Highly accomplished Laois pianist seeks to promote music with a free concert

Abbeyleix pianist David Vesey will perform a free classical piano recital at the Dunamaise Arts Centre on Friday, October 14.

This free piano recital is for newcomers and enthusiasts alike who will enjoy this evening of classical music.

David hopes to expand the audience for classical music in Laois through this concert. As part of this, he will be giving masterclasses to piano students in the Laois School of Music, where he was once a student.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to perform in Laois and to give back to young Laois pianists. Classical music in Laois has grown considerably over recent years due to the Laois School of Music, Music Generation Laois and other music teachers across the county. I hope that it continues to develop, and I am delighted to perform at this concert in Portlaoise,” he said. 

Featuring composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy and Liszt, this promises to be a wonderful evening of music.

 An 1848 scholar at the Royal Irish Academy of Music studying with Hugh Tinney, David has won national prizes for both classical and traditional Irish music.

David graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2021 from the MTU Cork School of Music, graduating as the highest placed student with First Class Honours. He won the Advanced Recital competition in the conservatoire and has since been a recipient of an MTU Arts Office Bursary to support his professional development. 

In 2021, David also won the Audrey Chisholm award at the Birr Festival of Music and the John A Piggott Cup at Feis Ceoil. In 2022, he won the Hamilton Harty Concerto Cup at the Feis Ceoil and the Fidelio Cup at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. 

David performed at the National Concert Hall in September of this year as part of the Feis Ceoil Young Artist Platform concerts and in August performed in Salzburg as part of the International Sommerakademie at the Universität Mozarteum.

David is also an accomplished traditional Irish musician, achieving many successes. David was awarded the Mícheál Ó hEidhin Gold Medal for outstanding results in the Comhaltas SCT music examinations in 2016. 

In 2016 he co-founded the Laois 8-piece group Fiúntas and lead the group to second place in the final in 2017 in the National Concert Hall. In 2017/18, David was selected to perform on the annual Comhaltas Tours of Ireland and Britain. In 2019, David was awarded a scholarship by Leinster Comhaltas to complete the Comhaltas TTCT music teaching training qualification, which he completed later in 2019. David is a current member of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland.  He has made several original arrangements of traditional Irish tunes for solo piano and performed one of these as part of the Laois Arts project ‘The Centre Is Where It Is At’ in 2021.

Portlaoise group want help to celebrate 70th anniversary

This concert is funded as part of the Laois Local Live Performance Programming Scheme 2022 Phase 4, by the Laois County Council Arts Office and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. 

The piano recital takes place at the Dunamaise Arts Centre on Friday, October 14 at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.dunamaise.ie