Informal Music Afternoon (IMA) celebrates women composers, featuring works by Jane O'Leary and Ina Boyle

6 March 2022 13:00

Andreea Banciu viola; Aileen Cahill piano; Katelyn Ressler, soprano; Collette Sheerin, singer-songwriter; Sligo Baroque Orchestra.

Next month's Informal Music Afternoon is a celebration of the female musical imagination, two days before International Womens Day.

Andreea Banciu, viola, and Aileen Cahill, piano, are delighted to return to the IMA. To mark International Women's Day, they will present a programme of works for viola and piano by female composers Rebecca Clarke, Minna Keal and Ina Boyle, and also a selection from “A Palette of Preludes” for piano solo by Jane O'Leary.

Andreea is best known as violist in ConTempo Quartet, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Winners of numerous international prizes, their diverse repertoire includes full cycles of Beethoven and Bartok quartets, contemporary music and collaborations with visual artists, dancers and DJs. In recognition of their immense cultural contribution, the ensemble was conferred as Doctors in honoris causa, NUI Galway, and was recently awarded the distinction of Cultural Merit, in the Order of Knighthood, by the President of Romania. Andreea frequently joins the National Symphony Orchestra as Lead Violist, and is an active collaborator across genres. Currently, she lectures in Viola at TU Dublin Conservatoire.

Originally from Sligo, Aileen is a collaborative pianist based in Dublin, where she is a doctoral candidate at TU Dublin Conservatoire. Previously, she lectured in piano and piano accompaniment at the Conservatoire, as well as Dundalk IT and Maynooth University. Aileen has been a multiple prizewinner at Sligo, Arklow and Dublin Feiseanna, and has competed internationally many times. In masterclass, she has worked with esteemed teachers such as Christian Favre, Barry Douglas, Marie-Françoise Bucquet and Jacques Rouvier. In concerto, she has been a regular soloist with the Sligo Baroque Orchestra, Budweis Philharmonic (Czech), Greystones Orchestra and Irish Youth IWind Ensemble.

Aileen is currently Scholar-in-Residence at the Contemporary Music Centre.

Sligo Baroque Orchestra will be joined by the young Canadian soprano, Katelyn Ressler in a performance of an aria by Maria Teresa Agnesi and members will also play a Divertimento by Anna Bon di Venezia.

Singer-songwriter Collette Sheerin will also perform some of her own songs. Collette Sheerin is a singer song-writer and flautist. Originally from County Offaly, she moved to the
vibrant melting pot of music and creativity that is Sligo and quickly established herself as a prominent performer on the local music scene.