Conductor – Cillian O’Breacháin
Cillian O’ Breachain holds a Masters in Music Performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where he studied violin under the tutelage of Chris George. He has also studied baroque violin with Huw Daniel, traditional fiddle with Alisdair McCullough and conducting with Alasdair Mitchell. He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music Education, majoring in violin performance under the tuition of Maeve Broderick.
As an orchestral violinist, Cillian has performed and recorded with the National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the RTE Concert Orchestra and with Camerata Ireland with whom he has toured Spain, France, Finland, North America, South America, China, and India. Cillian has also performed with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Irish National Opera, Scottish Opera and with Wexford Festival Opera where, in 2018, he was awarded the Liam Healy Bursary.
Cillian is a faculty member at the Royal Irish Academy of Music where he teaches violin and conducts both the Junior and Divertimenti String Ensembles. Over the last number of years, he has conducted performances with Offbeat Ensemble, Wexford Gateway Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Irish National Youth Ballet, and Dublin Orchestral Players. He is currently conductor of the DYO Intermediate Orchestra, St. Agnes’ Chamber Orchestra and is Musical Director of Greystones Orchestra.
Leader of the Orchestra – Hazel Fortune
Hazel Fortune has been the leader of Greystones Orchestra since its foundation as Greystones Orchestral Players in 1989. The daughter of a professional singer father, she began violin studies aged eight in London, and when eleven she won a seven-year scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she took piano as a second instrument. Hazel taught the violin for 27 years at music schools in Bray, Wicklow and Delgany, at the DIT Conservatory of Music and at home in Kilcoole. However, since Covid-19 struck she has been accidentally retired. She has been a member of the Dublin Orchestral Players since 1979 and is the 2nd violinist of Pentetetra String Quartet. As well as taking part in the twice-yearly Dublin Chamber Music Group’s Termonfeckin course, the quartet travels abroad to a different chamber music course each year.
flute soloist – silvija Ščerbavičiūtė
Lithuanian flautist Silvija Ščerbavičiūtė is the principal flute of RTE Radio Concert Orchestra in Dublin, Ireland, since February 2021. Silvija graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK, with a First Class Honours Bachelor’s degree in July 2017, where she studied with Michael Cox, Helen Keen (piccolo) and Lisa Beznosiuk (baroque traverso). While at RAM, Silvija received the Regency Award of Notable Achievement and won the Patrons Award, which led to a solo recital at Wigmore Hall in May 2017.
Silvija has since embarked on an exciting career both as an orchestra and chamber musician. She has performed as principal flute with the BBC Symphony Orchestra (currently on trial for the position), Oslo Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Hallé, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and as principal piccolo with English National Opera and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Silvija has also performed as guest principal flute on musicals of Lion King, Wicked, Mary Poppins and My Fair Lady. Recent chamber music and solo engagements include participation at the North York Moors Chamber Music Festival and performance of the K.Saariaho’s Flute Concerto Aile du Songe with RTECO at the New Music Dublin Festival 2024.
During her time in London, Silvija worked as a regular guest with the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and London Mozart Players and in 2017-2018 held the flute position at the London Philharmonic Orchestra Future Firsts Academy and Southbank Sinfonia orchestra training schemes. In 2016, she received a full scholarship to participate at the prestigious Aspen Music Festival and School in Aspen (Colorado, USA) where she won the Woodwinds Concerto Competition. Silvija is an alumna of Chetham’s School of Music (Manchester, UK) and is originally from Vilnius, Lithuania, where she attended the National M.K.Ciurlionis School of Music.
Guest Conductor – André Cavanagh
We were delighted to welcome André Cavanagh as our guest conductor for our summer concert ‘Greystones Orchestra goes to Hollywood’ on May 25th 2024. André was born into a musical family in Dublin and began studying French Horn under the tutelage of elder brother Raymond aged 9. Following this, he spent a number of years at the Royal Irish Academy of Music under Victor Malirsh before studying at the Royal Northern College of Music with Derek Taylor, Peter Francomb and Bob Ashworth.
André is a regular performer with the RTE Concert Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra and has worked with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Cecelia and the Orquestra Classica do Sul, Portugal. As a soloist, he has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Hibernian Orchestra and most notably alongside Soprano Christiane Karg with the Orchestra of St. Cecelia.
As a conductor, he has held positions with the Fingal Youth Orchestra, Blackrock College Orchestra, Blackrock Jazz Band, Knocklyon Concert Band and is currently director of the Newpark Community Orchestra.