Lina Andonovska
Curiosity, fearlessness and versatility carry Lina Andonovska’s artistry around the globe. Andonovska is a rare breed in the flute world; a name that you’ll discover on both the pages of Rolling Stone and the Australian Chamber Orchestra roster, she has not only cultivated partnerships with leading composers including Louis Andriessen, Donnacha Dennehy and flautist Claire Chase, but also deep community ties from Timor Leste to Tokyo’s incubator Wonder Site.
Recently appointed as flautist of 4-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird, she has collaborated with groups including Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Recherche, Crash Ensemble, Deutsches Kammerorchester, stargaze and Southern Cross Soloists. She is critically acclaimed for her interpretation of new music; Rolling Stone Magazine hailed her performance at Bang On A Can Summer Festival as “superbly played, (ranging) from sustained ‘somebody-please-get-that-tea-kettle’ squeaks to the flit and flutter of its beautifully lilting trills...”
As an orchestral player she has worked with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Southbank Sinfonia and most of Australia’s symphony orchestras. She currently performs as Principal Flute with Irish National Opera Orchestra. As concerto soloist she has performed with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, US Navy Band, Deutsches Kammerorchester, Orchestra Victoria, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Southbank Sinfonia.
Performance credits include a solo performance at the Melbourne International Arts Festival that was noted as “re-defining the act of going solo “ (The Age), Brett Dean’s flute concerto ‘Siduri Dances’ with Deutsches Kammerorchester, Tokyo Experimental Festival Grand Prize, appearances with stargaze at the Edinburgh International Festival, Berlin’s acclaimed Unerhörte Musik series and a solo recital at Musica Nova Helsinki. Lina released her debut solo album with Diatribe Records label in early 2020, which was described as “brimming with energy and bold textures, though marked throughout by nuance. A name to watch out for.” (All About Jazz).
In 2023, she is a Trotter Distinguished Visiting Professor at University of Oregon and Artist in Residence at the prestigious Australian National Academy of Music of where she is an alumna. Passionate about mentorship and coaching, she has appeared as Guest Teaching Artist at Yale University, Louisiana State University, Ohio State University, University of Alabama, Rowan University, De Pauw University, University of Arkansas, Clemson University, University of Queensland and has been Artist in Residence at the University of Western Australia.
Lina performs on a Contrabass Flute by innovative flute maker Eva Kingma purchased through Music Network’s Music Capital Scheme, funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Music Network is funded by The Arts Council.
Lina is a Powell Flutes Artist.
Michelle O’Rourke
Michelle O’Rourke is a singer based in Dublin, Ireland. Empowered by a background in Baroque vocal music, and ever-fascinated by the role of voice in the ritual of performance, Michelle maintains a diverse portfolio of work: from contemporary classical music, to devised interdisciplinary projects, to holistic vocal coaching.
Michelle’s natural sound, unaffected expressivity, and technical ability make for an interpreter of rare dynamism. Several Irish composers have created work specially for her, including: Andrew Hamilton, Simon O’Connor, Karen Power, Judith Ring, Anna Murray, Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, and Garrett Sholdice.
Since 2016, Michelle has worked on a number of interdisciplinary projects, including work by Louise White Performance, Rob Heaslip Dance, Tonnta, theatre-makers Oonagh Murphy & Maeve Stone, and choreographer Catherine Young. In 2019, Michelle was co-curator of Listening Bodies, a durational performance event presented by Tonnta and Kirkos.
Michelle has featured on a number of critically acclaimed releases, including: Left Behind: Songs of the 1916 Widows (with Simon O’Connor, Ergodos label) and Andrew Hamilton: Music for People (with Crash Ensemble, NMC label). Michelle can be heard contributing to Inside Out, the recent release by Dutch violinist Diamanda La Berge Dramm (Genuin label).
Current and upcoming activity includes: the development of new performance collaborations, including a new duo with flautist Lina Andonovska; solo albums featuring work by Andrew Hamilton and original self-composed material; and an album featuring folk-inspired ensemble music with Ficino Ensemble.
Caimin Gilmore
Caimin has extensively toured the U.S.A, Europe, Australia, Asia, U.K and Ireland as a Double Bassist, including Lisa Hannigan’s At Swim album tour. He is a member of Crash Ensemble and plays regularly with s t a r g a z e , the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, and Ulster Orchestra.
He released his first solo record, ‘String Ogham Live’, in 2020, featuring new work for Double Bass. He has commissioned a further four works with cellist Kate Ellis (Crash Ensemble Artistic Director) for their duo, Kate & Caimin. He has played with Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Zach Condon (Beirut), Squarepusher, The Staves, Justin Vernon (Bon Ivor), Aaron Dessner (The National), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), Luluc, Dionne Warwick and recorded with s t a r g a z e and Adam Cohen, on Leonard Cohen’s posthumous album, 'Thanks for the Dance', at the P-E-O-P-L-E festival, Berlin '18. He has played with Irish acts Niamh Regan, I Have a Tribe, Michael Gallen, David Kitt, Valerie Francis, Inni-K and recorded for Saint Sister and David Keenan. Broadcast highlights include Other Voices on RTÉ, The Late Late Show with James Cordon CBS, Glastonbury Festival on BBC and NPR Music New York.
As an arranger, he has arranged for the RTE Concert Orchestra and Crash Ensemble. He is the songwriter of chamber folk group Sun Collective, who released their second record, ‘Move \\ Remove’ EP, on August 10th 2020, followed by broadcast on Other Voices and broad critical acclaim; “Discovering this EP is like discovering you actually breathe. You simply can’t live without it.” Folk Radio UK.
Úna Monaghan
Úna Monaghan is a harper, composer, researcher and sound artist from Belfast. Her recent work has combined traditional music with bronze sculpture, sound art and movement sensors. Her compositions have been presented on BBC and RTÉ television and radio, and in theatre productions, festivals and conferences internationally. She performs with harp and computer, and released an album of her compositions for Irish harp and electronics, named “For” in 2018.
Úna has held artist residencies at the Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris, the Institute for the Public Life of Arts and Ideas Montréal, and the Future Music Lab at the Atlantic Music Festival, Maine, USA. Úna also works as a sound engineer specialising in Irish traditional music, and experimental, live electronic and multichannel music, a role in which she travels worldwide.
Úna gained a PhD from the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast in 2015 and held the Rosamund Harding Research Fellowship in Music at Newnham College, University of Cambridge from 2016-2019. Her research examines the intersections between Irish traditional music, experimental music practices, improvisation and interactive technologies. In 2019 she received the inaugral Liam O’Flynn Award from the Arts Council of Ireland and the National Concert Hall, Dublin.
Nathan Sherman
American-born violist Nathan Sherman has been based in Dublin since 1999 and enjoys a career collaborating with other adventurous musicians. His curiosity and eclecticism allows him to present work ranging from Schütz and Purcell, to experimenting with heavy metal and aquariums. Nathan is a tireless commissioner and his “commanding and assured” performances (Journal of Music) have brought him around the world.
As founding member and Artistic Director of the acclaimed chamber group Ficino Ensemble, Nathan performs a vast amount of music and has released two albums. Folk Songs included works by Luciano Berio and was described as “bewitching new interpretations by the Irish chamber group”. (Guardian) The album was included in the Guardian’s Top 10 of 2022 and best of Bandcamp’s contemporary classical. The group also enjoy creating opportunities for younger composers through their yearly workshop series.
Nathan has premiered over 100 works and his work has been presented on radio stations worldwide. Current projects include preparations for a new album with percussionist Alex Petcu. As a duo their fusion of unique sounds and performances have been described as “sheer perfection” (SOUND Scotland) and their debut album Totemic was given four stars in the Irish Times. In 2024, Nathan will record an album new music for viola and electronics and present it at New Music Dublin and in the USA. Nathan is member of Stone Drawn Circles, a new music group which will debut at HCMF.
Nathan regularly plays with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Crash Ensemble, and Evlana. In 2013, Nathan and his wife created the Offbeat Ensemble, a community orchestra in Dublin which regularly raises money to buy instruments for children.
Alex Petcu
An Irish musician of Romanian origin, Alex is quickly establishing himself both nationally and internationally as a percussionist of the finest calibre. His debut album, "Alex Petcu: In Time", released on the RTE lyric fm label, showcases both seminal works and new contributions to the percussion repertoire.
Alex performs in a wide variety of settings with a multitude of orchestras, ensembles and groups, however, his main specialty lies in solo and chamber music. As a soloist, recent appearances include performances at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Kilruddery House and National Concert Hall to name a few. He has performed as a soloist with both RTE orchestras and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and had successes in major national and international competitions such as the Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year, Tromp and A.R.D. International competitions.
Alex enjoys being involved in the creation of new music for percussion and regularly collaborates with composers. Examples of recent projects include "Beats, Bells and Bridges" and the Abbey Theatre's production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, both collaborations with composer Tom Lane, "A Most Peculiar Wintry Thing", a children's show jointly commissioned by The Ark and Music Network with music composed by Brian Irvine and "Invitation to a Journey", a dance/theatre/music collaboration with music by Deirdre Gribbin. He is a regular performer with the Crash and Hard Rain ensembles, two of Ireland's main contemporary groups, and is a founding member of the Bangers and Crash Percussion Group, a new exciting percussion ensemble.
