Helen Hancock (soprano) and Órán Halligan (piano)

Programme

Joseph Haydn

from “The Creation”

With Verdure Clad

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Abendempfindung K523

Franz Schubert

So lasst mich scheinen D877/3

Gretchen am Spinnrade D118

Clara Schumann

From Op. 13

No. 1 Ich stand in dunklen Träumen

No. 3 Liebeszauber

No. 5 Ich hab’ in deinem Auge

Richard Strauss

Zueignung Op. 10, No. 1

Reynaldo Hahn

À Chloris

Ernst Chausson

Le Colibri

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Silent Noon

The House of Life

Charles Villiers Stanford (arr.)

Last Rose of Summer

Helen Hancock

Helen was a recipient of an Arts Council Agility Award in 2022 which funded coaching on Baroque and lieder repertoire in Berlin where Helen also performed at the Ulysses 100 celebrations in June for the Embassy of Ireland, Berlin.  She performed in Galway Early Music’s Midwinter Festival in 2020 and in their 2021 Summer Festival for which she received a bursary from Galway County Council.   Helen has performed at Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin virtually with harpist Anne-Marie O'Farrell and with pianist Mark Keane. Her recent Christmas recital at Farmleigh House with Aoife O'Sullivan was cancelled due to weather, look out for the re-scheduled programme in the spring.  Helen studied singing at the RIAM and at TU Dublin while studying engineering in University College Dublin. She resumed vocal studies with Professor Owen Gilhooly-Miles at the Midwest Vocal Academy in Limerick from 2015 to 2021. She has completed her DipABRSM diploma and has been abroad many times for summer schools and specialist vocal coaching. She continues to study with UK based Christine Cairns and works with Annalisa Monticelli and Mark Keane in Ireland and in Berlin with Gerhard Gall and pianists Chelsea Padilla and Paul Cibis.    

Órán Halligan 

Dublin-born pianist Órán Halligan began taking piano lessons at the age of 8, and became a part-time student of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in 2011. There he completed both a DipMus and Bachelor’s in Music Performance, studying under Professor Anthony Byrne. He also holds a Masters in Keyboard from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he studied under Professors Jonathan Plowright, Sinae Lee and Aaron Shorr.  Órán made his Concerto debut performing Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” alongside the Dublin Concert Band at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, as part of their 60th Anniversary Gala Concert. He then went on to perform Poulenc’s Piano Concerto in C# Minor with the National Symphony Orchestra.  As a recitalist and chamber musician, Órán has performed extensively across both Ireland and the UK. He has a particular interest in the performance of lesser-known piano works, French music, and has premiered numerous compositions by emerging Irish composers. Recently, alongside duo partner and clarinettist Cathal Killen, they gave the premiere of Michael Cummins’ work “A New Species”, as part of the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival.  In the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Órán was joined by fellow pianist Luke Lally Maguire to give a 14-hour long performance of Erik Satie’s “Vexations”. Through this live-stream they raised in excess of 6,000 Euro for the Beaumont Hospital Foundation.  Órán has performed frequently in music festivals both at home and abroad including Boyne Music Festival, PLUG Contemporary Music Festival, Royal Tunbridge Wells, West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival and Music in Monkstown. Órán has been awarded the "John O'Conor Cup for Outstanding Musicianship" and was 1st-Prize winner of the 10th Annual “Irish Freemason’s Young Musician of the Year Award”. He looks forward to releasing his first album of solo piano music in 2023, which explores works by composers who were influenced by Irish melody,to include a new commission by Composer and Clarinettist Christopher Moriarty.