Cellist Sinead O’Halloran is, along with violinist Mairéad Hickey, a founder member of the Ortús Chamber Music Festival which takes place in and around Cork City every February.
Sinead will be home and playing at the National String Quartet Foundation fundraiser in UCC on June 15th while Mairéad appears at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Bantry from June 28th to July 7th.
Hi, can you tell us who you are and where you come from?
Sure! I'm Sinéad O'Halloran and I am a 24 year old cellist currently based in Düsseldorf, Germany but originally from Blackrock in Cork.
How did you end up there and how long have you been away from Cork?
I am currently doing a Bachelor of Music at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf. I am studying with the Principal Cellist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra who I met at a festival in Halle, Germany and I knew instantaneously that he would be the perfect teacher for me. I am in the final year of my degree and I also spent two years previously studying in Dallas, Texas, so I have now been away from Ireland for almost six years!
What's your day job?
I am a musician so I spend most of my time touring the world with various ensembles (such as the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Irish Chamber Orchestra), collaborating with international musicians and running the Ortús Chamber Music Festival at home in Cork with my Co-Artistic Director Mairéad Hickey.
Tell us a little about the place you are in and what your life is like there?
I am very lucky to have found a lovely apartment in Düsseldorf close to the Rhein which I share with some friends. I live a ten minute walk from my school and very close to some beautiful parks so I greatly enjoy clearing my head after rehearsals and taking advantage of our nice surroundings. We also live close to Alstadt (the old town) which has as many as 300 bars, restaurants and clubs within a one-half square mile radius, so you can always depend on there being a lively atmosphere close by!
What do you miss about home?
I definitely miss the Irish banter most of all! I have been greatly enjoying tuning into the new "I'm Grand Mam" podcast hosted by two Cork lads now based in London. They have certainly given me a much needed dose of Cork humour while being away! I also miss some of my favourite spaces in Cork, like the amazing Good Day Deli in Nano Nagle place.
What makes the place you are in now where you want to be?
As performing musicians, we end up moving to wherever our favourite professors are based, so my teacher is the main reason I am in Düsseldorf but I have certainly grown to love the city more and more every year.
How is it different to Cork - and is there anything about your current home that you think we could learn from?
One of the greatest perks of being a student in Germany is getting free travel on public transport in the whole province, so I can go to Cologne, Essen and Bonn for free and I can take someone with me around Düsseldorf for free after 7pm on weekdays and throughout the weekend. I am also very impressed by the fact that they reimburse people for recycling their bottles (you can get as much as 20 cent back for bringing your plastic bottles to the shop!). This is certainly something we could be more aware of, particularly with the state of the climate today.
Do you get back to Cork often? What have you noticed in terms of changes since you have been away?
Thankfully I do get back to Cork quite often for various concerts and other events. I'm delighted to see lots of farmers' markets at the weekends and an increase in vegetarian and vegan options!
If you could change one (or maybe more) thing about Cork, what would it/they be?
More flights to and from Cork! I spend so much of my time and money on trains and buses (if they allow me on the bus with my cello!) getting from Dublin airport to Cork.
Do you come across many Cork people on your travels - or do the natives know much about where you are from?
Not so many, although I do always get very excited whenever I hear an Irish accent close by! Anyone who has been to Cork always has very positive things to say.
And finally! Do you intend to come home? What would it take for that to happen?
I would love to come back to Ireland someday but unfortunately there are limited professional opportunites for classical musicians, especially in Cork. In Germany each city has a professional orchestra and full time opera house, therefore providing employment for thousands of musicians. Perhaps one day we will follow suit..
Thanks, Sinead! And you can find out more about the Chamber Music Festival Here
