SMG
FACULTY: FORTY MUSICIANS FROM TEN COUNTRIES
SMG 2011 will again be inviting a number of internationally renowned
musicians to join our core faculty of Irish musicians and music
teachers for our 18th summer school & festival in the west
of Ireland. Visiting soloists who have formerly appeared regularly
include John Perry, piano (USA), Tim
Hurtz, oboe (USA), Gene Ramsbottom,
clarinet (Canada), Paul Ezergailis, violin/conductor
(Norway/England), David Stewart, violin (Canada/Norway),
David Gaudry, viola (USA), Pavel Gomziakov,
cello (Russia/France), Timothy Brown, horn (UK),
Bruce Dunn, horn/conductor (Canada), Jan
Fredrik Christiansen, trumpet, Norway and Aline
Nistad, trombone (Norway).
Musicians from at least 17 world-class symphony orchestras have
participated in SMS/SMG, including St. Martin-in-the-Fields, England,
BBC Symphony Orchestra, England, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra,
Canada, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Norway, CBC Chamber Orchestra,
Canada, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, USA, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra,
Norway, RTE National Symphony Orchestra, Ireland, Calgary Symphony
Orchestra, Canada, London Symphony Orchestra, England, National
Arts Centre Orchestra, Canada, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Canada,
Paris Opera Orchestra, France, London Philharmonic Orchestra,
England, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Canada, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestra, USA and the Spanish Radio Orchestra. Spain.
In 2010, Ireland’s renowned ConTempo string quartet, joined the
SMG faculty as quartet in residence.
SMG International Festival Performances
The series of SMG Festival concerts and events - involving all
SMG students and faculty - will take place in Counties Galway,
Clare and Limerick, beginning with Youth Opera vocal and choral
recitals during Week 1, July 25th to 29th. There will be six orchestral
concerts, four chamber music concerts and three opera performances
in Galway, Clare and Limerick during Weeks 2 & 3, August 1st
to 14th. Transportation will be arranged to all SMG concerts and
events.
SUMMER MUSIC IN GALWAY 2011 FACULTY
CONDUCTORS (SMG Chamber Orchestra
& Symphony Orchestra)
Paul Ezergailis (violin): Ireland/Norway
Paul’s extensive recording and performance career began early
on in the Ezergailis String Trio with his brothers. He went on
to play in the Lucerne Festival Strings (Baumgartner), Collegium
Musicum Zurich (Paul Sacher), Swiss Chamber Orchestra (Antonio
Nunez), and later with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra (Iona Brown).
He is currently a member of St. Martin in the Fields (Neville
Marriner), and is Concertmaster of the Oslo Philharmonic where
he worked under Maris Jansons and Andre Previn and now Saraste.
Michael Dooley (bassoon): Ireland
Michael conducts, performs and teaches in music centres throughout
Europe and is a a regular performer with the R.T.E. Concert Orchestra.
He is a founder member of the Limerick Wind Octet and conducts
the Galway Youth Orchestra and St. Patrick's Brass Band Galway.
Michael is also on the teaching staff of the Limerick Municipal
School of Music as well as woodwind coach of the international
faculty of the annual BISYOC orchestral summer course held throughout
Europe.
Wayne Jeffrey (horn): Canada
Dr. Wayne Jeffrey is presently Director of Ensembles of the Kwantlen
Polytechnic University Department of Music. He has previously
held positions at the Universities of Western Ontario, Toronto
and Cincinnati and was the Music Director of the Wind Symphony
and Conducting Instructor in each school. He holds a Doctor of
Musical Arts degree in conducting and music education from the
Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and has appeared
as an Associate Conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble on many
concerts. As a horn player and conductor, he has broadcast and
performed in Canada and abroad and has recorded with the Pacific
Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Toronto Chamber Winds, the Hannaford
Street Silver Band, CJRT Orchestra and the Erik Schultz Brass
Quintet. He appears frequently as a guest conductor, clinician,
and adjudicator at festivals throughout North America and Europe.
WOODWINDS
FLUTE
Judith Havard: UK
Judith Havard studied the flute at the Guildhall School of Music
in London. On leaving, she was appointed principal flute of the
BBC radio orchestra. Judith has had a very active freelance career
playing for many of London's leading orchestras. She has also
worked on many West End shows, including ‘The Phantom of The
Opera’, ‘Les Miserables’, and ‘Miss Saigon’, to
name but a few. She has appeared regularly with the RPO Pops Orchestra,
and has maintained a busy teaching schedule. Judith is now a highly
regarded examiner for Guidhall Trinity, examining young players
from many nations worldwide.
Chris Lacey: UK
Chris has pursued a rich and varied career, playing and recording
with organisations such as the London Philharmonic, the Royal
Philharmonic, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the London SInfonietta,
the City of London Sinfonia and the London Festival Ballet. Chris
was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s London-based wind
band for over 20 years, playing on over 100 productions, including
the ground breaking ‘Nicholas Nickleby’ and ‘Les
Miserables’. He spent ten years at the Theatre Royal, Drury
Lane, the heart of London’s West End, performing in the smash
hit ‘Miss Saigon’, combining this with many recordings
for television, radio and film. Most notably, he was musical consultant
on Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’. He has been on the
faculty of Colchester Institute, teaching advanced students and
young professionals, as well as working in a number of prestigious
schools, including Upper Latymer School and Dulwich College. Chris
has been on the faculty of Summer Music on the Shannon/Galway
since its inception.
OBOE
Agnieszka (‘Aga’) Mazur: Poland
Aga is a graduate of the Cracow Academy of Music (MA) and Staatliche
Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe (DKA). She performs as a freelance
oboeist with various orchestras and ensembles in Europe and in
the US. Aga also plays baroque oboe.
Kathleen Murphy: Canada
Kathleen Murphy is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She has lived
in Dublin, Ireland for the past 15 years. She holds a BMus from
the University of Alberta, and has played the oboe for over 25
years. She has just completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Education
at Trinity College, Dublin and is a secondary school music teacher
CLARINET
Gene Ramsbottom: Canada
Gene Ramsbottom was the principal clarinetist of the CBC Vancouver
Orchestra since 1984 and was Principal Clarinet of the Vancouver
Opera Orchestra from 1976 to 1995. He has performed in England
at the Prussia Cove Chamber Music Festival and was principal clarinetist
of the Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra for a number of years. An
avid organizer of music events, Ramsbottom has served as Artistic
Director and Producer of the Whistler International Mozart Festival
in 1989 and 1990, the Out for Lunch classical noon-hour concert
series at the Vancouver Art Gallery since 1986, and as the Music
Commissioner to the North Shore Arts Commission. He teaches clarinet
and chamber music at the University of British Columbia School
of Music, Douglas College, Vancouver Community College and Capilano
College, and represents the Vancouver Musicians Association on
the Performing Arts Standing Committee of SHAPE (Safety and Health
in Arts Productions & Entertainment).
BASSOON
Michael Dooley (see Conductors)
BRASS
HORN
Jennifer Grant: Canada
Jennifer Grant has been playing horn for many years, both in Canada
and abroad. She played with the CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra
under John Avison and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra before heading
to Toronto to freelance. She spent many years as a freelance soloist,
chamber and orchestral musician in Europe, working in Ireland,
Germany, France and Switzerland.
Wayne Jeffrey (see Conductors)
TRUMPET
Jan Fredrik Christiansen: Norway
Jan Fr. Christiansen was a member of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
between 1966 and 2007, and was Principal Trumpet from 1973 until
he retired in 2007. He has been a frequent soloist with the Oslo
Philharmonic. including the first performance of Olav Anton Thommessen's
Trumpet Concerto, ‘The Second Creation’, at the 50th
anniversary of the Norwegian Society for Contemporary Music, the
Shostakovich ‘Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Orchestra’,
with Leif Ove Andsnes and with Maestro Mariss Jansons during the
Oslo Philharmonic tour to Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China
in 1997. In 1995 he was the only Norwegian musician to be invited
to play in an international orchestra conducted by Sir George
Solti, in connection with the celebration of the 50th anniversary
of the United Nations; this orchestra later toured to Germany,
England and Russia. Between 1973 and 1989 he was member of The
Norwegian Brass Quintet which did recordings, broadcasts and concerts
in Oslo and was a guest at the first Scandinavian Brass Symposium
in Stockholm, 1978. Jan Fr. Christiansen is now Professor at the
Norwegian Academy of Music, where he teaches trumpet, chamber
music and interpretation.
TROMBONE
Aline Nistad: Norway
Aline Nistad is principal trombone in the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
(OPO), a position she has held since 1979. During this time she
took part in most of the recordings with Mariss Jansons for Chandos
and EMI. She has appeared as a soloist with the OPO on several
occasions, playing Launy Grøndahl – ‘Concerto’, Lars
Erik Larsson – ‘Concertino’ and Georg Albrechtsberger
- ‘Concerto for Alto Trombone’. In addition to her work
in the OPO, Aline is a member of the Oslo Sinfonietta, a new music
ensemble that plays a number of concerts and recordings every
year, mainly in Oslo. Aline Nistad teaches trombone and chamber
music at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo. She has been visiting
various other music academies in Norway and abroad as guest teacher/lecturer.
EUPHONIUM
Fred Hannaford: Ireland/UK
PERCUSSION
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STRINGS
VIOLIN
Edmond Dwan: Ireland
Edmond Dwan, graduate of NUI Maynooth, BA (music), H.Dip, MA (Computer
Music), string tutor with Midlands Youth Orchestra, violin teacher
and performer.
Bryonie Hopper: Ireland/Australia
Originally from Australia, Bryonie has been living and working
in Ireland for over 5 years. She studied at the Queensland Conservatorium
in Australia and was the founding member and 1st violin of Martini
Strings, frequent performers in the Queensland wedding circuit.
Throughout her performing life, she has played with many orchestras
and chamber groups, with a keen interest in both classical music
and musicals. She has over 15 years teaching experience (both
Suzuki and local exams) and has developed (in collaboration with
another violin teacher) Kaleidescope Theory, a system of theory
education through games and activities which has been used with
great success with students in Australia. (Kaleidescope Music
is shortly to be introduced here in Ireland). She currently teaches
at Maoin Cheoil an Chlair where she has been the Event Manager
and Orchestra Conductor.
Mircea Petcu: Ireland
Mircea has recently retired from the position of Principal first
violinist with the Radio Telefis Eireann Concert Orchestra (RTECO)
in which he was a member since 1979. He has been leading and co-leading
the orchestra for many years and built a huge amount of experience
from working in the orchestra and with small groups covering the
whole range of music styles; traditional, jazz, classical, opera
and everything else in between. He has recorded chamber music
and violin solos with RTECO and has been member of several chamber
groups and chamber orchestras with which he has participated in
many international music festivals and artistic tours in the UK,
Spain, Germany, Turkey, USA and Canada. Mircea is a founder, director
and leader of ‘Romanian Legend’ a traditional group of renowned
Romanian musicians which toured Ireland, north and south, on several
occasions. With the ‘Romanian Legend’ he has been involved in
educational programs which brought live music to hundreds of schools
all over Ireland.
Paule Préfontaine: Canada
Paule Préfontaine, concertmaster of the Orchestre des Concerts
Symphoniques de Gatineau since 2002, is also a member of Thirteen
Strings and often plays with the National Arts Centre Orchestra
of Canada. She has enjoyed a versatile career as recitalist, soloist,
orchestral player, and chamber musician. Paule has performed chamber
music throughout Canada, Norway, Sweden, Austria and Finland,
and in broadcasts on CBC Radio and the Norwegian Radio Kringkasting.
As a member of the renowned Tafelmusik, she tours Europe, Canada,
and the United States, appearing as soloist at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York. In her orchestral career, she has been
concertmaster of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre des
Jeunes du Québec, and MusikBarok Ensemble. She toured Scandinavia,
Europe, and Japan as assistant concertmaster of the Bergen Philharmonic
Orchestra. Paule is an active teacher both privately and at the
University of Ottawa.
David Stewart: Canada
David Stewart was, for many years, Leader of the Bergen Philharmonic
Orchestra, Norway, and is now Professor and Head of the Violin
Department, University of Ottawa, Canada. Originally from Québec,
Professor Stewart studied with legendary violinists Oscar Shumsky
and Camilla Wicks. He has appeared frequently as soloist with
orchestras and chamber music ensembles in Europe and Canada and
has commissioned and given premiere performances of a number of
works for violin and orchestra. He regularly gives masterclasses
at leading music schools in Europe and North America and has toured
China as soloist and conductor. He is very much in demand as soloist
and teacher at leading summer festivals, including Mainly Mozart,
San Diego, Domaine Forget in Québec, and Sysman Savisoitta in
Finland.
VIOLA
Paul Casey: (violin/viola) Canada
Canadian violist Paul Casey was the recent recipient of the National
Arts Centre Orchestra Bursary Competition’s Harold Crabtree Foundation
Award. Paul attended the University of Ottawa (BMus) and Indiana
University (MMus) for violin and will be continuing his doctoral
studies at McGill University for viola. He has toured with the
National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Youth Orchestra of the Americas,
and the Orchestre de la francophonie. Paul studied with
violinists John Gomez, David Stewart, and Mauricio Fuks and with
violists David Goldblatt, Rennie Regehr, and Andre Roy. He has
served as a studio assistant to Mauricio Fuks since 2009 and was
the string coach for the Ottawa Junior Youth Orchestra and the
Leading Note Foundation’s OrKidstra program in Ottawa.
CELLO
Joseph Calef: Ireland
Joseph Calef was born and educated in Romania. Since moving to
Ireland he has established an enviable reputation as one of Ireland’s
foremost cello players, both as a performer and teacher. Equally,
his outstanding role as a conductor and coach of young string
and orchestra ensembles has received recognition and praise, not
only in Ireland, but also from internationally renowned musicians
attending Summer Music on the Shannon each summer. During the
past few years, he has devoted countless hours to the study and
performance of baroque music, particularly on the cello, and frequently
performs in solo and chamber music baroque recitals. He is currently
on the faculty of the Dublin College of Music.
Amy Ryan: Ireland
Amy is one of the new generation of superb young Irish musicians
who have successfully devoted years of study at the highest level
in order to acquire the music performance and teaching skills
essential for a future career in music, whether in Ireland or
abroad. After receiving a BA with 1st Class Honours in cello performance,
Amy went on to receive her ABRSM Diploma, and an Advanced Diploma
in Choral Conducting plus a Master of Arts Degree in Kodaly Pedagogy
(Distinction) from the Franz Liszt Academy in Hungary. She has
been Principal, Co-Principal and solo cellist with many orchestra
and chamber music ensembles, including the National Youth Orchestra
of Ireland, the Renaissance Music Academy (West Virginia, USA),
the Bantry West Cork Chamber Music Festival and the Cork Symphony
Orchestra. Her achievements have been equally impressive as a
flautist and as a member Irish Traditional Music Ensembles.
DOUBLE BASS
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PIANO
Elise Desjardins: Canada
Pianist Elise Desjardins currently holds a teaching-coach position
at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal. She has worked extensively
over the years with string students at the Conservatoire and during
summers at the Domaine Forget Music Academy. Very active in the
chamber music scene, she is collaborative pianist with many prominent
Montreal musicians, including concert master Richard Roberts,
oboist Lise Beauchamp, bassoonist Michel Bettez , violist Jutta
Puchhammer and double bassist Ali Yazdanfar. Her association with
Mrs Puchhammer allowed her to perform extensively across Canada,
the United states and Europe. The duo released two CDs that received
rave reviews in 2007. She recently toured China with Canadian
violinist David Stewart and is frequently heard performing on
Canada’s classical radio network. She holds a Master’s degree
in performance from the Indiana University School of Music.
Michelle Hennessy: Ireland
Michelle is Director of Clare Music Makers, where she also teaches
piano, theory and Kindermusic. She is Music Director of the Friary
Choir in Ennis and, as a trumpeter is in the trumpet section of
the University of Limerick Orchestra, the Ennis Brass Band and
the SMG Brass Quintet.
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OPERA
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Toni Rose (piano/flute): Canada
Canadian Toni Rose, a graduate of Western Washington University,
is a Director of school and community bands and Music Theatre
in Vernon, B.C. She was Assistant Conductor for Noye’s Fludde,
the first production of the SMS Youth Opera Theatre Programme
in 2002.
DIRECTOR
Airlie Scott: UK
Actress, singer and director. Airlie Scott worked with the Good
Company as Assistant Director for an adaptation of of Jane Austen’s
‘Emma’, and the musical "Strange Kind of Hero" and was
acclaimed for her work directing opera scenes at the Aberystwyth
Music Festival and as Director of ‘West Side Story’ for Stagecoach
Twickenham. Prior to her recent Broadway debut as April in "Egg
and Spoon", professional roles have included Doris Day in
a national tour of "Wonderful Day", Marie-Louise in
‘The Constant Wife (Lyric West End Theatre), and Baker's Wife
in "Into the Woods" at the Byre, St. Andrews. She has
performed with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, the Carl Rosa Opera
Company and in Gilbert & Sullivan productions at the Buxton
Festival. Airlie was Co-Director for the RealArts "Bridge
the Gap" WW2 Intergenerational project in Camden, London,
and regularly delivers specialist drama and music teaching and
workshops in primary and secondary schools on behalf of Bigfoot
Arts Education. She gigs regularly with her swing jazz band, Pronto
Jazz.
VOICE
Edel O’Brien: Ireland
A scholarship student at Trinity College of Music, London, Edel
won the College’s Vocal Faculty Prize and Gold Medal. She was
awarded an Italian Government Scholarship at the Conservatorio
Giuseppe Verdi, Milan, and was selected from over two hundred
international applicants to join the Young Artists Programme at
the Centre de Formation Lyrique, Opera National de Paris, Opera
Bastille, where she was awarded the Prix Lyrique. Edel has performed
major operatic roles with Opera Ireland, Anna Livia International
Opera Festival, Opera Bastille and Opera de Rouen.
COSTUMES
Monica Hannaford: Ireland/UK
Monica Hannaford, Educator in Steiner Schools in England and Ireland;
has designed and supervised the making of hundreds of costumes
for dozens of theatrical and music productions throughout England
and Ireland.
