Our Scholars
Eithne Nic an Ríogh
1st Year student in Medicine
A typical day: Busy! I have to fit in music practise and sometimes performance, as well as my academic work, of course. Being an Ad Astra Performing Arts Scholar certainly requires dedication and it is important to be available to perform when invited to do so. However, it is very enjoyable and you get to meet other students with similar interests. From the very first day I felt that I belonged to the UCD community. By contributing to the community in this way I feel a sense of involvement which is very rewarding.
Performance experience: I play both cello and piano, and have won many national competitions for both instruments, including the Junior Piano Rose Bowl and the J J O’Reilly Concerto Cup in the Feis Ceoil. I have performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland and with the Royal Irish Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra and travelled to places such as Japan, Dubai, U.S.A., Norway and England to perform. I’m now a member of the UCD Symphony Orchestra and as an Ad Astra Performing Arts Scholar I also perform at various college events such as the Foundation Day celebrations. The Ad Astra Scholars also have social events where we meet informally and get to know one another and the staff members who are involved with the Ad Astra programme.
Susie Gibbons
3rd Year student in Psychology
Singing with Ad Astra: As a member of the UCD Ad Astra performance scholars program, I can pursue my degree in Psychology while at the same time continuing to improve as a singer. We are very fortunate to have such high quality facilities in UCD – we benefit from the use of the Memorial Hall in Richview and the school of music as practice space. In addition, we are guided through the program with the help of the program director, Tony Carey, the co-director, Ciaran Crilly, and artistic directors Ciaran Crilley and the artistic director Desmond Earley. They help us with any problems we have and encourage us to try new repertoire and improve our technique. In my spare time over the last two years I have been a member of the UCD Choral Scholars, which has been an amazing experience. We have had the pleasure of singing for Bill Whelan and Mezzo-Soprano, Cecilia Bartoli and have been fortunate enough to take part in an International Choral Festival in Riva Del Garda, Italy where we received two gold medals.
Life at college: On an average Monday, I am in college for lectures from 9-11am. Then I meet some friends have a quick (or very long) coffee break before we head to the library. Usually there is an essay that needs to be done! After a few hours in the library I have some tutorials/lectures with some lunch thrown in the middle. By that stage it is nearing the end of the day, and I head to Richview for a Choral Scholars rehearsal from 6-8pm. Once home, I eat and work on another essay. By 10pm I try and fit some solo singing practice in and finally, bedtime around midnight.
Amanda Coakley
M.A. student in Drama and Performance
Ad Astra at Masters level: I am honoured to be an Ad Astra scholar while pursuing my M.A in Drama and Performance. My scholarship is for excellence in dramatic performance so it fits perfectly with my Masters work. I made my professional debut this summer when I played the lead role of Pegeen Mike in Synge's "The Playboy of the Western World" in the Smock Alley theatre, directed by Patrick Sutton. Soon after that, I performed in "All Dressed up and Nowhere to Shandango" in the Dublin Fringe Festival. Making the decision to return to college was a big one, but I knew that the expert tutelage that I would receive with my M.A and scholarship would benefit me immensely. Being a scholar is a lot of work but I have continual support from my peers and tutors. I am really enjoying my M.A as it is both practical and theoretical. We begin the week with body and performance, then focus on contemporary Irish drama while also taking classes in drama analysis. Next semester I will be developing my own piece of theatre from scratch, so I am looking forward to that! My Ad Astra scholarship is already helping me in several ways, in particular the extra classes given by industry professionals giving me confidence to look forward to the future.
Caoimhe Finn
2nd Year student in English and Drama
Drama with Ad Astra: Drama in UCD has been a fantastic experience so far. Ad Astra has really helped with both my academic and practical dramatic work. As a second year English and Drama student, I have been able to concentrate on my acting and staging techniques as well as being able to apply the insights gleaned from this work to my academic research, allowing me to understand how the two collaborate perfectly together. It has offered new opportunities to expand and enhance my own personal skills and to develop new techniques and approaches towards reaching excellence in the dramatic arts.
Dramatic training at UCD: Having the opportunity to work closely with our director Kellie Hughes is truly rewarding, and having the chance to attend other performances every couple of weeks with her helps broaden my horizons and outlook on theatre and drama today. This work brings Irish and international theatre into perspective for me. We attend class with Kellie every two weeks for intensive training in physical work, script work and voice training; it’s tough work but the benefits are immediately apparent. I am no doubt becoming a more confident performer as a result. As a keen dancer as well, I have been able to find new ways of incorporating dance into my drama and being able to use it to my advantage, and Ad Astra supports this too. After I graduate from UCD, I hope to enter the world of physical and movement theatre and incorporate all the skills I will have developed during my time in the Ad Astra programme.
Oisin Morrison
M. A. student in Irish Literature (An Nua-Ghaeilge)
Performance history: I have been performing and teaching music (Irish Harp and Irish Flute) for a number of years. I participated in festivals such as ‘An Chúirt Chruitearachta’ festival in Termonfeckin, the ‘O'Carolan Harp, Cultural & Heritage Festival,’ ‘Oideas Gaeil Culture Week,’ ‘Willie Clancy Summer School’ and the ‘Joe Mooney Summer School.’ I have toured in various parts of the world such as England, Scotland, Wales, Canda and the United States. I was proud to represent Ireland alongside fiddle player Aidan Connolly at the Celtic Congress Centenary in 2011 and in 2010, and was invited to perform and to teach the harp at the Interceltic Festival in Lorient. I have been lucky enough to win awards at both junior and senior level at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and Oireachtas na Gaeilge.
Irish folklore & Sean Nós: I am studying Irish Literature at Masters level, and I am working to highlight the important connection between the language and the music of Irish ‘Sean-Nós’ singing. Through studying the old Irish literature and folklore, I am developing insight into the society and culture of Irish people of the past. This insight is particularly valuable to my work, as there is a huge connection between those people and their music, poetry, and other artistic expression. The Ad Astra programme has helped me to pursue my academic goals while focusing not only on my own music, but other genres. I look forward to collaborating with other musicians and broadening my musical knowledge within and outside of the traditional genre.
Oisin Friel
1st year student in Medicine
Performance highlights: As a violist, I've been fortunate enough to have performed in the United Arab Emirates with the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. I travelled to Switzerland and Norway with the chamber orchestra, and took part in a number of masterclasses. As a singer I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform in venues such as The White House in Washington DC, New York City's Metropolitan Opera House, and in our own National Concert Hall.
Ad Astra advantages: Music, like any skill, requires a huge amount of practice time if it is to be done properly. Fortunately, this year I have adequate time to practice both viola and singing while still retaining control over my academic work, and the Ad Astra Academy is to thank for that. Until recently, I wanted to study music performance on a professional level, but following completion of the HPAT exam I decided to study medicine. My intention is to develop my music to as high a standard as possible, and to maintain my performance skills as an amateur. Ad Astra allows me to do that, which I am very pleased about. The scholarship programme has given me the means to combine my academic expectations and my musical passions and it is something I would recommend to anyone with serious musical interest.
