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.
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"Laoise O'Brien's mesmerising skill on this often abused instrument."
—Michael Dervan, The Irish TImes
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"This is a work of boundless imagination from Laoise O'Brien...the results are a joy to listen to."
—Siobhán Long, The Irish Times
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"For lovers of the Child Ballads, this album is a treat.."
—Tony Hendry, The Living Tradition
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"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
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"O'Brien's telling of her musical life story was informative. self-deprecating and witty."
—Michael Dervan, The Irish Times
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"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
The new recording from Laoise O’Brien
Featuring Helen Lawlor, Dylan Quinn, Donnchadh Ó Dúill, Norah O’Leary, Francesco Turrisi.
Recording: Ben Rawlins
Graphic design: Kieran O’Sullivan
The Child Ballads are a collection of traditional ballads originally from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child during the second half of the nineteenth century. The Child Ballads have been performed and recorded by musicians from the classical, folk, jazz, and roots traditions, but never before have the genres amalgamated. Many of the ballads also appear in other collections. It is specifically the connection to Irish collections and folklore that is the focus of this project and which gives the recording a distinctly Irish flavour.
Laoise O’Brien- recorders, voice
Malachy Robinson- viol, double bass, banjo, voice
Eamon Sweeney- baroque guitar, lute, steel string guitar
Francesco Turrisi- piano, percussion
Aoife Doyle- voice
O Deer: Oisín Walsh-Peelo- voice, guitar, harp
Aoife Moore- voice
Ferdia Walsh-Peelo- voice
Ultan O’Brien- fiddle
Fionn Ó hAlmhain- pipes, flutes, whistle, voice
Recording: Ben Rawlins
Graphic design: Kieran O’Sullivan
How Happy for the Little Birds is the title track of the album by Laoise O'Brien and is part of a multi-disciplinary project with the artist Lorna Donlon. An exhibition of collages inspired by the recording ran throughout the 2011 Kilkenny Arts Festival. The project received a tremendous response.
The recording brings the listener through a year of birdsong with tunes from Ireland, England and beyond. The. birds featured on the CD are mostly common to Ireland and Britain.
This album was inspired by Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Co. Kilkenny. Castalia is a purpose-built hall which houses an impressive array of instruments, man of which can be heard on the album. I was curious to see what range of colours would be possible with just two instrumentalists and so invited my friend, the multi-instrumentalist, Francesco Turrisi, to join me on the adventure.
Laoise O’Brien- recorders
Francesco Turrisi- keyboards, percussion, plucked instruments
with Helen Hassett, soprano
Recording: Ben Rawlins
Graphic design: Kieran O’Sullivan
Beginning with 'One Charming Night' from Henry Purcell's 'The Fairy Queen' and ending with the Irish lullaby 'Dia do bheatha, 'Nai anocht', this charming recording weaves a tale of Kings and Queens, heroes and villains and the dangers that lurk in the deep dark woods. Featuring some of Ireland's leading musicians and recorded in the medieval city of Kilkenny.
A documentary feature on the project broadcast by RTÉ lyric fm received a bronze award at the New York Festivals Awards, 2013.
Get in Touch
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