Our Tutors

Our Tutors

Our Tutors

Carla Vedres, Strings Tutor

Carla studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and at the Franz List Academy, Budapest. She studied Baroque viola as a second study and on returning to Dublin worked with the Irish Baroque Orchestra which she went on to manage. Carla set up her own small chamber orchestra called the Irish Choral Sinfonia who travel the country to perform with various choral Societies such as the Kilkenny Choral Society, Carlow Choral Society, The Maynooth Choir and from America The Berkshire Choral Festival Singers. She enjoys working with children and sharing her love of chamber music and performance and she currently teaches in three schools in Dublin and tutors with the Dublin Youth Orchestra. She performs regularly with the RTÉ Concert orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra. She is a frequent visitor to the Windmill Lane recording studios and has recorded albums with many contemporary Irish artists including the Corrs, Celtic Woman, Celtic Tenors and recorded film music for the Mask, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, and The Eclipse.

Lucy Champion, Choral Conductor and Arranger

Lucy Champion was born in Worcestershire, England. She graduated from the London College of Music in 1987 with a graduate honours degree, specialising in acoustics and sound recording. Upon leaving college she remained in London, working as a professional singer, piano and singing teacher and radio presenter. From 1988-1989 Lucy was the assistant to the Promotions Manager for Universal Edition in London and from 1989-1991 she was the personal assistant to the Chief Executive and Chairman of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1991 Lucy moved to the Wren Orchestra as the Administrator where she established an education programme. In 1993 she moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to take up the role of Concerts and Events Manager for the Ulster Orchestra, where she was responsible for the programming and booking of artists and conductors. She also was responsible for overseeing the highly active Education Department. She remained at the Ulster Orchestra for five years. In 1998 Lucy was appointed as Education and Community Outreach Manager at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland, a post she held for ten years. In 2008 Lucy left the National Concert Hall in order to pursue more freelance activities. Since then she has been working as a choral workshop facilitator, choral conductor, vocal coach, piano and general musicianship teacher. She is currently completing her training as an Alexander Technique practitioner. Lucy is the Education Co-Ordinator for ANÚNA, and co-curator of the highly successful ANÚNA International Choral Summer School, now in its seventh year. Lucy is a professional singer, contributing her voice to sessions and concerts all over the world. She sang solo on the soundtrack of “Diablo III” (Blizzard Games 2013) and in 2018 was featured on the album “Xenogears : Original Soundtrack Revival Disc - The First and the Last”. Autumn 2019 marked the release of her first solo album which features the voices of ANÚNA. Lucy lives in Dublin with her family

Martin Johnson, Cello Tutor

Martin studied Cello at the Royal College of Music, London. In 2000, he joined the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and moved to Dublin, where he was subsequently appointed Section Leader. More recently, he was also invited to become a lifetime member of the World Philharmonic Orchestra. Martin made his Irish debut as a soloist with the RTÉ NSO, performing Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 1. Since then, Martin has made more than a dozen broadcasts as a concerto soloist with the Orchestra – including two World Premieres and several Irish Premiere performances, all at the National Concert Hall, Dublin. His recording of Frank Corcoran’s Cello Concerto was produced by the LyricFm Label (alongside other solo cello and chamber works by Frank Corcoran.) It was released in June 2017 to critical acclaim. Recent events have included several performances of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, Richard Strauss’s incredible Romanze in F major for Cello and Orchestra as well as Enniskerry Composer, Ina Boyle’s, “Psalm and Elegy” with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra at the NCH in January 2020. Martin is supported by Music Network’s Music Capital Scheme, funded by The Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Ireland. Music Network is funded by The Arts Council, Ireland.

Peter Ryan, Brass and Wind Tutor, Conductor and Arranger

Peter Ryan comes from Dublin, where he studied piano from a young age with Peter Dains and French Horn with Ian Dakin. Peter achieved his BMus at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and has performed in all major venues in Ireland, as well as venues throughout the UK, Norway, Italy, France, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, China and UAE. He has played and worked with the European Union Youth Orchestra, Irish National Opera, Wexford Festival Opera Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, where he had a temporary contract on 2nd horn before moving to Norway to complete his Masters at the Grieg Academy in Bergen, under the mentorship of Ilene Chanon, in 2021. In addition to performing, Peter conducts and teaches piano and French Horn while participating in music education outreach programmes to schools. He is passionate about sharing his love of music and performance with the next generation of young musicians.

Julia Gåsvær, Composer and Arranger

Julia Gåsvær is a trumpeter from Norway. At an early age she started music lessons on piano and playing in the local brass band. Her passion for creating new music has always followed her. As a teenager she would write and sing songs and later on she composed for sinfonietta and chamber music for brass. Julia has a bachelor degree in Music Education from The Arctic University of Norway. She has a masters degree in trumpet performance and also studied conducting as part of the course. During her studies she did an Erasmus exchange programme for 2 years at The Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. Now she is currently on contract as a district musician in the town of Førde where she plays for Opera Nordfjord as well as chamber music and solo recitals. As part of her contract she is also the conductor of a youth brass band and teaches high brass for Sunnfjord Kulturskule. Julia is regularly in Ireland and has been freelancing with RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra and Irish National Opera.

Maeve O'Hara, Percussionist, Singer and Music Teacher

Maeve O'Hara is a percussionist, singer and music teacher based in Dublin. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (hons) degree in Music which she gained while studying at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Richard O'Donnell. ​Since graduating in 2010, Maeve has performed, toured and recorded with various musical groups in Ireland including the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the EQ Ensemble, Anúna, Opera Theatre Company and Ensemble ICC. She is also a regular member of the band Ensemble Eriu with whom she won a TG4 Gradam Ceoil Award for Musical Collaboration. Maeve founded a duo with fellow percussionist, Caitriona Frost, and they had their debut concert in the John Field Room at the National Concert Hall in September 2014. She also regularly performs with the Bangers and Crash Percussion Group. As a percussionist and singer, Maeve has performed nationally and internationally including parts of Europe, China, Canada and the USA. She joined the IMO in 2014 as principal mallet percussionist, specialising on marimba and glockenspiel. Maeve grew up studying classical piano, flute and later, percussion. Her focus was primarily on classical and contemporary music, particularly chamber music, but she has also always shared the love with her family for traditional Irish and jazz music.

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Read what families are saying about us​​

The type of music was really fun and varied. I was excited to play blues, rock and pop as well as classical. It was awesome!​
Nina
Tutti Graduate
It was great to play in small groups and get to know the other students. The tutors were great fun and I learned so much.
Patrick
Tutti Graduate
Meeting and playing music with students from other countries was great - I’m still in touch with some of them.
Ana
Tutti Graduate