Music

Irish Heritage Afternoon Recital: Tara Viscardi & Rob Finegan

Join us for another magical afternoon of music from two extraordinary Irish Heritage performers, Tara Viscardi, playing the harp and Rob Finegan on saxophone.

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Tue 01 February 2022

3.00pm

Tickets: £5 on the door

Tara Viscardi – Harp

Hailing from the Beara Peninsula in the South-West of Ireland, Tara Viscardi is an emerging classical and Irish traditional harpist. First Prize Winner of the 2021 Camac Harp Competition, Tara graduated from the Royal College of Music, London with a Master of Music in Performance with Distinction. She also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Harp Performance at the Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado, Milan and is a 2021 Wigmore Learning/Open Royal Academy of Music Fellow as member of early music/folk fusion trio Nobody’s Jig.

Regularly featuring as a soloist, chamber musician and traditional player, Tara has performed extensively across Ireland and the UK, with further engagements taking her to Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Hong Kong. Highlights include performances for Irish President Michael D. Higgins and HRH The Prince of Wales, as well as appearing in young artist programmes at the Bloomsbury Festival London (New Wave Recital Series), Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (Irish Heritage Award Winners recital), the Royal College of Music Chamber Music Series, the National Concert Hall Dublin (Young Platform Series), World Harp Congress Hong Kong (Young Artist Masterclass Programme), Boyle Arts Festival, and the Dublin Philharmonic Society’s recital series for emerging artists.

A passionate traditional Irish musician, Tara has performed and toured extensively with the TU Dublin Harp and Traditional Music ensembles, as well as appearing Live on RTÉ Ceili House and Radio Kerry. She regularly performs her own arrangements and compositions, and has been special guest for a Retreat to the Harp workshop and recital, London, and the Cairde na Cruite (Irish Harp Association) annual spring concert, also performing at their Rising Harp Stars series. Tara plays a beautiful Killarney Harp hand-crafted for her by Tim O’ Carroll in her native Co. Kerry.

For more about Tara Viscardi, please visit: www.taraviscardi.com.

Rob Finegan – Saxophone

Described as “One of the most exciting Irish saxophone players in a generation”, Robert Finegan is an award-winning saxophonist who recently completed the Master of Performance degree in the Royal College of Music, London, where he studied with Kyle Horch and was a Dr Michael West Scholar.

Passionate about new music, Robert works closely with composers from around the world in the production of new works for all members of the saxophone family.

Robert has amassed an impressive list of awards and achievements that include Distinction in the 2021 Tunbridge Wells International Competition, 1st prize in the RCM Jane Melber Saxophone prize, 2nd prize in the Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year, becoming the first saxophonist to make it to the final, as well as winning the inaugural Flax Trust Music Award in 2017.

In 2018, Robert became the first saxophonist to become a Yanagisawa saxophone and Vandoren reed endorsee from the Republic of Ireland.