Programme

Martinu - Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano

Yue Song - Nocturne for Piano

Mozart - Sarastro's Aria from The Magic Flute for Bass Clarinet

Jane O'Leary - Palette of Preludes for Piano

Poulenc - Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

Conor Shiel

Conor Sheil was born in Dublin and studied clarinet and piano in the DIT School of Music (now TU Dublin Conservatoire). His clarinet teachers included Joe Coughlan and Brian O’Rourke.

Recent theatre work includes 'Improbable Frequency' and 'Taming of the Shrew' with Rough Magic, as well as ‘Sweeny Todd’ and 'Streetcar Named Desire' at the Gate Theatre.

Conor performed solo clarinet for the TV documentaries, 'The Irish Pub' and 'Older Than Ireland'.

As an orchestral musician Conor has been engaged by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and many freelance groups.

He has worked consistently in opera for Irish National Opera and for Wexford Opera Festival, with both of whom he has enjoyed a long association.

Aileen Cahill

Originally from Sligo, pianist Aileen Cahill is best known for her blend of solo piano and extensive collaborative work. A Masters graduate in Solo Piano (Dr. John O'Conor, Royal Irish Academy of Music, 2007) and Piano Accompaniment (Catherina Lemoni-O'Doherty, TU Dublin Conservatoire, 2011), Aileen has been awarded many prizes and bursaries for solo piano, piano concerto and piano duet, as well as for instrumental and vocal chamber music.

As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in venues throughout the island of Ireland, and across Europe. In concert, she has appeared with multiple times with Budweis Philharmonic Orchestra (Switzerland) and Viarmes Chamber Orchestra (France), as well as with Greystones Symphony Orchestra and the Irish Youth Wind Ensemble. She is a frequent conductor-soloist with Sligo Baroque Orchestra, with whom she has performed six Mozart piano concerti (Nos. 13, 15, 17, 21, 23 and 27), and will perform Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor in November 2024.

Previous roles have included repetiteur at Dundalk I.T., Maynooth University, and Lecturer in Piano and Piano Accompaniment at TU Dublin Conservatoire. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate at the Conservatoire where she has been a Research Scholar, and Music Information Coordinator for the Contemporary Music Centre’s Library and Archive in Dublin.