Our Composers

Ronan Guilfoyle is a towering figure in Irish jazz, renowned as a performer, composer, and educator.

At the heart of our June programme is Ronan Guilfoyle’s new clarinet quintet Legacy performed by clarinettist Matthew Berrill and ConTempo Quartet. The work, which meditates on the influence Guilfoyle’s father had on him as an artist, brings together classical and jazz sounds to create a thrilling soundscape in five movements. Guilfoyle’s piece is paired with Ravel’s string quartet, one of the works that the composer associates with his father.

Since the early 1980s, Ronan Guilfoyle has established himself as a leading exponent of the acoustic bass guitar, collaborating with jazz luminaries like Dave Liebman, Kenny Werner, and Joe Lovano. His career began with Louis Stewart’s group, and he further honed his craft at the Banff Centre for the Arts under mentors such as John Abercrombie and Dave Holland.

He has led his own ensembles since the mid-1980s, touring globally and recording extensively, including the award-winning Devsirme (1997). His compositions blend improvised and written music, spanning solo piano, chamber, and orchestral works. He has been commissioned by esteemed ensembles like the RTE Concert Orchestra and the European Jazz Youth Orchestra, and his pieces have been performed by jazz icons such as Dave Liebman and Kenny Wheeler. In 1997, he won the prestigious Julius Hemphill Jazz Composition Competition.

A respected educator, Guilfoyle is celebrated for his work on advanced rhythmic techniques in jazz improvisation. His book, Creative Rhythmic Concepts for Jazz Improvisation, is a standard reference on metric modulation and odd-meter playing. He has taught worldwide, including at Berklee College of Music and The New School, and has lectured for UNESCO. As the founder and head of the jazz department at Newpark Music Centre in Dublin, he has pioneered post-secondary jazz education in Ireland.

Friedrich August Kummer (1797-1879) was born on the 5th of August, 1797 in Meiningen, Germany. A cellist, oboist, composer and teacher, Kummer was known for his compositions for cello.

He studied under Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer, the principal cellist of the Dresden Court Orchestra. In 1814, he joined the Dresden Court Orchestra as an oboist, and in the early 1850s, he had replaced Dotzauer as principal cellist, and remained in this position until his retirement in 1864. Kummer died on the 22nd of August, 1879, in Dresden.

Kummer’s Variations on ‘Judus Maccabeus’ of G.F. Handel  features in our May repertoire. In the composition of this work, he takes the famous ‘See the conqu’ring hero comes’ theme from G. F. Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus, creating his own variations or ‘riffs’ upon it. While the exact composition date is unknown, it was published in 1870.

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) was an English born violist and composer. She was regarded as one of the first female professional violists and a trailblazer for women in classical music.  Born in Harrow, England, she spent a good portion of her life in the United States.

Although she is known as a renowned violist, Clarke initially studied the violin under Hans Wessely in the Royal Academy of Music in London in 1903. She was later withdrawn from the Academy by her father after an unwanted proposal from her harmony teacher, Percy Hilder Miles. Unfortunately, she was thrown out of her father’s home in 1910, and depended on her violin to support herself. She managed well, and in 1913, she became one of the first women to be employed by Henry Wood’s Queen’s Hall Orchestra.

Clarke’s composition Lullaby & Grotesque was composed for viola and cello between 1916-1918 and features in our programme in May 2026. Whilst Lullaby reflects her sensitivity to texture and colour combining late Romantic warmth with early modern harmonic explorations, Grotesque with its dissonance and bold rhythms is darker perhaps reflecting the times it was written in, namely World War I.

The World Premiere of this piece was performed by Rebecca Clarke herself alongside cellist, May Mukle, in New York in 1918. Later on in 1927, Clarke would establish the pianoforte “the English Ensemble”, with May Mukle, Kathleen Long and Marjorie Hayward.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was born in Bonn, Germany and is one of the most revered and influential composers in Western classical music. His work bridged classical and romantic eras and expanded the scope of instrumental music, revealing how music could convey deep emotion and intellectual depth.

While rooted in the traditions of Mozart and Haydn, he pushed boundaries by integrating vocal and instrumental music, most famously in his Ninth Symphony (“Ode to Joy”), which combined orchestra, choir, and soloists. His compositions from symphonies to sonatas are celebrated for their emotional intensity, intellectual rigour, and structural brilliance.

Beethoven’s Eyeglasses Duet was composed in 1796 and features as part of our May programme. It is a charming and lesser-known piece from his early period, consisting of two movements. Allegro is a bright and spirited opening movement, showcasing Beethoven’s youthful energy and classical style followed by Minuetto, elegant and graceful reflecting the refined character of minuets common in the late 18^th century.

Though not written with public performance in mind, this piece gives a wonderful glimpse into Beethoven’s early compositional voice, bridging the classical traditions of Haydn and Mozart with his own emerging style. Beethoven composed this piece for his friend, cellist, Baron Nikolaus Zmeskall, and he intended to play it with him (on viola) for leisure. The title of the piece refers to the fact that the two friends had to wear glasses to read their music.

Beethoven’s music transcended his time, inspiring generations of composers and listeners. His ability to convey universal human experiences of joy, struggle, triumph ensures his place as a defining figure in art and culture.

Jane O’Leary (b. 1946) is a Galway based composer whose work is often characterised by intricate textures and a considered exploration of sound with compositions that engage deeply with modernist and postmodernist idioms, often featuring nuanced harmonic language and rhythmic complexity.

Our May programme features the 1st Movement of O’Leary’s As if One, which was composed in 2016. The composer shared some insights with us about this piece –

‘This duo for viola and cello follows a number of pieces featuring cello and other instruments which I have composed for Martin Johnson (cello and piano, cello and harp). I am fascinated by string sounds and the multitude of different ways in which the strings can be resonated. I am also intrigued by the overlapping pitches between these two instruments. The duo is conceived almost as if written for a single instrument (although with two voices), and the musicians should connect intimately with each other’s sounds. Two instruments, two bows, four hands, 8 strings – all functioning ‘as if one.’’

A graduate of Vassar College, Jane O’Leary holds a PhD in composition from Princeton University. Her music has been performed worldwide including at the Kennedy Center, the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris amongst many others.

In 2025, she was awarded the National Concert Hall Lifetime Achievement Award for her significant contribution to Irish music and in 2026, commissioned in honour of RTE’s centenary, Jane O’Leary’s Fanfare: From 2RN to RTE – Celebrating 100 Years had its World Premiere at the National Concert Hall.

Photo credit: Mike Shaughnessy

Carl Stamitz (1745-1801) was a prominent composer of the Mannheim School in Germany and known for his elegant and clear melodic lines.

His Duetto for viola & cello in C Major, no.1 features as part of our May programme. This duet is typically bright, graceful, and conversational, reflecting the Mannheim School’s emphasis on dynamics and phrasing showcasing the rich, warm tone of the cello and the lyrical, mellow tone of the viola.

It is not known when Stamitz wrote much of his chamber music, but judging from the style of this piece, it would have been written in the latter part of his life between 1770 and 1790.

Alyson Barber has composed an eclectic variety of pieces, including collaborations for theatre and animated shorts. She has had pieces performed in London, Barcelona and Dublin by groups such as The London Sinfionetta, Concorde, CoMA London, NMC duo Sarah Leonard and Robin Michael, Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, Pegasus Choir, Kansas State University Trumpet Choir and the Academy Trumpet Ensemble.

Her solo viola piece ‘Twists and Turns’ was recently performed at the 2013 ISCM World Music Days in Slovakia and Austria by Milan Pala. She has collaborated on several animated shorts, one of which featured on the French television station TF1 and another at thirty festivals throughout Europe, Asia and America, winning two awards. Her music has also featured as part of the 2008 London Organ Day.

In 2007 she was awarded the Bill Whelan International Music Bursary and the Isemena Holland award, and more recently she received the Mosco Carner Prize. She is currently undertaking a PhD at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama with Gráinne Mulvey, and previously she completed a Masters in Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London where she studied with Simon Bainbridge.

Carlos Gardel, born on December 11, 1890, was a French-Argentine singer, songwriter, composer, and actor, often heralded as the most prominent figure in the history of tango. Known for his baritone voice and his significant contribution to the evolution of tango, his life and music continue to be celebrated more than a century after his birth.

In his early career, Gardel sang a wide variety of songs, including folklore, waltzes, zarzuelas, and operettas. However, his big break came in 1917 with his rendition of “Mi Noche Triste” (My Sad Night), which is often considered the first sentimental tango song. The song’s success transformed tango from a dance genre to a song genre and helped establish Gardel’s reputation as a leading vocalist.

Gardel began his international career in 1928, when he performed in Paris, France. He was met with widespread acclaim and became an international star, acting in movies and recording music in the United States. During this period, Gardel’s style evolved, and he became more refined and expressive, which further expanded his appeal. He was also a talented composer, writing several of his own songs.

Gardel’s career was tragically cut short when he died in an airplane crash in Medellín, Colombia, on June 24, 1935. He was in the midst of a tour and had just performed a series of concerts in Colombia. His sudden death at the height of his fame led to a massive outpouring of grief in Latin America and around the world.

Today, Carlos Gardel is remembered as the most influential figure in the history of tango. He is revered for his rich baritone voice, his charismatic stage presence, and his profound influence on the evolution of tango music.

Read more here.

(Edward) Swan Hennessy (1866–1929) was born in Rockford, Illinois (USA) and studied at the Conservatory of Music in Stuttgart, Germany, with Percy Goetschius (composition) and Edmund Alwens (piano), 1878–86. After some years of traveling in Europe with homes in England and Italy, he settled in Paris from around 1903. Initially influenced by Schumann and the late Romantic school in Germany, he became increasingly inspired by French Impressionism which is most evident in his pre-World War I works for piano and voice. From 1912, he was part of a group of Breton composers in Paris who developed a pan-Celtic identity which sought to fuse art music with elements from Breton and Irish traditional music and culture and within which Hennessy represented the Irish side (his father was an Irish emigrant from Cork). He particularly cultivated this unique style in his post-1920 chamber music. Hennessy exclusively focused on piano music, French mélodies and chamber music (duos, trios, quartets).

-Axel Klein

Béla Bartók (March 25, 1881-September 26, 1945), the greatest Hungarian composer, was one of the most significant musicians of the twentieth century. He shared with his friend Zoltán Kodály, another leading Hungarian composer, a passion for ethnomusicology. His music was invigorated by the themes, modes, and rhythmic patterns of the Hungarian and other folk music traditions he studied, which he synthesized with influences from his contemporaries into his own distinctive style.

Find out more about Béla Bartók here.

Jean-Marie Leclair, the Elder (born May 10, 1697, Lyon—died Oct. 22, 1764, Paris) was a French violinist, composer, and dancing master who established the French school of violin playing. In 1722 Leclair was principal dancer and ballet master at Turin. After finishing his violin studies with G.B. Somis, he went to Paris and began in 1728 a brilliant career as a violinist-composer. By 1732 he was the subject of an article in J.G. Walther’s Musicalisches Lexicon. He later became a musician of the royal chamber and visited several princely courts. Leclair, whose last years were clouded by despair and distrust, was murdered … He published four books of sonatas for violin and continuo, two books of sonatas for two unaccompanied violins, five sets of Récréations for two violins and continuo, and two sets of string concerti. He also wrote an opera, Scylla et Glaucus.

From Britannica

Paul Ayres was born in London, studied music at Oxford University, and now works freelance as a composer & arranger, choral conductor & musical director, and organist & accompanist. He has received over one hundred commissions, and his works have been awarded composition prizes in Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA. Paul particularly enjoys “re-composing” classical works (Purcell, Bach, Handel, Fauré) and “classicizing” pop music (jazz and show tunes, The Beatles, Happy Hardcore).

Paul conducts City Chorus, Questors Choir, and Morning Chorus, accompanies Harrow Choral Society and Concordia Voices, and is associate accompanist of Crouch End Festival Chorus. He has led many music education workshops for children, and played piano for improvised comedy shows and musical theatre. Please visit www.paulayres.co.uk to find out more.

Judith Ring is a composer / musician / performer / artist and all round music lover based in Dublin, Ireland. She has been writing music for over 25 years and has been greatly inspired by living in such places as Berlin, Bamberg, London, York, Paris and Dublin. In general my music stems from the electro-acoustic world and its core technique is based on the practices of musique concrète. Over the years this has expanded and been influenced by more improvised and instrumental territories derived from a deep exploration of instrumental timbre through collaborative projects with a large number of solo musicians. Her music has been distinguished by its richly textural qualities and meticulous layering techniques. A key part of my creative process involves recording and manipulating acoustic sounds, blending both traditional and extended instrumental techniques. In recent years, Ring’s compositional approach has evolved toward a more tonal language, placing greater emphasis on beauty and emotional expression in both the acoustic and electro-acoustic domain. Her compositions often tell stories that reflect the current state of the world.

Ring’s work has been performed by numerous orchestras and ensembles in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia including the National Symphony Orchestra, Concorde ensemble (Ireland), Crash ensemble (Ireland), The Guinness Choir (Ireland), University of York chamber orchestra (UK), Bradyworks (Canada), Percussemble (Germany) and Sepia ensemble (Poland). I have also written for many wonderful musicians such as Christian-Pierre La Marca (cello) + Félicien Brut (accordion), Lina Andonovska (flute), Alex Raineri (piano), Larissa O’Grady (viola),Dermot Dunne (accordion), Kate Ellis (cello), Martin Johnson (cello), Adele Johnson (viola), Malachy Robinson (double bass), Michelle O’Rourke (mezzo soprano), Garth Knox (viola), Natasha Lohan (mezzo soprano), Rolf Hind (piano), Paul Roe (clarinet), Jane O’Leary (piano), Laura Moody (cello), Beau Stocker (percussion), Damien Harron (percussion), Panayiotis Demopoulos (piano), Valerie Pearson (violin), Elisabeth Smalt (adapted viola), Nathalie Forget (Ondes Martenot), Andre Leroux (tenor saxophone) and many more.

For 3 years, Judith Ring and Laura Hyland ran a bi-monthly night called Listen at Lilliput at Lilliput Press in Stoneybatter, Dublin. This was a platform for musicians, composers and soundartists of all descriptions to showcase new and old work in an intimate and sympathetic listening environment.

After completing her PhD by composition at the University of York, UK in 2009, Ring returned to Ireland to re-establish herself on the Irish music scene. Since then she has expanded her musical output by writing for theatre (OFF PLAN by Simon Doyle), putting together a multidisciplinary festival called Sensorium with two colleagues from York, Angie Atmadjaja and Emily Kalies (as The-Link-Project) and being a band member of Clang Sayne and vocal trio Silver Kites.

Currently, she is teaching composition at Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Find out more about Judith Ring at her website.

MusicConnects’ March 2026 repertoire will feature the World Premiere of Judith Ring’s string quartet ‘Raise a Tragic Chorus in a Gale’. This piece is inspired by the Irish landscape and how it is shaped by the weather.

Photo-by-Laura-Sheeran

Caroline Shaw is a musician who moves among roles, genres, and mediums, trying to imagine a world of sound that has never been heard before but has always existed. She works often in collaboration with others, as producer, composer, violinist, and vocalist. Shaw is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music, an honorary doctorate from Yale, four Grammys, and a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. She has written and produced for iconic artists and ensembles across the musical spectrum, including Rosalía, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Tiler Peck, Nas, Kanye West, the LA Phil, the NY Phil, and others. Recent tv/film/stage scoring projects include “Leonardo Da Vinci” (Ken Burns/PBS), “Julie Keeps Quiet (Leonardo Van Dijl), “Fleishman is in Trouble” (FX/Hulu), “The Sky Is Everywhere” (Josephine Decker/A24), vocal work with Rosalía (MOTOMAMI), “The Crucible” (Lyndsey Turner/National Theatre), “Partita” (Justin Peck/NYC Ballet), “Moby Dick” (Wu Tsang), and “LIFE” (Gandini Juggling/Merce Cunningham Trust). Current touring projects include shows with Sō Percussion, Ringdown, Attacca Quartet, Roomful of Teeth, Graveyards & Gardens, Gabriel Kahane, and Kamus Quartet. Her favorite color is yellow, and her favorite smell is rosemary.

Find out more about Caroline Shaw at her website.

Find out more about Crea Sullivan at her website.

‘Edvard Grieg grew up in Bergen, Norway, at a time when artistic and intellectual circles in the country were heavily influenced by Danish and German cultures. As he entered his twenties, this began to change, and Grieg was caught up in a national awakening, with artists in every medium seeking a specifically Norwegian cultural identity. He was one of the first major composers from the Nordic lands to embrace the Romantic nationalism that swept across Europe in the late 19th century, and in keeping with this aesthetic he incorporated traditional folk music, drawing inspiration from the history and mythology of his homeland. In addition, he looked to landscape as a direct source of inspiration—a trend that resonates more widely in Nordic cultural nationalisms. Indeed, it was in part the evocation of landscape that encouraged some of the more innovatory features in his music, recognized by some as a kind of proto-Impressionism.’ – Jim Samson

Read more at Chamber Music Society.

Though often remembered primarily as her husband’s muse, and though her relationship with Brahms has received much speculation over the years, we feature Clara Schumann as the remarkable composer she was, particularly skilled in the Lieder genre (German Art songs). While she never wrote for the string quartet, these arrangements of some of her most beloved lieder display her compositional prowess and her sensitive phrasing that can be heard in many of Brahms’ works. Brahms greatly admired her musicianship and valued her feedback on his work above all else.

Robert Schumann wrote his three string quartets as part of a remarkable burst of creativity in 1842, often described as his ‘year of chamber music’. Two years previously, he and Clara had finally married after many years of personal and legal struggle with Clara’s father who did not approve of the match. Clara, an incredibly talented pianist and composer in her own right, was Robert’s muse, artistic collaborator and most perceptive critic. The first movement, which we will hear today, is deeply lyrical and intimate with many scholars hearing Schumann’s devotion for Clara in the work. Clara herself said that Robert’s set of three string quartets revealed his “most tender and beautiful side.” It was more than a decade after this work was composed when Brahms was welcomed into Clara and Robert’s world, and yet the lyricism and emotional depth of Robert’s quartets left a lasting impression of Brahms’ own approach to quartet writing.

Johannes Brahms took the string quartet very seriously and struggled with it more than any other form. He felt the weight of those who had gone before, most particularly Beethoven and Schumann, and destroyed more than a dozen attempts before allowing anything to be published. He was finally satisfied with his String Quartet No. 1 and described it to Clara as “one of my finest works… You have never before had such a beautiful work from me.” The Romanze is unusually exposed and vulnerable, and many scholars believe the movement speaks to Clara.