Musical Director &
Piano Teacher
Finola Higgins-Cosgrove
Finola Higgins-
Cosgrove has an honours degree in music from NUI Maynooth and 17 years experience of teaching individuals and groups. She has taught music at primary and secondary school level throughout Mayo and is Musical Director of the award winning
Cill Aodáin Choral Society and Youth Choir. She has successfully completed the advance conducting course under the guidance of the renowned conductor David Brophy.
As an accomplished choir conductor Finola's choirs have accompanied
Tommy Fleming, Sean Ruane , Liam Lawton, Michael English, Rebecca
Storm, Sean Keane, Dana and also featured twice on the Late Late Show.
Finola has a particular love for the piano and several of her students have been awarded with Permanent TSB High Achiever Awards. Finola teaches piano from beginner to diploma level.
Finola is the current Musical Director of Ballinrobe Musical Society and also the Co-ordinator of the Kiltimagh Choral Festival.
Finola is from Kiltimagh and is the daughter of Helen and the late Tom Higgins.
Piano Teachers
Avril Forde-McGreal
Avril Forde McGreal is a qualified Piano Teacher and holds a Teaching Diploma from the London College of Music. Avril has been teaching piano for twenty years, initially employed at Ballyhaunis Community School and subsequently in a private capacity. She is married to Ray McGreal and has two children. She is from Kiltimagh and is well known locally and comes from a musical family. She is the daughter of Angela Forde and the late Raymond Forde a well known tenor and principal of Bekan National School.
She dedicates herself to a high quality of piano tuition and has enjoyed success with her students with the Permanent TSB High Achiever Awards/Royal Irish Academy Music. She prides herself on encouraging her students to achieve a competitive level but also to appreciate the wonder and joy of every aspect of music.
Brent Parker
Brent Parker is a New Zealand-born composer and pianist who has lived in Ireland for more than 40 years. He taught at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin until he moved to Achill Island in 1998.
Brent has composed many works and performed both of his own piano concertos with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra. His second piano concerto with himself as soloist was broadcast on RTE Radio. Classical guitarist John Feeley commissioned him to write a guitar concertino, which was performed on CD and on video for TV3 in France. It is frequently broadcast on RTE Radio.
Brent is a member of the Association of Irish Composers, the Contemporary Music Society and an associate member of IMRO. His work for solo piano ‘Lorca’s Last Walk’ has been included on the Grade 7 Syllabus of the RIAM for piano 2003-2008. .
His Handbook for Music Students can be found on www.musiclearning.net
Ausra Kvietkute
Ausra Kvietkute was born in Lithuania. She is qualified teacher and has master’s degree in music.
Ausra has over 10 years teaching experience.
Since 1996 she has been teaching piano and voice training different age groups and individuals in B.Balakauskiene’s music school in Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Ausra has also taught piano & voice for several years in primary schools in “Gilija” and “Litorina”
Ausra finds teaching very enjoyable, as she loves singing and playing piano herself. She was involved in choirs and orchestras since her early years in Lithuania (Klaipeda’s University , “Cantare”, “Aukuras”). Ausra's others talents are that she can speak Lithuanian, Russian, English and German.
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Woodwind Teacher
Robert Solyom
Robert has over 20 years of experience in the field of music education, teaching in such prestigious schools as the
Kiss Zenede Art School, 13th District State Music School and State Music School of Dorog. During this time he has taught clarinet, saxophone, flute, music theory, music history and chamber music to students of all age groups.
Many of Roberts talented students have become professional musicians, Being a musician endorsing the Kodály method, he has always looked to provide students with a knowledge of music, both at theoretical and practical levels.
Robert teaches his students in an interactive way to attain a love and appreciation of music, and about the psychology of successful performances at music competitions.
Roberts impressive education and training is as follows:
Eötvös Loránd University,
Budapest, Hungary
Post Graduate Diplomain
Cultural Management.
Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music
MA – Clarinet artist and teacher
Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music
BA – Woodwind teacher
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Violin Teacher
Iain King - ARCM AGSM
Iain King was born in scotland. He began to play the violin at the age of seven. He displayed a rare musical talent and, while still a child, was invited to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, an offer he took up after first completing his school education.
He won all the violin and chamber music prizes on offer at the Guildhall, along with winning the prestigious Gold Medal. He continued his studies in Germany with Igor Ozim and the legendary Amadeus Quartet.
On his return to England, Iain was appointed First Violin in the Philharmonic Orchestra followed by Assistant Leader of the English Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared as a Guest Leader with many European orchestras. He has appeared as a soloist in over a dozen countries as well as broadcasting on both radio and TV. In addition to his classical career, Iain has worked on over six hundred commercial recordings, including film and TV soundtracks and pop recordings.
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Voice Teacher
Margaret Probyn
Margaret has taught voice for 20 years. She has sung in master class at Dartington and she was asked to become the resident singing teacher and vocal coach for Stage Plus School of Performing Arts based in Princes Risborough. One of her more intriguing engagements – was singing the hallelujah chorus as a solo in the Falklands where she performed the Last Night of the Proms for the troops, the Falkland Islanders and in front of the Governor. She joined the teaching staff of the Berkshire maestros and trained 3 of their localised choirs and taught over 100 pupils in schools in the county. She also trained a junior choir for Oxfordshire county music and trained pupils with ivory music. More recently she has trained a junior choir in aras inis gluaire, belmullet.
Margaret has worked with pupil with an age range of 5 – 70. She has trained pupils for auditions, festivals and prepared them for ABRSM exams and GCSE Music and Music “A” level.
She has taught children and adults with speech defects and vocal breaks and also people who could be described as “no-hopers”. She is firmly of the belief that with very few exceptions anyone can learn to sing better than they or their friends and family might have thought possible. She believes in the sheer joy and magic that the physical and artistic involvement in singing can bring.
As a teacher she is able to offer her performing & linguistic skills (French, German, Dutch, Italian) and an extensive knowledge of repertoire to support her pupils.
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Drum Teacher
Shawn Heneghan
Shawn began playing drums at the age of 12 and since then has hardly put the drum sticks down. Shawn was taught by Cormac Dunne (Drummer with the Stunning for those who do not know!). He has been teaching Drums since 2005 in a Galway Music School. Two years ago he joined a band called "Vinyl Rock" who is well known on the Galway music scene. And just to add to his many talents he is also a keen DJ.