Designed for piano teachers and educators preparing students for RIAM exams, this year’s KEY SKILLS workshops will introduce the new 2027 piano albums for Lower and Higher Grades, launching the next four-year exam cycle from 2027 to 2030.
Led by Professor Réamonn Keary and RIAM Exams Chief Examiner Lorna Horan, each workshop combines live performance, detailed teaching guidance, and practical strategies to support students in developing confident, expressive performances. From technical challenges to musical interpretation, Key Skills 2026 offers expert insight grounded in years of experience in piano pedagogy and assessment.
Join us this August in Thurles, Galway or Dublin, or access the REPLAY option online from September.
See available options at the link in bio
Join us this July in the Whyte Recital Hall for a week of discovery, creativity, and shared musical experiences.
Exploring the Orchestra is RIAM’s neurodivergent-friendly summer camp series, created to give children and adults a welcoming, sensory-safe introduction to the world of live music and brass instruments. Supported by @matheson_law , this free interactive programme invites participants to explore, listen, ask questions, and experience music-making in a relaxed and inclusive environment.
Covering all four families of the orchestra, every part of the experience is designed with care, curiosity, and accessibility at its heart. Participants can engage with music in their own way, at their own pace, supported by RIAM musicians and educators throughout.
Book your spot now at the link in bio. Early booking is advised as places are limited.
Huge thanks to the Music Capital Scheme, helping us to improve access to larger, less commonly played and more expensive instruments, including those needed by incoming scholarship students taking part in RIAM Performing Groups. By helping to remove one of the main barriers to participation, this support creates greater opportunities for students to learn, grow, and perform at the highest level.
Thank you to the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and Music Network for making this possible.
@musnetirl@deptculturecommssport
Tomorrow evening, the @irishchamberorchestra returns to the Whyte Recital Hall for an evening of brilliance, wit, and bold musical storytelling.
Directed by acclaimed violinist Carolin Widmann, Brothers Haydn brings together the sparkling energy of Michael Haydn, the elegance of Joseph Haydn’s Violin Concerto No. 4, and the unforgettable drama of the “Farewell” Symphony.
From playful exchanges to moments of striking emotional depth, this programme reveals the many shades of the Classical era through performances full of colour, character, and connection.
Tickets available at link in bio
Congratulations to our newest Doctor in Music Performance, Róisín O’Grady, who was awarded her DMusPerf degree at Trinity College Dublin recently.
A soprano specialising in early music, Róisín has performed widely in recital, oratorio and ensemble work across Ireland, the UK and beyond, with artists and organisations including the National Chamber Choir of Ireland, the Irish Baroque Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
At RIAM, Róisín completed her doctoral studies under the supervision of Dr Denise Neary and Lynda Lee. We warmly congratulate Róisín on this wonderful achievement.
Here at RIAM, we believe every musician deserves a space to explore, listen and belong.
This July, Exploring the Orchestra returns, a neurodivergent-friendly music camp designed with care, curiosity and inclusion at its core.
Taking place in the Whyte Recital Hall, this free programme invites participants into a calm, sensory-aware environment where they can experience music on their own terms.
This is music-making without barriers. A space where sound, touch and imagination open the door to new experiences, and where every response to music is valid.
Places are free, thanks to the support of @matheson_law . Early booking is essential. Join us and discover what happens when access, artistry and care come together.
Book Now at the link in bio
Congratulations to the winners of two composition prizes awarded as part of New Works by RIAM Composers at ChamberFest Dublin 2026.
The Ina Boyle Composition Prize for best original work was awarded to Sofia Féria for Sombra, performed by RIAM Percussion Ensemble, Kaihui Zhou, Yubing Zhang and Yunan Ling.
The ChamberFest Dublin New Music Prize for best performance of a new work by an RIAM student composer was awarded to Féinics Quartet, Iulia Florescu, violin, Rohan Harron, violin, Jeannette Bogado, viola, and Anna Varga, cello, for their performance of Rohan Harron’s The Veil is Thin, Scatter the May-Flowers.
The Ina Boyle Composition Prize celebrates collaboration between RIAM composers and RIAM chamber musicians, supporting new music, original creative voices and outstanding performance.
Congratulations to Sofia, Rohan, Féinics Quartet, RIAM Percussion Ensemble and all of the student composers and performers who presented new work as part of this year’s ChamberFest Dublin.
RIAM is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Seamus Fitzgibbon, a member of our Adult Division Orchestra, where he played flute since January.
Though his time with us was far too short, Seamus quickly became a valued part of the Adult Division. He will be warmly remembered and missed by his fellow orchestra musicians, and by all those who had the pleasure of playing alongside him at RIAM and in the many ensembles of which he was part.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to Seamus’s family, friends, and all who knew him through the wider musical community.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
Warm congratulations to Professor Denise Neary on her appointment as President-Elect of the Society for Musicology in Ireland for 2027 to 2030.
Denise brings extensive leadership experience to the role, having served on five previous SMI Councils, including two terms as Treasurer. At RIAM, she leads doctoral studies and supports emerging researchers, helping to shape a vibrant research culture.
This appointment is a wonderful recognition of Denise’s contribution to musicology across Ireland and of the leadership she will bring to the Society’s next chapter.
Read more on our website.
In St Carthage’s Cathedral - Irish Writers’ Series: Samuel Beckett
With Gemma Ní Bhriain, Benjamin Russell, Barry McGovern and the Féinics Quartet 🎶 Curated by Kathleen Tynan
In partnership with the Royal Irish Academy of Music, this recital brings together poetry and music, performed by students and alumni.
Honouring Samuel Beckett, the programme draws on a body of work shaped by precision and restraint. His writing - often spare, darkly humorous, and exacting - continues to influence theatre and literature.
📅 Saturday 30 May, 12pm
📍 St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore, Co. Waterford
🎟️ Tickets €30 - blackwatervalleyopera.ie 🎶
Limited concessions available. T&Cs apply.
Daytime recitals continue across the week, alongside Irish Salon Opera Series: The Deserted Village and the RDS Collins Memorial Recital.
🌛 After dark - Acis and Galatea with the Irish Baroque Orchestra
#BVOF2026 #BVOFRecitals #SamuelBeckett #IrishWriters #StCarthagesCathedral #VisitWaterford #IrelandAncientEast #LiveMusicIreland
@riamdublin@trinitycollegedublin@visit_waterford@dungarvanchamber@waterfordcc@corkchamber@artscouncilireland
It has been an inspiring few weeks for some of our woodwind students, with opportunities to learn from two world-leading clarinettists.
Last week, we welcomed James Burke, Principal Clarinet of the Royal Opera House, London. This week, we are delighted to welcome Carlos Ferreira, Principal Clarinet of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, ahead of his solo performance with National Symphony Orchestra Ireland tonight!
Well done to all who took part!
ChamberFest Dublin's seventh edition begins this Monday, bringing together over 50 chamber music groups for two weeks of performance, collaboration and shared learning at RIAM.
From large-scale artistic projects inspired by Samuel Beckett’s What Is the Word to a rich programme of concerts, masterclasses and lecture-performances, the festival offers audiences and performers a space to explore the depth and diversity of chamber music.
Highlights include Bach in 3D: The Art of Fugue, featuring Head of Keyboard Peter Tuite’s spatial sound installation and the Quartelab. What Is the Word Finale on Saturday 2 May featuring Beckett’s What Is the Word, performed by acclaimed Beckett interpreter Barry McGovern, alongside Barry Guy’s striking setting for string quartet and finishing with Gustav Mahler’s arrangement for string orchestra of Beethoven String Quartet, Op. 95 ‘Serioso’.
ChamberFest Dublin is rooted in RIAM’s commitment to providing meaningful, high-quality performance experiences for students. At its core is the belief that the process of preparation – rehearsal, collaboration, and mentorship – is as significant as the performance itself. It is this spirit of shared learning and artistic discovery that defines the festival, which we open-heartedly share with our audiences.
Join us as ChamberFest Dublin 2026 gets underway.
