St Barrahane's Music Festival Set for Tonight

Fiona Kelly-Flute and Jean Kelly-Harp will be performing at St Barrahane's, Castletownsend tonight, August 1st at 8pm.

Sisters Jean and Fiona Kelly hail from an Irish family of several generations of professional musicians. They began performing together in their teenage years in Cork City and then in London where they both undertook studies at the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music respectively. In 2008 they made their London debut with a performance of Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto at St. Martin-in-the-Fields with the Locrian ensemble. They have given many recitals throughout the UK, Ireland and abroad. They have been invited to perform on numerous occasions on the Classical Music Festivals at Sea for P&O Cruises, hosted by Richard Baker.

Jean and Fiona have released a CD with other London based Irish musicians called Toss the Feathers' an album of traditional folk music with contemporary arrangements recorded with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Dublin. The premiere performance of the recording was at the Floral Hall, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The girls have also performed live on both RTÉ Lyric fm and RTÉ Radio 1.

In 2010 they performed Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto with the Irish Chamber Orchestra in which "...each responded to Mozart's graceful work with beautifully judged phrasing"(Irish Examiner). They thoroughly enjoyed last years Irish tour playing the Mozart Concerto with the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, of which they were both previous members!

Fiona, hailed by the New York Times as a player with "impressive technique and elegant musicianship", is principal flute of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. She graduated with a Master's degree from The Juilliard School, studying with Robert Langevin. Fiona won first prize in The Juilliard School Flute Competition and made her Lincoln Center debut performed Bernstein's 'Halil'. She began her studies at the Cork School of Music with her mother Evelyn Grant and Sabine Ducrot and completed her Bachelor of Music studies at Trinity College of Music, London, with Ms. Anna Noakes. While in London she won numerous awards including 1st Prize in the British Flute Society Silver Jubilee International Competition,the Royal Overseas League Sussex Prize and 1st Prize in the Trinity College of Music Soloist Competition. She was awarded 2nd prize in the "Gheorghe Dima" International Flute Competition in Romania. Fiona has played concertos with The Locrian Ensemble at St Martin in the Fields, TCM Symphony Orchestra at St. John's Smith Square and Blackheath Halls London, and the Irish Chamber Orchestra at University Concert Hall, Limerick and the RDS Dublin. Her orchestral experiences range from performances with the New York Philharmonic to being offered the post of Principal Flute with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra of Ireland.

In 1996 Jean won a scholarship to study harp at the Royal College of Music, London. Since graduating she has based herself in London and is in great demand as a versatile harpist. She regularly tours with the Locrian Ensemble performing harp concertos and her own arrangements of Irish music. She has reorded three CD's with the group including Handel Harp Concerto and Mozart Flute and harp Concerto. A CD of Chamber Music by Richard Arnell was Editor's Choice in Gramophone magazine. She has also recorded for the Guild label.

In May 2011 Jean was invited to Dublin to play for the historic visit of HM Queen Elizabeth to Ireland.

Jean has played harp on several film scores. She has recorded with Katie Melua and The Chieftains and has played on BBC radio and television. She appeared on RTE Television (Ireland) playing duets with Sir James Galway for the closing ceremony of Cork City of Culture. Jean performed alongside Nobel Prize-winner Seamus Heaney at the Opening Night of the World Harp Congress in Dublin and she accompanied Irish President Mary McAleese on a State Visit to Austria. Jean has played harp with renowned Israeli Sephardic singer Yasmin Levy. Jean plays Electric Harp with her new band 'Ranagri', and is currently recording an album at Real World Studios.

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