Programme

Sonata in E minor, F. 54 by W.F. Bach

I. Allegro

II. Larghetto

III. Vivace

Andante and Rondo, Op. 25 by Franz Doppler

Divertimento by Bohuslav Martinu

I. Moderato

II. Andante

Scherzo from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream arr. Altès

Town Light by Yuko Uebayashi

Maya by Ian Clarke 

Jessica Schury Peckham maintains an active career as a flutist, educator, and collaborator. She currently serves as the Assistant Professor of Flute at West Texas A&M University, dedicated to cultivating the artistry and teaching skills of future flutists. She is also the arts administrator and faculty member at Carol Wincenc’s Creating Resonance Retreat, an inspiring and restorative experience for flutists. Jessica represents the Wm.S.Haynes Company as a Haynes Young Artist. 

Jessica enjoys performing a wide range of music, both as a baroque flutist and a lover of contemporary music. She has performed across the United States with ensembles including the Amarillo Opera, Tulsa Symphony and Ballet, the Newark Symphony, and recently made her solo debut in Carnegie Hall. She finds particular fulfillment in the intimate dialogue and shared artistry of chamber music, collaborating regularly with Chamber Music Amarillo and the West Texas A&M University Faculty Woodwind Quintet. Jessica holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music from Stony Brook University, and a Bachelor of Music from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Her primary teachers include Terri Sundberg, Janet See, Carol Wincenc, Dr. Kimberly Reighley, and Robin Kani. 

Martina Rosaria O'Connell is an Irish–Italian flautist and music educator. She recently completed a Master’s degree in Flute Performance with Distinction at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, graduating top of her class. She also holds a First-Class Honours degree in Music Education from Trinity College Dublin. At the age of twelve, she was awarded a six-year music scholarship to Wesley College, Dublin.

Martina’s achievements have been recognised through numerous awards and supports, including the Trench Award, the Liam Swords Award, the Arts Council of Ireland’s Agility Award, and funding through Music Network’s Music Capital Scheme. In 2023 she made her concerto debut with the Trinity College Orchestra, performing Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp. In February 2024 she was a finalist in the Maura Dowdall Concerto Competition.

In April 2024, Martina premiered her flute transcription of Mel Bonis’s Violin Sonata in F-sharp minor at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris. She later gave the Irish premiere at Dublin’s Fête de la Musique in June 2024, attended by the French Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Vincent Guérend. In May 2024 she also performed the transcription as part of a Europe Day concert broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM.

Martina has performed with a number of orchestras and ensembles, including the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Irish Baroque Orchestra, the Wexford Festival Orchestra, and the Illuminated Orchestra. In November 2024 she performed as part of Sir James Galway’s 85th Birthday Celebration at the KKL Luzern. She has been a scholarship student of Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway at the Galway Flute Academy since 2020 and has participated in international programmes including Camerata Ireland, the Saline Royale Academy, the Scottish International Flute Summer School, and the Grolloo Flute Sessions in the Netherlands.

Alongside her performing career, Martina teaches musicianship in the Junior and Adult Divisions of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She currently works as Education and Participation Officer with the Irish Baroque Orchestra. She previously served as Head of Education at the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival and Assistant Orchestra Manager of the Irish Baroque Orchestra, and she also sits on the Board of Directors of the Dublin Youth Orchestra.

David Vesey graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2021 from the MTU Cork School of Music, graduating as the highest placed student with First Class Honours. While in Cork, David won the Advanced Recital competition in the conservatoire and has since been a recipient of an MTU Arts Office Bursary to support his development. He then studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) as an 1848 scholar, completing the Master’s in Music Performance in June 2023 with Distinction. 

David has won national prizes for his performances at festivals such as the Birr Festival of Music and the Feis Ceoil. David was awarded the prestigious Lucien and Maura Teissier Bursary for Irish pianists at RIAM in 2023. 

His experiences as a traditional musician have shaped his musical journey. He is a member of the Comhaltas National Folk Orchestra of Ireland and past member of the Comhaltas Concert Tours of Ireland and Britain. He is an All-Ireland Fleadh Champion and has performed on radio and TV. David has worked as a staff member with the Meitheal Trad Summer School and has taught at the Scoil Éigse summer school at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. He obtained a TTCT teaching diploma for traditional Irish music from Comhaltas and was a recipient of the Mícheál Ó hÉidhin medal for distinction in the SCT exams.

David’s first album “Carolan Reflections”, featuring his own arrangements of the music of Turlough O’Carolan for solo piano, was released in November 2024 to acclaim. It has been broadcast on national radio and is available to stream on all major platforms.

As a boundary-crossing musician and educator, David promotes traditional Irish music his performances, recordings and teaching.