Cork Opera House announce Cormac McCarthy as Musician-in-Residence

Cork Opera House have announced pianist and composer Cormac McCarthy as their new Traditional Irish Crossover Musician-in-Residence.

Awarded following an open call that closed on March 20, the 12-month residency "will support McCarthy in developing his artistic practice at the intersection of traditional Irish music and other musical forms," according to a statement.

McCarthy will also receive a €20,000 bursary, access to Cork Opera House's resources - including the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra - as well as production and curatorial support from the venue's artistic director, Eibhlin Gleeson and their creative producing team.

The residency will include a number of performances throughout the year, as well as the premiere of a new work by Cormac on the Cork Opera House stage.

Firstly, the Cork-based musician will join a line-up of guests this Sunday for a show titled The Piano - curated by conductor John O'Brien and pianist Ciara Moroney. The concert features Cork pianists McCarthy, Moroney, David Hayes, Fionnula Moynihan and more, along with a host of soloists across several musical genres, including Jack O'Rourke, Dylan Howe, Lucia Evans and others.

"I feel genuinely privileged to be artist in residence at the COH for the next 12 months," McCarthy said. "The Opera House has played a formative role in my musical development; from exposure to many and varied performances as a child, to professional collaborations as an artist.

"It is an institution close to my heart and I believe through this residency, we can create art of genuine merit, informed by, and celebrating Irish Traditional Music and its infinite possibilities."

McCarthy's work draws from jazz, classical and traditional Irish influences as he grew up immersed in traditional music through his father Johnny McCarthy - a respected traditional flautist and fiddler - while also being exposed to classical music from an early age.

His career has since taken him from classical piano and composition studios in Cork to jazz studies and performance in Chicago, where he worked with artists including Phil Woods and Jeff Hamilton, while also touring with Grammy-nominated fiddler Liz Carroll.

In recent years, McCarthy has collaborated extensively with artists including Iarla Ó Lionáird, Martin Hayes and Aoife Ní Bhriain, has led the RTÉ Concert Orchestra Big Band and received commissions from a range of ensembles including the Cork Opera House, Cork Concert Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Tickets for his performance on Sunday are on sale now here.