NEWS
PERFORMING WITH CAMERATINO QUARTET AND BARRY DOUGLAS IN PARIS
NEW CELTIC EP NOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES
BBC LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS - RECORDING OF EIMEAR'S PERFORMANCES OF HOME AWAY FROM HOME - PHIL COULTER AND CARMEN FANTASY - BIZET/BORNE
RECORDING NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE FOR AMERICAN TAP DOCUMENTARY -
(Produced by Hollywood's Emmy Award winner Dean Hargroves)
(Produced by Hollywood's Emmy Award winner Dean Hargroves)
INVITATION FROM HM THE QUEEN TO ATTEND YOUNG ARTIST ROYAL RECEPTION AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh gave a Reception for Young People in the Performing Arts at Buckingham Palace on Monday 9th May 2011. Eimear was honoured to be amongst the guests to have been invited by Her Majesty and she attended the event representing the British & International Federation of Festivals. Also present at the event were The Duke of York and Princess Beatrice, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and The Duke of Kent.
The reception was the first event to be held at Buckingham Palace since the Royal Wedding which had taken place ten days earlier. On arriving at The Palace guests attended a drinks reception and then following this, each guest was presented to Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh in the White Drawing Room. Guests then moved to The Palace Ballroom to view a performance inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, produced by English National Ballet & Dramatico Entertainment, which was introduced by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
The evening recognised the achievements of Young People in the Performing Arts and those that support them. The reception was also attended by guests including Dame Helen Mirren, Kevin Spacey CBE, Jools Holland OBE, Sheila Hancock CBE and singer Duffy and Michael McIntyre.
BBC LONDON RADIO SESSION TO HALF A MILLION LISTENERS WITH LEAD SINGER IAN PROWSE FROM AMSTERDAM
BELOW EIMEAR PERFORMING ON CBBC TV WITH 'JUGGLING ON TAP' TRIO ON 'THE SLAMMER'
NEW VIDEO PERFORMING AT IRISH SEA SESSIONS CONCERT IN LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL
SIR JAMES GALWAY INTERNATIONAL FLUTE FESTIVAL, SWITZERLAND
Photographer: Frits van der Deen
TELEGRAPH REVIEW - AUGUST 2012 - Lunchtime concert, Clandeboye Festival - 15th August 2012
The fast-developing talents of Craigavon-born flautist Eimear McGeown, a former Clandeboye Young Musician of the Year now based in London, took centre-stage at the third and final lunchtime concert of this year’s festival. McGeown played an agreeably varied programme, launched by a chirpy performance of Mercadante’s E minor Flute Quartet. Her chirruping trills in the opening Allegro maestoso, the bird-like clarity of her legato in the shapely Largo, and the rhythmic snap of the Rondo Russo finale, cast mood-brightening rays of musical sunshine across a Clandeboye chapel mired in miserable August weather. Two solo pieces followed, both of a more contemplative nature. In selections from Marin Marais’s Les folies d’Espagne McGeown gently probed the languid melancholia implicit in the melodic writing, while in Debussy’s Syrinx the poise and elegance of her playing, bright-toned with minimal vibrato, were particularly striking. McGeown is also a highly gifted exponent of Irish traditional music, and was joined by guitarist Jonathan Toman for four assorted sets of slip-jigs, reels and hornpipes, including a couple of her own excellent compositions. McGeown’s flair and fluidity on the traditional instruments she used was invigorating, and her deeply-felt performance of a keening solo “Lament” was arguably the most memorable moment of the entire recital. Northern Ireland has, in Sir James Galway, already given one outstanding flautist to the world of music. Eimear McGeown is well on her way to being another.
Terry Blain
ST. MARTIN IN THE FIELD'S RECITAL REVIEW (April 09)
The lunchtime recital promoted by the Concordia Foundation Series at St Martin-in-the-Fields on April 20 was given by the outstanding young Ulster-born flautist Eimear McGeown with Alexsander Szram pianist. The programme unusually for such a venue and time, concentrated upon modern works, in which Katherine Hoover’s Kokopeli for solo flute and Mel Bonis’s Sonata for flute and piano made very strong impressions – particularly the Scherzo of the latter work, a reminiscence, perhaps, of the Scherzo from Mendelssohn’s Midsummernight’s Dream music. Both were quite brilliantly played, and the recital ended with the premiere of a new version of Dave Heath’s Home from the Storm for flute and piano, a most lyrical and melodically attractive short study. This was preceded by a traditional Irish reel, played on a traditional Irish flute; the programme began with JS Bach’s Sonata in E minor, most musically and intelligently phrased by these very gifted artists.
Robert Matthew-Walker
Reviewed for 'Classical Music Opinion' - Britains Oldest Classical Music Magazine
CHELMSFORD RECITAL REVIEW (23rd March 09)
Flautist Eimear McGeown was born in Northern Ireland, as was the composer of her first piece, Hamilton Harty's elegiac, energetic “In Ireland”, which finished with a joyful jig.
The talented and versatile musician showed her classical credentials with a Fauré test piece and a favourite Bach Sonata.
But most of this recital was devoted to traditional forms and new music, including the première of a Romance by Jeffery Wilson, butterfly flute darting around above the wind-stirred foliage of the piano accompaniment [Aleksander Szram].
Canadian composer Katherine Hoover evoked the wide open spaces in her Kokopeli, influenced by Native American music, and ending with a dying diminuendo, beautifully controlled. Ian Clarke's Hypnosis was predictably soporific, with a minimalist piano part, while his ingenious Great Train Race was an exhilarating exploration of the instrument. The Sonata by French pianist/composer Mel Bonis was a varied, constantly engaging piece, with a delicate accompaniment.
Eimear's Irish flute featured in the gentle Give Me Your Hand, and some toe-tapping reels, whilst her two whistles [one in D, one in B flat] were used for a couple of slip jigs and Mahoney's Reel.
The audience rightly demanded more from these two charismatic musicians, and we were rewarded with Phil Coulter's sentimental Home Away from Home.
Michael Gray
The fast-developing talents of Craigavon-born flautist Eimear McGeown, a former Clandeboye Young Musician of the Year now based in London, took centre-stage at the third and final lunchtime concert of this year’s festival. McGeown played an agreeably varied programme, launched by a chirpy performance of Mercadante’s E minor Flute Quartet. Her chirruping trills in the opening Allegro maestoso, the bird-like clarity of her legato in the shapely Largo, and the rhythmic snap of the Rondo Russo finale, cast mood-brightening rays of musical sunshine across a Clandeboye chapel mired in miserable August weather. Two solo pieces followed, both of a more contemplative nature. In selections from Marin Marais’s Les folies d’Espagne McGeown gently probed the languid melancholia implicit in the melodic writing, while in Debussy’s Syrinx the poise and elegance of her playing, bright-toned with minimal vibrato, were particularly striking. McGeown is also a highly gifted exponent of Irish traditional music, and was joined by guitarist Jonathan Toman for four assorted sets of slip-jigs, reels and hornpipes, including a couple of her own excellent compositions. McGeown’s flair and fluidity on the traditional instruments she used was invigorating, and her deeply-felt performance of a keening solo “Lament” was arguably the most memorable moment of the entire recital. Northern Ireland has, in Sir James Galway, already given one outstanding flautist to the world of music. Eimear McGeown is well on her way to being another.
Terry Blain
ST. MARTIN IN THE FIELD'S RECITAL REVIEW (April 09)
The lunchtime recital promoted by the Concordia Foundation Series at St Martin-in-the-Fields on April 20 was given by the outstanding young Ulster-born flautist Eimear McGeown with Alexsander Szram pianist. The programme unusually for such a venue and time, concentrated upon modern works, in which Katherine Hoover’s Kokopeli for solo flute and Mel Bonis’s Sonata for flute and piano made very strong impressions – particularly the Scherzo of the latter work, a reminiscence, perhaps, of the Scherzo from Mendelssohn’s Midsummernight’s Dream music. Both were quite brilliantly played, and the recital ended with the premiere of a new version of Dave Heath’s Home from the Storm for flute and piano, a most lyrical and melodically attractive short study. This was preceded by a traditional Irish reel, played on a traditional Irish flute; the programme began with JS Bach’s Sonata in E minor, most musically and intelligently phrased by these very gifted artists.
Robert Matthew-Walker
Reviewed for 'Classical Music Opinion' - Britains Oldest Classical Music Magazine
CHELMSFORD RECITAL REVIEW (23rd March 09)
Flautist Eimear McGeown was born in Northern Ireland, as was the composer of her first piece, Hamilton Harty's elegiac, energetic “In Ireland”, which finished with a joyful jig.
The talented and versatile musician showed her classical credentials with a Fauré test piece and a favourite Bach Sonata.
But most of this recital was devoted to traditional forms and new music, including the première of a Romance by Jeffery Wilson, butterfly flute darting around above the wind-stirred foliage of the piano accompaniment [Aleksander Szram].
Canadian composer Katherine Hoover evoked the wide open spaces in her Kokopeli, influenced by Native American music, and ending with a dying diminuendo, beautifully controlled. Ian Clarke's Hypnosis was predictably soporific, with a minimalist piano part, while his ingenious Great Train Race was an exhilarating exploration of the instrument. The Sonata by French pianist/composer Mel Bonis was a varied, constantly engaging piece, with a delicate accompaniment.
Eimear's Irish flute featured in the gentle Give Me Your Hand, and some toe-tapping reels, whilst her two whistles [one in D, one in B flat] were used for a couple of slip jigs and Mahoney's Reel.
The audience rightly demanded more from these two charismatic musicians, and we were rewarded with Phil Coulter's sentimental Home Away from Home.
Michael Gray