ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES
Caitríona O’Leary – Singer
Caitríona O’Leary is known internationally for her intense and passionate performances of Early Music and Traditional Irish song.
She has recorded over twenty critically acclaimed albums with her Trad band Dúlra, her Early Music performance ensemble eX & the ensembles Sequentia, The Harp Consort and Joglaresa amongst others. Her recording, The Wexford Carols, featuring guest artists Tom Jones, Rosanne Cash, and Rhiannon Giddens, reached #1 on the Billboard and Amazon charts.
She has worked closely with many of early music’s leading artists including Christopher Hogwood, Ben Bagby, Andrew Lawrence King, Konrad Junghaenel and Pedro Memelsdorff.
She is also active in contemporary music. In November 2016 she performed and recorded Roger Doyle’s new electronic opera, Heresy.
Caitríona has performed in such venues as the Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall and Cité de la Musique to name a few. Festival engagements include Halle Handel Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Tage Alter Musik Herne, Utrecht Early Music Festival, Tage Alter Musik Regensburg, Festival Cervantino Guanajuato, Festival Interceltique de Lorient, Zagreb Summer Evenings Festival, Split Summer Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival, Belfast Festival at Queen’s, etc.
Nick Roth – Saxophones
Nick Roth is a saxophonist, composer, producer and educator.
He is artistic director of the Yurodny Ensemble and a partner at Diatribe Records, Ireland’s leading contemporary music label.
As a performer, his collaborations include work with Jennifer Walshe, Savina Yannatou, John Taylor, Iarla Ó Lionáird, M.C. Schmidt, Gavin Bryars, Bobby McFerrin, Tom Arthurs, Lucas Niggli, Kate Ellis, Mihály Borbély, Matthew Jacobson, Miklós Lukács, Francesco Turrisi, Cora Venus Lunny, Crash Ensemble, Alex Bonney, Petar Ralchev, Zohar Fresco, Alkinoos Ioannidis, Theodosii Spassov, and world premières of new works by composers Mamoru Fujieda, Alla Zagaykevych, Dan Trueman, Ian Wilson, Benjamin Dwyer, Panos Ghikas, Kamran Ince, Roger Doyle, Dan Trueman, Judith Ring, Mel Mercier, Linda Buckley, Ed Bennett, Onur Türkmen, Christian Mason, Francis Heery, Piaras Hoban and Elaine Agnew.
Deirdre O’Leary – Clarinets
Deirdre O’Leary studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and Accademia Chigiana, Siena. She has regularly played with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Wexford Opera Festival, and the Irish Chamber Orchestra.
Since 2003 Deirdre has been a member of Crash Ensemble and has toured throughout Europe, Australia and the US and recorded for the Nonesuch label. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, with Dawn Upshaw and Iarla Ó Lionáird, the Barbican, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Edinburgh festival, and Dublin & Galway theatre festivals.
She is a founding member of Cassiopeia Wind Quintet. With Cassiopeia she has performed at the Galway Midwinter Festival with the Con Tempo Quartet, Rolf Hind, Lore Lixenberg; at the New Ross Piano Festival with Finghin Collins, Melvyn Tan, and Lise de la Salle; and at the Sligo Chamber Music Festival.
Francesco Turrisi – Keyboards and Percussion
Francesco Turrisi studied jazz piano and early music at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.
Since 2004 he has been a regular member of the celebrated early music ensemble L’Arpeggiata. With L’Arpeggiata he has performed at all major early music festivals in Europe and around the world (Turkey, Russia, China) and has recorded for Virgin, Naive and Alpha.
He regularly collaborates with Italian traditional singer Lucilla Galeazzi and with Irish ensembles Yurodny (balkan music/contemporary jazz), The Gregory Walkers (early music), Resound (contemporary music) & eX (early music).
He has released four critically acclaimed albums – as a leader and two as co-leader – (Tarab and Zahr) on Diatribe records and on his own label Taquin records.
His wide range of collaborations includes artists from jazz, world and early music including: Bobby McFerrin, Rhiannon Giddens, Dave Liebman, Gianluigi Trovesi, Nils Landgren, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Barry Guy, Savina Yannatou, Maria Pia de Vito, Theodosii Spassov, Gavin Bryars, Bang on a Can, Misia, The King’s Singers, Veronique Gens, Philippe Jaroussky, Pepe el Habichuela, Bijan Chemirani, etc.
