Héloîse Geoghegan, violin Michael Joyce, piano
Presented with Funding from the Performance and Touring Award
Héloîse Geoghegan, violin Michael Joyce, piano
Héloîse Geoghegan, born in Ireland, began violin at age 6 and went on to win many national competitions both within and outside her age group. Described by Franco Gulli as very gifted, at 16 she recorded the Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No.3 with the RTE Concert Orchestra for the ‘Rising Young Star’ series.
Upon finishing school she won a scholarship to study in Florence, Italy, at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. There she specialised in solo and chamber music performance with the critically acclaimed Trio di Milano - Bruno Canino, Mariana Sirbu and Rocco Filippini.
After Florence, Héloîse continued her studies with Professor Mariana Sirbu at one of Germany's oldest music colleges, the Felix Mendelssohn Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig. During her studies there she was awarded a place in the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig. Héloîse went on to complete both her degree (2006) and her masters (2009) with 1st class honours. Héloîse has taken masterclasses with Franco Gulli, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Stefan Georghiu, Rainer Kussmaul, Nora Chastain, Bruno Giuranna and Menahem Pressler.
In 2004 Héloîse made her successful debut as soloist with the Irish National Symphony Orchestra in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, with a performance of Chausson's Poème. She has since returned to the National Concert Hall with performances of Bruch's violin concerto in G minor, which was broadcast live throughout Europe and Mendelssohn’s violin concerto in E minor in 2009.
Héloîse has given recitals at the Lago di Como and Pontino Festivals (Italy), L’ASAM Concert Series in Siracusa (Sicily), Toscana Classica Concert Series (Florence), West Cork Chamber Music, Kilkenny Arts (Ireland), Casa da Musica, Porto and Suolsalmi (Finland) Festivals. In chamber music she has collaborated with Mariana Sirbu, Rocco Filippini, Bruno Giuranna, Phillip Moll, Michael Joyce, Christian Giger, Tatjana Masurenko and Massimo Paris. Since October 2009 Heloise has worked intensively with the Callino Quartet.
2010 highlights included a winter residency with the Callino Quartet at the Banff centre in Canada in February after which, invited by the Kronos Quartet, they went on to make their Carnegie Hall debut in March 2010. In August Heloise will record her first CD with the German pianist Beatrice Berthold sponsored by Radio Bremen.
Michael Joyce began his piano studies at the Cork School of Music with Dr Bridget Doolan and Jan Čáp and where he himself currently teaches. He continued his studies with Nerine Barrett and Renate Kretschmar-Fischer at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, Germany, graduating with a first class honours BMus Degree. After completing his studies in Germany, Michael worked as a teaching assistant at Yale University while pursing a Master of Music Degree with Peter Frankl.
Michael has performed in recital with singers Pauline Tinsley and Edel O’Brien, violist Nobuko Imai, violinists Héloîse Geoghegan, David Stewart, Keith Pascoe, Catherine Leonard, cellist Pavel Gomziakov and pianist Ciara Moroney.
In 2006 Héloîse and Michael founded the Bellatrix Piano Trio with cellist Gerald Peregrine with whom they were artists in residence at the University of Limerick. The trio performed recitals in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland.
Héloîse and Michael perform regularly as a duo. Recent performances include Music for Wexford, the Felix Mendelssohn Hochschule für Musik and Theatre, Leipzig, the Ponte de Lima opera and chamber music festival in Portugal, the Casa da Musica in Porto, Portugal and the University of Limerick, Ireland. Later this year Héloîse and Michael will be performing at venues in Ireland, Germany and the UK and will perform their Wigmore Hall debut in London in December.
Tour Dates
Monday 27 Sep, CIT Cork School
- Curtis auditorium, CIT Cork School
- 1 PM, Free Admission
- 087 9654617 or Tickets available on the door
Friday 1 Oct, Navan, Co. Meath
- Solstice Arts Centre
- 8 PM, €15 / €12
- 046 909 2300 or www.solsticeartscentre.ie
Saturday 2 Oct, Ballytobin, Callan, Co Kilkenny
- Castalia Hall
- 8 PM, €15 / €10
- 056 7761497
Sunday 3 Oct, Waterford
- Christ Church Cathedral
- 12 PM, €7 / €5 / €12 family
- 051 858 958
Saturday 9 Oct, Molesworth St., Dublin
- Grand Lodge Room, Freemasons' Hall
- 8 PM, €20 / €15(wine reception after concert)
- 087 9654617
Sunday 10 Oct, Shanagarry, Co Cork
- The Grainstore at Ballymaloe House
- 8 PM, €20 / €15 / Early dinner at 6pm & concert: €60
- 083 3631468 / To book early dinner & concert: 021 4652531
Friday 19 Nov, Drogheda, Co Louth
- St. Peter's Church of Ireland
- 8 PM, €15
- 041-9838791. Tickets can also be purchased/booked at St. Peter's Church of Ireland Parish Office between 09.30 and 12.30 (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday)
