has performed with Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and San Francisco Opera.

Ronan O'Reilly Oboe; Conductor; Composer
Music Director, Artane School of Music; Performs with National Symphony and RTE Concert Orchestras; Director, Irish Youth Wind Ensemble.

Conor Sheil Clarinet
Acclaimed clarinet soloist; performs regularly with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St Cecilia, Opera Theatre Company and for Lyric Opera Productions.

Michael Dooley Bassoon
Michael Dooley, bassoon. Ireland. Graduate of Waterford Institute of Technolgy and Trinity College; faculty member of Limerick School of Music and BISYOC orchestral programme; conductor, Galway Youth Orchestra Conductor.

Ian Forbes Bassoon
Graduate, Royal Academy of Music; performs regularly with Camerata (Ireland) and Ulster Orchestra; London freelance musician working with opera, ballet and West End shows.

Brass Faculty (5)

Bruce Dunn French Horn; Conductor
After undergraduate studies as a horn student at the University of British Columbia, Bruce joined the horn section of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. His conducting career followed extensive studies with renowned Japanese conductor Kazuyoshi Akiyama, with Norman Del Mar in England and at the International Symphonic Conducting Workshop in the Czech Republic. Bruce is currently Music Director of both the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of the Kootenays in British Columbia, Canada.

Heather Wootton French Horn
Currently with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (Canada); has performed with Windsor; Kitchener-Waterloo and Stratford Festival Orchestras and the Festival Orchestra, American Institute of Musical Studies, Graz, Austria.

Gary Curtin Trombone; Euphonium; Tuba
Graduate, Cork School of Music and Royal Northern College of Music; Soloist with National Symphony Orchestra.

Aline Nistad Trombone
Graduate of Norwegian State Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama; Principal Trombone with Oslo Philharmonic since 1979; soloist with OPO on many occasions; faculty member of Norwegian Academy of Music.

Fred Hannaford Euphonium
Graduate, Newham Academy of Music, London; Brass teacher at Clare Music Makers.

Percussion Faculty (1)

John Beder Percussion
BMus, Percussion Performance; Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Assistant to Orchestra Manager; Youth Orchestra of the Americas; Royal College of Music Orchestra; Symphony Pro Music (Boston); Curtis Symphony Orchestra (Philadelphia).

Piano Faculty (4)

Gabriela Mayer Piano
DMusA, University of Maryland; studied in Berlin on Fulbright Graduate Scholarship; Head, Department of Keyboard Studies, Cork School of Music.

Duncan Gifford Piano; Conductor
International piano competition awards, including 3rd Prize in the Sydney International Piano Competition, 4th Prize in the 1994 Dublin International Piano Competition, 3rd Prize in the 1996 Montreal International Piano Competition, 1st Prize, and the Beethoven and Chopin Prizes, in the 1998 José Iturbi International Piano Competition, 1st Prize in the 1999 Concours Prix Mozart in Lausanne, and 1st Prize in the 2000 Maria Callas Grand Prix de Piano; solo recitals and concerto appearances in Australia and Europe; official accompanist for Master Classes, Queen Sofia School of Music, Madrid.

Michael Joyce Piano
MMus, (Yale); MM (Detmold); former faculty member of Yale University (US) and Hochschule für Music (Detmold); accompanist for international artists.

John Perry Piano
Professor of Music, University of Southern California.

Other Programme Faculty (2)

Irish Trad Music

Mike Coyne Uilleann Pipes; Whistle; Voice
Oireachtas Gold Medal winner; trad recording artist, performer and teacher; soloist and clinician throughout Ireland and Canada.

Creativity through Music
English as a Second Language

Ana M. Marques Robles
Educator, linguist, learning support consultant. Former Dean of Studies in Language Centre, Spain; currently delivering Music in Childcare course at West Clare VTOS.