NORTH
DUBLIN
OPERA
Introducing the Cast
Linda is a graduate of UCC and divides her time between working as a freelance composer and soprano as well as teaching in various schools around Dublin.
She studied composition under the Crash Ensemble’s John Godfrey and Jefferey Weeter and is currently pursuing further studies in opera under mezzo soprano Jennifer Hamilton.
Operatic roles include: Euridice in Gluck’s Orfeo and Suor Dolcina/ La Novizia in Suor Angelica with the New London Opera Players, Maria in Donietti’s Maria Stuarda (Scenes) with Yorke Trust Opera, The Sandman/ Dew Fairy in North Dublin Opera’s Hansel and Gretel and, most recently, she covered the role of Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Linda is very excited to be singing her first Queen of the Night with North Dublin Opera.
Linda was shortlisted for the Aloys Fleischmann prize for composition and has participated in masterclasses with internationally renowned composer Steve Reich and the Vanbrugh String Quartet. She has composed for a number of successful productions to date including Love Wrong Love (But Love Nonetheless), The New Theatre (2013), Franken 20, Boys' School, Smock Alley Theatre ( 2014), A Storm in Swords, Players Theatre ( 2014), Tingo, Smock Alley ( 2015) and, most recently, Aisling’s Seven, Theatre Upstairs (2016). She also composes regularly for the Whitechurch Junior Church Choir, which she conducts along with several other choirs in conjunction with ‘Music Matters’. She is currently working on two new compositional projects with Underdog Theatre Company, to be staged in early 2017.
The Queen of the Night Linda Walsh
Book now to hear Linda play the role of the Queen in The Mill Theatre Dundrum
Papageno Tim Shaffery
Tim completed the BA course in RIAM, studying with Owen Gilhooly and Dearbhla Collins in June, having spent three years on the undergraduate course in the Conservatory of Music in the DIT.
With DIT he performed the roles of Cascada in ‘The Merry Widow’ and Mercurio in ‘L’incoronazione di Poppea’, as well as taking part in opera scenes where he played the role of Baron Zeta in ‘The Merry Widow’ (Feis Ceoil 2014) and Lepporello in ‘Don Giovanni’ (John Field Room, NCH 2015). He has played the roles of Speaker and Armed Guard ‘Die Zauberflöte’ with RIAM, Bob in ‘The Old Maid and the Thief ‘and Michael ‘In the Shadow of the Glen’ with Opera Castallia. He sang the part of The Imperial Commissioner in RTE concert orchestra’s performance of ‘Madame Butterfly’ in May.
Outside of college Tim has been part of choruses with opera companies such as Wide Open Opera: ‘Tristan und Isolde’; and ‘Nixon in China’. For Lyric Opera he has been part of the chorus in ‘Il Trovatore’ ;’The Mikado’ ;’HMS Pinafore’ as well as playing the Guard in the 2014 Lyric production of ‘La Boheme’.
Tim has won competitions in DIT and Feis Ceoil and received a bursary from the Count John McCormack society in 2014.
He will join the chorus of Northern Ireland Opera in November for their production of Don Giovanni.
Book now to hear Tim play the role of Papageno in The Mill Theatre Dundrum
Pamina Elaine McDaid
Book now to hear Elaine play the role of Pamina in The Mill Theatre Dundrum
Elaine McDaid is a recent graduate of DIT's Master of Music Performance in Vocal Studies, which she completed under the guidance of Sinead Campbell-Wallace and Aoife O'Sullivan. Elaine has performed with various opera and theatre companies in Ireland, including Northern Ireland Opera, RTE Concert Orchestra Chorus, DIT Opera Ensemble, DU Players and the Millennium Forum Youth Theatre Group. This production of Mozart's Magic Flute marks her role début as Pamina, and company début with North Dublin Opera Company.
Stay tuned for our next introduction...
Three Ladies Catrina Scullion, Bríd Ní Ghruagáin, Clare McEvoy
Book now to hear The Three Ladies sing in The Mill Theatre Dundrum
Catrina Scullion
Catrina is an accomplished and versatile soprano. Originally from Northern Ireland, Catrina holds a Masters in Vocal Performance from Dublin’s Conservatory of Music and Drama (D.I.T.) and an Honours Degree in Music from U.C.D.
A sought after concert soloist, Catrina has performed in such diverse venues from the RDS Concert Hall and NCH John Field room to Electric Picnic, performing Opera on the Body and Soul stage to the Speigeltent, singing Gershwin. As a guest soloist she has featured with choral societies such as the Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir and Ballymena Seven Towers Male Voice Choir and instrumental groups such as Young Dublin Symphonia and Naas Youth Orchestra and with artists such as Liam Lawton. She also features as a regular soloist at high profile corporate events.
Catrina has enjoyed numerous performances in the Operatic sphere. As a professional chorus member for Anna Livia Opera and Opera Ireland, she performed in productions of Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, Les Pecheurs des Perls, Romeo et Juliette and Macbeth in The National Concert Hall and Gaeity Theatre. Recent solo engagements include the roles of Belinda in North Dublin Opera’s Dido and Aeneas, ‘Puccini in concert’, featuring excerpts of Puccini roles including Mimi (La Boheme), Magda (La Rondine), Cio Cio San (Madame Butterfly) and Tosca (also for North Dubln Opera) and the role of The Plaintiff/Angelina in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Trial by Jury” for Clifden Arts Festival. She is delighted to be returning to North Dublin Opera with the role of 1st Lady in Mozart’s the Magic Flute this Autumn.
Oratorio/ Sacred solo work includes Messiah (excerpts), Faure Requiem, Mozart Spatzen Messe, Mendelssohn Hear my Prayer. In 2012 Catrina was featured as both a vocal soloist and as an instrumentalist (flute) on RTE's high profile coverage of the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.
Catrina has toured extensively with her singing; In 2008, as a member of the choir with the acclaimed PBS show Celtic Woman, Catrina performed in prestigious venues such as Radio City Music Hall (New York) and the Greek Theatre (Los Angeles) during a 14 week tour of the United States. From 2003 until 2007 Catrina performed as a soloist with Michael McGlynn's dynamic Irish choral Group, Anúna. With them she has toured the UK, Germany and Holland in addition to headlining Newfoundland's Festival 500 in July 2007.
Bríd Ní Ghruagáin
Bríd made her UK Opera début this May with the role of ‘Leah’ in the world premiere of Long Story Short: the Belfast Opera by Neil Martin and Glenn Patterson. In Italy in 2015, she sang ‘Zita’ in Gianni Schicchi and ‘Die Hexe’ in Hänsel und Gretel, returning to North Dublin Opera to play both ‘Witch’ and ‘Mother in the English version of H&G last Autumn. She covered the role of ‘Nancy Tang’ in Wide Open Opera’s Nixon in China, and book-ended centenary celebrations for Benjamin Britten as ‘Mrs. Grose’ in The Turn of the Screw and ‘Mrs. Noye’ in Noye’s Fludde. Bríd has sung chorus for NI Opera, Wide Open Opera & the RTÉ Concert Orchestra Opera Chorus and most recently in the Kilkenny Arts Festival for their concert performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo.
Guest soloist for Dublin Bach Singers & Dún Laoghaire Choral Society among others, Bríd premiered the soprano solo in Colm Ó Foghlú’s RTÉ commission Aifreann na nAingeal, collaborating with him again prviding libretto for another RTÉ commission Oratóir na Nollag which will be performed in the National Concert Hall this coming November.
A graduate of the DIT M. Mus (Performance) under Toni Walsh & Mary Scarlett, Bríd currently studies with countertenor Stephen Wallace and soprano Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet. She has been accepted to English National Opera’s 2016-17 Opera Works scheme and will be training in London from October 2016.
Clare McEvoy
Newry born, Mezzo-Soprano and Conductor, Clare McEvoy is a graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast, where she completed her BMus and MA Degrees. In 2010 Clare was awarded the International Kodály Scholarship, which enabled her to study Voice and Choral Conducting at the Kodály Institute, of the Liszt Academy of Music, Hungary. A post-graduate Scholarship from the Balassi Institute, Hungary, enabled her to continue her studies from 2011-2012. Clare is recently completed a Masters of Performance Degree (Voice) at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama.
As a Choral Conductor, Clare has worked with the choirs of St. Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast, and St. Patrick’s College, DCU. Between 2012 and 2015 Clare worked as a choral Practitioner with Music Generation Louth, directed the ‘Let’s Sing’ Choral programmes for schools in Co. Louth. As a Singer, Clare regularly performs with the RTE Chamber Chorus under the Baton of John Wilson, and recently took part in the RTE Concert Orchestra’s performance of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly in the NCH. Over the past year, Clare has also performed in Puccini’s Turandot with NI Opera, performed the role of La Frugola in Puccini’s Il Tabarro with Dublin Opera Studio, and will perform of the Third Lady in Mozart’s Magic Flute with North Dublin Opera.
Tamino Rachael Hanaphy-Pigott
Book now to hear Rachael play the role of Tamino in The Mill Theatre Dundrum
Rachael is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music and Drama, DIT and Trinity College London. The Magic Flute is Rachael's debut with North Dublin Opera. She has been a member of The Cork Operatic Society, The Veronica McCarron Ensemble, Anúna, The Voice Effect and the Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir along with performing as a soloist at concerts and weddings since 2003. She was the recipient of awards including the Mary O'Shea Perpetual Trophy and Bursary, The Catherine Byrne Performance Award and gold, silver and bronze performance medals in the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Stage and film credits include Theatre Lovett's The True Story of Hansel and Gretel (Riverbank/Smock Alley- Dublin Theatre Festival), Captive, Always and Again (The Steambox), Orpheus (The Everyman),Spindle (Big House Festival), Mr Bureaucracy, Senior Infants, a:Volution (Curtis Auditorium), Pagliacci (The Everyman), The Arabian Nights (Project Arts Centre) and Macbeth (Loretto Abbey). While also working in education and as a freelance director, Rachael is also a published writer and has studied NLP and Psychology and Irish Sign Language.
Papagena Clodagh Brennan
Book now to hear Clodagh play the role of Papagena in The Mill Theatre Dundrum
Clodagh Brennan in a final year music student studying voice with Stephen Wallace and repetiteur Aoife O Sullivan in DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. Clodagh has been a member of the DIT choral society, performances included Handel’s Messiah and Vivaldi’s Gloria. She has also been a member of DIT chamber choir for, performances include Christmas concerts in the national concert hall and an appearance of ‘Carols from Dublin Castle’ with RTE. She have been involved in several operas. She appeared as First Genie in The Magic Flute, Chorus for Dido and Aneas, and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, all with North Dublin Opera. She appeared in one of DIT’s ‘Scenes and Songs of seasonal enchantments’ concert in the Hugh Lane Gallery at Christmas and was part of the chorus for the Marriage of Figaro with DIT. She was also a soloist for performances of Odhran o casaide’s Marbhna 1916.
