meet the riam young artists

RIAM LIVE 2021 MEET THE YOUNG ARTISTS

MEET THE RIAM YOUNG ARTISTS Sunday 20 June, 3.00 pm


RIAM LIVE: MEET THE YOUNG ARTISTS

WELCOME I am delighted to welcome our enthusiastic online audiences tuning in to this wonderful series of concerts by musicians on our Young Artists Programme from the safety of home both in Ireland and further afield. The Young Artist Programme is an immersive two-year programme specially designed to prepare high-potential, pre-college students who are aspiring to professional training. Auditions for the programme are held each year and the Young Artists participate in a number of events in the Academy and externally. These include masterclasses with guest artists, chamber music coaching, performance opportunities and a host of other experiences designed to enhance their musical education. In each of these short concerts, you’ll have the chance to meet the current crop of Young Artists and hear them play repertoire which they’ve been preparing with their teachers in the Academy. These performances were recorded earlier this year in accordance with public health guidelines at the time. The last year has been particularly challenging for everyone, but despite this our students have displayed incredible resilience and a willingness to embrace and adapt to new ways of working, including a new world of recordings and live-streamed performances. Many of our Young Artists are in their final years of school and are contemplating a move to third-level education to pursue their musical dreams and further their careers. I would like to thank them for their hard work, determination and a host of wonderful performances in concerts such as these, and in the various events and competitions in the Academy over the last year. I would also like to thank you; our parents, guarantors, audience members and the wider RIAM Community for your continued support. In the meantime, I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy the performances in this concert and the others in this series. For more information about the Young Artist Programme, any of our other programmes of study and for information on how you can support the Academy, please visit our website at riam.ie. ROSS LYNESS HEAD OF JUNIOR RIAM


PROGRAMME Sarah Brazil, violin Dearbhla Brosnan, piano Bloch: Nigun Sarah is 13 years old and lives in Dublin. She began studying violin at the age of five with Yvonne Donnelly at the RIAM. Sarah has been a Young Artist since 2016; performing in Killruddery House on three occasions and participating in masterclasses with Daniel Rowland and Patrick Rafter. In recent years, she has been awarded First Prize in the U9, U11 and U13 age categories at the Feis Ceoil and has performed in the John Field Room of the National Concert Hall as part of the Feis Ceoil Young Platform Series. Sarah enjoys chamber music and orchestral playing and is a member of the ‘Impromptu’ Trio. She performed with the Trio in Tullynally Castle in February 2020 and took part in the RIAM Chamberfest in December 2019. She was leader of the RIAM Intermediate Orchestra in 2019 and 2020, performing in both the National Concert Hall and Christchurch Cathedral. Sarah is a pupil at Mount Anville School and her other interests include football, coding, space exploration and reading. Johanna Dietz, piano Due to technical difficulties on the day of recording, we apologise that this performance commences approximately two minutes into the work. We have included this partial recording rather than deny our audiences the opportunity to of hearing Johanna Dietz’s impressive performance.

Beethoven: Allegro assai from Sonata in F minor Op 57 Pianist, Johanna Dietz is 18 years of age and studies with Maria McGarry at the RIAM. She attends school Lough Allen College, Co Leitrim and is currently sitting her Leaving Certificate exams. She is currently a member of the Young Artist Programme at the Academy. Johanna has also a passion for acting and has had three lead roles in school musicals; Oliver!, The Sound of Music and Grease. She also enjoys art, biology, and the outdoors.

Lera O’Connor, flute Dearbhla Brosnan, piano Roussel: Andante et Scherzo Op 51 Lera is 16 years old and lives in Dublin where she attends Loreto College, St Stephen’s Green. She is a student of William Dowdall at the RIAM and has been a member of the RIAM Young Artist Programme. She has also has been awarded a number of scholarships from the RIAM and has won prizes Feis Ceoil. Lera has also competed as a finalist in the RIAM Junior Solo Competition in the 2019 and 2020 events. She is a member of the RIAM Symphony Orchestra and has participated in masterclasses with Paul Edmund-Davies.


Evan Lawrence, piano Scriabin: Andante from Sonata No 2 in G-Sharp Minor Evan Lawrence is 18 years old and was first introduced to music at the age of six, when he began piano and violin lessons with local teachers. At the age of 14, he received a full scholarship to the RIAM through the Local Centre Exams, where he began studying with pianist, Hugh Tinney. Since then he has won awards at several competitions, in addition to tuition scholarships at the Academy. He is currently as a member of the Young Artists Programme. In December 2020, he received a high distinction in the ATCL Piano Performance Diploma. In addition to his piano studies at the RIAM, he also studies violin with Maeve Broderick and will commence further violin studies at The Guildhall School in London in September. He is also an organ student of Dr Carole O’Connor since 2017 and is currently the organ scholar at Christ Church Cathedral. With his organ playing, he also enjoyed great success at this year’s Feis Ceoil and gave his début solo recital on the organ virtually as part of the PipeWorks Festival in June.

Claire O’Connor, violin Dearbhla Brosnan, piano Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Op 28 Claire O’Connor studies with Fionnuala Hunt. She was the recipient of the John Pollard Award in 2018 and was a NCH Young String Player of the Year in 2019. She has won numerous competitions at Feis Ceoil and is co-leader of the National Youth Orchestra. She is also the founder of the Iveagh Quartet and is one of four musicians in the Eversheds Sutherland Accelerator Academy.

meet the riam young artists

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