Our Teachers
Brian Davies - Guitar, Songwriting, Music Technology.
Brian Davies is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, composer and arranger, based in Clare.
After graduating with a BA (Hons) in Popular Music at Cork School of Music in 2016 he set up a music company called Tower Street Music to promote and showcase some of the finest upcoming talents of Cork City.
As a singer/ songwriter he has composed and arranged over 100 original works and has over 10 years of experience performing at festivals and venues throughout Ireland and Denmark. After headlining the Doolin Folk Festival in 2019 with his band "The Davies Brothers", he has been working on their first album (due for release in 2022).
Donal McHugh - Piano, Drums, Music theory.
Donal McHugh is a pianist currently based in Clare. In 2014 he received his undergraduate Honours Bachelor of Music degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He then remained in Glasgow becoming active in the music scene there – performing, accompanying and teaching. He has now returned to Clare and is currently studying a Masters in Music at the Cork School of Music. During his time in Glasgow, he became a keen player in a number of jazz big bands as well as performing regular classical concerts around the city. Donal has taken part in seminars on Grieg’s music a number of times in Bergen, Norway (most recently Autumn 2017). This included the opportunity to perform on Grieg’s own piano in Troldhaugen. He was part of Enterprise music Scotland’s Creative Exchange in 2015. In 2016 he led the piano course in Summer Music on the Shannon, Ireland, which also involved numerous performances. Donal is also experienced in composing and improvising.
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Séverine Pigot- Violin, Viola, String Quartet
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Séverine Pigot studied the violin from an early age in France. After being awarded a First Prize in violin in 2009 and studying Musicology for three years at Bordeaux University, she then completed a Master's Degree of Research in Sciences of Education in 2012, specializing in music teaching. In parallel with her academic studies, she played in several symphonic orchestras and chamber music groups as a violist and violinist, and in 2009 she started teaching the violin, viola and music theory in music schools near Bordeaux.
She moved to County Clare in 2015, where she now teaches the violin, writes her own music and songs, and plays the viola (acoustic and electric) in local bands such as Violvetine and The Secret Chord Wedding Band.
Joanne Ward - Fiddle
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Joanne is a traditional musician and educator. Born in the UK of Irish parentage, she
travelled to her father’s birthplace of Limerick in 2003 where she completed an MA in Traditional Music Performance at the Irish World Music Academy. She has since settled in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare. Joanne was introduced to the fiddle by her father, Joseph, whose family are from Caherline in East Limerick. She cites her paternal grandfather, a well-loved local musician 'The Bevan Ward', as a great inspiration and influence on her musical career. The inspiration Joanne found in Limerick coupled with master classes from Dublin Fiddler Caoimhin O’Raghallaigh encouraged her to study the hidden areas of style and form in traditional music and to look at music in a completely new
way.
Joanne works with renowned Sean-nos Dancer Maldon Meehan in the duo ‘Kick the Fiddle’.
www.Seannosdance.com and was the founder of ‘Limerick Fiddle Workshop’.
Aine O'Donoghue - Concertina
Áine O’Donoghue
A musician from Kilfenora. Growing up surrounded by music, she began playing concertina at the age of 6. Áine Participated in many fleadh cheoils growing up and has previous experience teaching traditional music. She plays regularly in the north Clare area.