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Cathal Breslin is a concert pianist originally from Derry,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, now living in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
in the United States. He has performed extensively in solo recitals, as a concerto soloist with orchestra and a chamber musician in major concert halls throughout Europe, North America, South America and Asia.


Background

Cathal Breslin was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. His father, William ("Willie") Breslin, was a History Teacher, well-known Civil Rights Leader and Chairman of the Labor Party in Northern Ireland. In 2008, William Breslin was awarded a medal by the Irish President, Mary McAleese, in a ceremony in Derry honoring the impact of the Northern Ireland civil rights movement. His mother, Gloria Breslin, née Sweeney, was a local Bookkeeper for lawyers and other companies. In 2006, Cathal Breslin married American Flutist, Dr. Sabrina Hu,. He was educated at the Royal College of Music in London with John Barstow (1997–2001), receiving a BMus (Hons) Degree with Distinction. From 2001 to 2003 he studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Kathryn Stott, Benjamin Frith and Alexander Melnikov, graduating with a Masters of Music (MM) with Distinction, Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) and Professional Performance Diploma(PPRNCM). From 2003 to 2005 he was at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Madrid with Joaquín Soriano. From 2005 until 2008 he was a teaching assistant at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
as a Fulbright Scholar, graduating with a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano Performance, studying with Arthur Greene. For three years he was visiting faculty in piano performance, collaborative piano, and chamber music at the National University of Ireland at Maynooth and at the Queen's University in Belfast. From 2013 to 2019, he was an assistant professor of piano and director of piano studies at the University of Memphis in Tennessee. In 2019, he began teaching at Arizona State University (ASU) School of Music, Dance and Theatre, where he is an associate professor of piano. In recent years, he has become an ambassador and pioneer of Yamaha
Disklavier Disklavier is a brand of reproducing pianos manufactured by Yamaha Corporation. The first Disklavier was introduced in the United States in 1987. The typical Disklavier is a real acoustic piano outfitted with electronic sensors for recording and ...
Technology, where he has taught masterclasses and performed recitals throughout the U.S., China and Korea. in 2020, he successfully initiated the first historic 4-way connection between 4 cities in the U.S. and China, between Tempe AZ, Beijing, Wuhan and Nanjing.


Career

He is currently associate professor of piano at the Arizona State University School of Music, Dance and Theatre in the
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts The Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona was created in 2009 by the merger of two existing academic units, the Katherine K. Herberger College of the Arts and the College of Design. The Arizona ...
in the United States. He is an exclusive Yamaha Performing Artist. In 2008 he founded the Walled City Music Festival with his wife, American flautist Dr. Sabrina Hu. It has featured artists such as the
Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...
, Bang on a Can All Stars, BBC
Ulster Orchestra The Ulster Orchestra, based in Belfast, is the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall. It also gives concerts across the United K ...
, Sir James Galway,
Katia and Marielle Labèque The Labèque sisters, Katia (born 11 March 1950) and Marielle (born 6 March 1952), are an internationally known French piano duo. Biography Education and first performances Katia and Marielle were both born in Bayonne, on the southwest coast ...
, Augustin Dumay,
Anne Akiko Meyers Anne Akiko Meyers (born May 15, 1970) is an American concert violinist. Meyers was the top-selling classical instrumentalist of 2014 on Billboard's traditional classical charts. Early life and education The daughter of an artist and a colleg ...
,
Dmitry Sitkovetsky Dmitry Yulianovich Sitkovetsky (russian: Дмитрий Юлианович Ситковецкий; born September 27, 1954) is a Soviet-Russian born classical violinist, conductor and arranger, most notably of an arrangement for strings of J. S. ...
, Jan Vogler,
Raphael Wallfisch Raphael Wallfisch (born 15 June 1953 in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames i ...
, Jeffrey Zeigler, Jonathan Lemalu, Brodsky Quartet,
Fitzwilliam Quartet The Fitzwilliam Quartet (FSQ) is a British string quartet. The group was founded in 1968 by four Cambridge undergraduates. There have been a number of changes in personnel over the years, but Alan George from the original quartet is still a membe ...
, Houston Winds,
Jeremy Denk Jeremy Denk (born May 16, 1970 in Durham, North Carolina) is an American classical pianist. Early life Denk did not come from a musical family. After several years in New Jersey, his family settled in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he grew up. He ...
,
Awadagin Pratt Awadagin Pratt (; born March 6, 1966) is a concert pianist born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Life Awadagin Pratt began piano lessons at six with Leslie Sompong and violin lessons at age nine, having moved to Normal, Illinois. With a violin s ...
, Kirill Troussov, among many others. He has performed concertos as soloist with many orchestras internationally, including the Turin Philharmonic in Italy, Greensboro Symphony in North Carolina, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Jackson Symphony Orchestra in TN, Arizona MusicFest Chamber Players, Ulster Orchestra, Camerata Ireland, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the
National Youth Orchestra of Ireland The National Youth Orchestra of Ireland (NYOI, ir, Ceolfhoireann Náisiúnta Óige na hÉireann) is the national youth orchestra of Ireland, founded in 1970 by Olive Smith and the Music Association of Ireland. It is a member of the European Fe ...
, and with conductors such as Vladimir Altschuler, Barry Douglas, Christian Gansch, Giovanni Battista Rigon,
Dmitry Sitkovetsky Dmitry Yulianovich Sitkovetsky (russian: Дмитрий Юлианович Ситковецкий; born September 27, 1954) is a Soviet-Russian born classical violinist, conductor and arranger, most notably of an arrangement for strings of J. S. ...
,
Niklas Willén Niklas Willén (born March 30, 1961) is a Swedish conductor. He was born in Stockholm and studied conducting and composition there at the Royal College of Music. His conducting teachers were Professors Jorma Panula and Kjell Ingebretsen, while h ...
, Stephen Bell, David Brophy, Gearóid Grant, Robert Houlihan, Courtney Lewis, Peter Shannon, Matthew Coorey, and Robert Moody. Venues of his solo recitals include Carnegie Hall,
Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...
in London,
National Centre for the Performing Arts (China) The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) (), and colloquially described as The Giant Egg (巨蛋), is an arts centre containing an opera house in the Xicheng District of Beijing, People's Republic of China. Designed by French architect P ...
in Beijing, Tianjin Grand Theatre,
Ateneo de Madrid The Ateneo de Madrid ("Athenæum of Madrid") is a private cultural institution located in the capital of Spain that was founded in 1835. Its full name is ''Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico de Madrid'' ("Scientific, Literary and Artistic ...
, Palácio Foz in Lisbon, Zala Bulgaria in Sofia, Chopin Society in Warsaw,
National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...
in Dublin, Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, Peking University in Beijing,
Central Conservatory of Music The Central Conservatory of Music () is a prestigious leading public music school of China and a member of Double First Class University Plan and former Project 211. Its campus is in the Xicheng District of Beijing, China, near Fuxingmen Statio ...
in Beijing, and major concert halls in Ningbo, Qingdao, Chongqing, Nanjing, Suzhou in China, Tokyo and Hamamatsu in Japan, and many venues in Hong Kong. He has played duo recitals with flutist Sir James Galway, violinists Augustin Dumay,
Anne Akiko Meyers Anne Akiko Meyers (born May 15, 1970) is an American concert violinist. Meyers was the top-selling classical instrumentalist of 2014 on Billboard's traditional classical charts. Early life and education The daughter of an artist and a colleg ...
,
Dmitry Sitkovetsky Dmitry Yulianovich Sitkovetsky (russian: Дмитрий Юлианович Ситковецкий; born September 27, 1954) is a Soviet-Russian born classical violinist, conductor and arranger, most notably of an arrangement for strings of J. S. ...
, Kirill Troussov, cellists Jan Vogler,
Raphael Wallfisch Raphael Wallfisch (born 15 June 1953 in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames i ...
and Jeffrey Zeigler, oboist
Nicholas Daniel Nicholas Daniel (born 9 January 1962) is a British oboe, oboist and conductor. In 2003 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Leicester International Music Festival. Education He was educated at Salisbury Cathedral School and the Purcell S ...
, and chamber music with the Brodsky Quartet, Houston Winds, and the Coull Quartet. As a member of the flute-cello-piano trio, Trio Festivale, along with Dr. Sabrina Hu (flute), Gerald Peregrine (cello), he commissions new works and tours internationally on a regular basis. His competition wins have included at the 2007 Viotti International Piano Competition in Vercelli/ Milan, Italy, at the 2007 Iowa International Piano Competition in the U.S., at the 2004 Carlet International Piano Competition in Valencia, Spain, and at the 2004 Grand Konzerteum International Piano Competition in Athens, Greece, and the 2003 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, at which he won the Brennan prize and the John Field prize. His live performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 (including on the "In Tune" and "Recital" programs), BBC Radio Ulster, RTÉ Ireland, RTHK Hong Kong, RTVE Spain, and on television in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Spain and Ireland. He recorded extensively for the European Broadcasting Union, solo sonatas for the Mozart Project 2006 and the Takemitsu Riverrun Piano Concerto with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for the Poets and Literature Series 2010. These recordings have been broadcast worldwide throughout the EBU network. In addition, CD releases have included the complete piano works of Philip Hammond, and Sean O'Riada's Nomos for piano and orchestra, recorded as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, and a recent solo album entitled "Mirage" released on Blue Griffin Records.


References


External links

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Profile
on Derry's bid for 2013 European Capital of Culture {{DEFAULTSORT:Breslin, Cathal 1978 births Musicians from Derry (city) Classical pianists from Northern Ireland Living people University of Michigan people Alumni of the Royal College of Music 21st-century classical pianists