30 July 2023 at 20:00

Mark Keane (organ)

Chris Murphy (countertenor)

Mark Keane is a music graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the TU Dublin Conservatoire, where he studied organ with Peter Sweeney and conducting with Ite O’Donovan. He holds a Masters degree in Chant and Ritual Studies from the University of Limerick and a Doctorate of Music Performance from the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Trinity College Dublin. Mark is Organist and Director of Music at Tuam Cathedral, Head of Music at Galway Community College and Director of the female choral ensemble Vox Orbis. A regular recitalist on the international platform, he has given performances at Westminster Abbey, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, the Cathedral Basilica, Newark, St James’ Cathedral, Toronto, Trinity Church, Boston, and extensively across Europe. Recent performances include recitals at St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, Galway Cathedral, and St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork. His choral compositions are published by Cailíno Music Publishers and he is the editor of the Oxford Book of Upper-Voice Polyphony.

Chris Murphy is a graduate of the Master’s programme at London’s Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Caitlin Hulcup, Iain Ledingham and Michael Chance. He has a BMus (Hons) from TU Dublin Conservatoire where he studied with Steve Wallace and Aoife O'Sullivan. As a soloist Chris has performed in many concert and oratorio performances including Orff Carmina Burana, Handel Dixit Dominus, Messiah, Israel in Egypt and Jephta, Bach St John Passion, masses and cantatas, Britten Rejoice in the Lamb, and Mozart Requiem and various masses. Chris has performed the role of Arnalta (L’Incoronazione di Poppea) with TU Dublin Conservatoire, Tolomeo (Giulio Cesare) with Kings Opera (March 2017), Endimione (La Calisto) with Woodhouse Baroque Opera (April 2017) and also Rinaldo (Handel) and Fox (The Adventures of Pinocchio) as part of RAM opera scenes. Chris won the Countertenor/Contralto Competition in the Feis Ceoil in 2015 and also won the Messiah Cup for Oratorio in TU Dublin Conservatoire competitions in 2012. As an ensemble singer Chris spent four years as a lay clerk with Peterborough Cathedral Choir, having also performed with many other choirs throughout Ireland and the UK, including Palestrina Choir, Irish Youth Chamber Choir, Westminster Cathedral Choir and St Paul’s Cathedral Choir. Currently Chris is based in Hereford as a verger at Hereford Cathedral as well as occasionally singing with the Cathedral Choir.