Sonoro Quartet
Biography Sonoro Quartet
Sonoro Quartet
Founded in 2019, Sonoro Quartet is one of the leading young string quartets of its generation. Performing over 40 concerts annually, their repertoire encompasses classical masterpieces alongside works and commissions by contemporary composers.
In 2022, Sonoro Quartet was chosen as ECHO Rising Stars for the 2023-2024 season, embarking on a concert tour that includes 17 performances in leading European halls. The quartet has also been selected to join the MERITA Platform, where they will present concerts throughout Europe featuring an innovative artistic project.
In 2023, they will make their debuts at Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musikverein Vienna, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Kölner Philharmonie and Philharmonie de Luxembourg amongst other prominent venues. In July 2023, they made their debut in New Zealand performing 11 concerts in venues across North and South Islands.
In October 2021, the Sonoro Quartet received the 3rd prize and two special prizes at the Bartók World Competition for string quartets in Budapest. Their energy, dynamic interpretation and musical maturity left a lasting impression on the audience and the jury. Sonoro has since returned to Budapest to perform Bartók’s Quartets in the Bartók Memorial House.
The quartet is currently studying at the Netherlands String Quartet Academy (NSKA) in Amsterdam, receiving guidance from renowned artists such as Marc Danel and Gilles Millet (Quatuor Danel) and Eberhard Feltz. They have also studied with members of Quatuor Ébène, Pavel Haas Quartet, Gary Hoffman and Heime Müller, founder of the Artemis Quartet.
The quartet has performed at festivals such as Festival Midis-Minimes, B-Classic, Storioni Festival, West Cork Chamber Music Festival and Rotterdam Chamber Music Society, amongst many others. In autumn 2023, they will tour Ireland for the second time with the National String Quartet Foundation.
The Sonoro Quartet has recorded for international radio stations including Klara (Belgium), RTÉ (Ireland), Bartók Radio Budapest, SWR (Germany) and Radio New Zealand. As part of the Beethoven Fest 2020 in Bonn, they premiered Eric Domenech's string quartet on SWR.
They have enjoyed performing at renowned venues including Bozar Brussels, Liszt Academy Budapest, Bartók Memorial House Budapest, Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht, National Concert Hall Dublin and The Piano, Christchurch New Zealand.
In 2022, they were selected as one of the participating quartets in the prestigious Banff International String Quartet Competition, but had to withdraw due to injury.
Sylvia O'Brien
One of Ireland's leading dramatic sopranos, Sylvia O'Brien has impressed audiences in her performances of opera, oratorio and chamber music.
Since her critically acclaimed debut as the Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw in 2004, Sylvia has performed numerous leading roles such as The Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro), Konstanze (Die Entfuhrung), Anne Trulove (The Rake’s Progress), Fiordiligi (Cosi Fan Tutte), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Jenůfa, and more recently the title dramatic roles in Tosca, Turandot, Lucia di Lammermor and Tristan und Isolde.
As a concert performer, Sylvia is a regular guest soloist with orchestras, chamber ensembles, recital halls and festivals throughout Europe. Her vast repertoire includes Chausson, Berlioz, Mozart, Bach, Verdi, Shostakovich and Wagner and the lighter repertoire of Strauss, Lehar, Novello and Gilbert and Sullivan. Sylvia’s oratorio repertoire highlights include Verdi’s Requiem, Mozart’s C Minor Mass, Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots, Dvořak Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle.
Recently awarded Doctor of Music from Trinity College Dublin, Sylvia is a member of the vocal faculty of the Royal Irish Academy of Music where she lectures in voice, specialising in French song, Lieder, contemporary vocal techniques and opera. She has previously held positions at Maynooth University, Ireland, Dublin City University and deputy position at Technical University Dublin as well as private consulting. She is also a member of Musicology Ireland presenting at conferences.
Sylvia acts as external examiner for all exam grades and instruments on the panel of Examiners of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She is an active member of Society of Musicology in Ireland, presenting lectures on contemporary vocal music and vocal techniques and is regularly invited internationally to present masterclasses and adjudicate for vocal competitions. Sylvia has been awarded status as Artist-in -Residence on several occasions as well as presenting workshops for composers.
Mark Redmond
has gained a reputation as a performer on the uilleann pipes in a ‘traditional’ sense but also a wide range of diverse genres. He performs and records regularly with the RTÉ National Symphony and Concert Orchestras. Within this context, he has featured in live broadcasts for many historic occasions such as The Papal Mass, Phoenix Park, 2018; The State Commemoration for the Easter Rising, Arbour Hill, 2016; The Eucharistic Congress, Croke Park, 2012, and the State Visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland, 2011. He has also performed as guest soloist abroad with Camerata Ireland at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington; The Nagoya University of Arts Wind Orchestra, Japan; The Savannah Philharmonic, Georgia, USA; and the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne, Rennes, France.
In 2014, with Organist David Bremner, he recorded, L'Air Du Temps, an album which combines traditional repertoire with music of the French Classical Organ School.
He has toured internationally with Riverdance and Celtic Woman and has performed/recorded with a range of diverse artists including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Westlife, Christy Moore, Glen Hansard, Declan O’Rourke, and Daoirí Farrell.
Mark received a First-Class Honours Degree from the formerly known as DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, now TU Dublin Conservatoire, where he was awarded the Leo Rowsome Gold Medal for Performance in 2012. The following year he completed an Honours Masters in Music Performance.
A PhD candidate, he currently lectures in traditional Music at TU Dublin Conservatoire, RIAM, Dublin, and DCU (in conjunction with the Artane School of Music).
