Laoise O’Brien

Recorder player, Laoise O'Brien, has been described in the Irish Times as a crusader with mesmerising skills and boundless imagination.
Laoise has been championing the recorder since discovering the versatility and virtuosity of this historic instrument while a student of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. She has promoted the recorder through concert performances, education, recording, and broadcasting, working with multiple ensembles and arts organisations in Ireland. 

​Laoise previously studied flute at the College of Music in Dublin graduating with a BMus (Perf), and holds a Masters in Performance and Musicology from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

As a performer, Laoise has appeared as a soloist and guest musician with numerous ensembles including the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Irish Baroque Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Sestina, Resurgam,
the Irish Consort and Camerata Kilkenny. 

In addition to her work as a recording producer, Laoise has contributed to several radio broadcasts and has presented documentaries for RTÉ lyric fm including the award-winning, Sonnets for the Cradle, and Goedemorgen, Amsterdam a feature on the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland's tour to the Netherlands in 2018. More recently, she has presented and produced a radio feature, For the Record, which explores the history of the recorder alongside Laoise's own history as a musician. 

Laoise is passionate about connection within the music community and regularly undertakes projects which reach music lovers of all ages. She is Executive Producer of the TU Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra, Chair of the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras, part of the programming committee of Music in Kilkenny, and sits on the Local Music Education Partnership of Music Generation Kilkenny.

  • "Laoise O'Brien's mesmerising skill on this often abused instrument."

    —Michael Dervan, The Irish TImes

  • "This is a work of boundless imagination from Laoise O'Brien...the results are a joy to listen to."

    —Siobhán Long, The Irish Times

  • "For lovers of the Child Ballads, this album is a treat.."

    —Tony Hendry, The Living Tradition

  • "O'Brien's genius is writ large in the way she has selected her collaborators...you could consider O'Brien the best of hands-on curators."

    —Seán Laffey , Irish Music Magazine

  • "O'Brien's telling of her musical life story was informative. self-deprecating and witty."

    —Michael Dervan, The Irish Times

  • "Laoise has all the expertise to know that Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn is a galliard and that is a key to Irish history."

    —John Brophy, Irish Music Magazine

Catalogue

Boyne CD
€15.00
The Child Ballads
€13.00
From Sun's Far Rising
€13.00
Sonnets for the Cradle
€13.00

Get in Touch

Please do get in touch with any queries relating to performance and production. For queries specific to the Earls of Ormond please see the separate contact form.