Music in Fermanagh
October 2018
Máire Carroll is a pianist and composer who has performed throughout Europe, Asia, United States and Canada including performances at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, National Opera House in Tallinn, Liszt Academy in Budapest, the Princess Grace Library in Monaco, the Barbican, Royal Over-Seas League, St. John’s Smith Square and the National Concert Hall, Dublin. Máire is the Artistic Director of Hidden Pianos, which she launched in 2018 with the aim of sharing classical and contemporary music in site-specific locations. Hidden Pianos is an intimate performance experience bringing the piano to exciting venues and has been featured on RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ Lyric FM, RTÉ Culture and The Irish Times. Venues so far have included Dublin Port, Waterways Ireland, 14 Henrietta Street, Lighthouse Cinema, MoLI and the National Gallery of Ireland.
In 2020 Máire was delighted to take part in a residency at the Banff Centre of the Arts, Canada for Hidden Pianos. Her recent Hidden Pianos commission from the National Gallery of Ireland was premiered in June 2022 and is inspired by Renaissance artist Lavinia Fontana.
In 2020 Máire was delighted to take part in a residency at the Banff Centre of the Arts, Canada for Hidden Pianos. Her recent Hidden Pianos commission from the National Gallery of Ireland was premiered in June 2022 and is inspired by Renaissance artist Lavinia Fontana.
The first single, CNAG, from The Hidden Pianos album, was released in December 2020, with the album released in May 2021. Máire’s debut album ROADS was released in 2018 and is available on all major streaming platforms. Máire recently performed two solo recitals in September 2022 at New Ross Piano Festival and for the Dublin Philharmonic Society. Máire performed as part of Culture Ireland’s #IrelandPerforms campaign in 2020 and she collaborated with RTE2FM to create Classical Collision, a fusion of classical and pop music at Body and Soul Festival, 2019.
Máire regularly collaborates with composers at home and abroad. In early 2021 Máire was awarded a Bank of Ireland, Begin Together Arts Fund Award, for her project SUDDEN CHANGES in partnership with the Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland. SUDDEN CHANGES will feature the work of Amanda Feery, Nick Roth, Sam Perkin, Anna Murray & David Coonan with each of these composers composing a solo piano piece for Máire. She gave the world premiere of Jonathan Nangles ‘Surface Patterns’ at the National Gallery, Dublin as part of New Music Dublin Festival in 2020. In 2018 Bill Whelan composed ‘Educo’ for Máire, guitarist Shane Hennessy and Crash Ensemble. Máire has worked with the London Sinfonietta and Crash Ensemble. She has performed with Crash Ensemble at GAIDA contemporary festival, Lithuania, the Homecoming Festival in Ohio, USA, CrashLands series across Ireland. Máire has featured on recent Crash Ensemble album releases including Wingform, CrashLands and Grey Area. Máire will perform Wingform with Crash Ensemble at Huddersfield Festival UK in 2022. In 2018, Máire was selected as a fellow to attend Bang on a Can festival, at Mass MoCa, USA.
Máire is the 2018 winner of the RDS Collins Memorial Prize and is the recipient of the Jim McNaughton/Tilestyle Artist Bursary (Allianz Business to Arts Awards, 2015). She is the winner of the 2012 RDS Music Bursary, the first pianist to have won this prestigious award.
Máire graduated from her MMus degree with distinction, at the Royal Academy of Music, London where she studied on scholarship with Christopher Elton. She was awarded an LRAM degree and she is the 2016 winner of the Royal Academy of Music, London, Franz Reizenstein Award, awarded for outstanding achievement. Máire began her studies at the age of four at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin with Gillian Smith later studying with Dr. John O’Conor, Ray Keary and Hugh Tinney. Máire is currently completing a Doctorate at Trinity College Dublin and RIAM, where her area of research focuses on the Modern Piano Étude.
In November 2022, Máire performed all twenty Philip Glass Piano Études across two sold out evenings at the NCH, Dublin as part of their International Chamber Music Series. Máire performed the opening concert at Quiet Lights Festival, Cork in the same month. The end of 2022 has seen Máire travel to Huddersfield Festival in the UK to perform with Crash Ensemble as well as perform at the NCH Dublin as part of Crash’s 25th birthday celebrations. Máire’s latest Hidden Pianos event took place at the National Gallery of Ireland on December 1st, 2022. December 2022 also included a performance at the Princess Grace Library in Monaco.