Tour Dates: 4 Jun - 15 Jun, 2009

“The Fidelio Trio’s performances have the ring of authority.”
- Irish Times, 15th February 2008

Darragh Morgan – violin
Deirdre Cooper – cello
Mary Dullea – piano

The Fidelio Trio (Darragh Morgan, violin, Robin Michael, cello and Mary Dullea, piano) perform extremely diverse repertoire throughout Europe, Asia and South Africa and frequently broadcast for BBC Radio 3.

Since their South Bank debut they have appeared at FuseLeeds, Reggello Festival (Italy), West Cork Music, Belfast Festival at Queens, Royal Opera House, London, Corsham Festival, Musica Viva (Portugal) and Composer’s Choice Series, National Concert Hall, Dublin.

They have just released Bulb on NMC D147 featuring trios by Kevin Volans, Donnacha Dennehy, Deirdre Gribbin and Ed Bennett and Metamorphoses on Delphian Records DCD34059, the chamber music of Icelandic composer Haflidi Hallgrimsson. Further releases this year include Joe Cutler chamber music for NMC.

The Fidelio Trio has worked closely with many leading composers including Michael Nyman, Toshio Hosokawa and Howard Skempton and has premiered music by Salvatore Sciarrino, Edison Denisov, Beat Furrer and Toru Takemitsu.

They are Music Network artists and the recipients of awards from PRS Foundation and the Arts Council of Ireland.

Active in the field of education, they have worked with composition and string/piano students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Birmingham Conservatoire.

Darragh Morgan 

Violinist Darragh Morgan enjoys a hugely diverse and rewarding career. He has led world class international ensembles, such as the Ensemble Modern, London Sinfonietta, Musik Fabrik and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. As a concerto soloist, highlights include invitations from the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (performing Elastic Harmonic by Donnacha Dennehy, recorded  on NMC D133), the Ulster Orchestra (in the world premiere of Hymn of Dawn by Sir John Tavener), and the KZN Philharmonic ( giving the South African premiere of Samuel Barber's violin concerto). His many CD recordings include Opera NMC D108, the complete violin & piano music of Michael Finnissy for Mode Records (both with pianist Mary Dullea) and For John Cage by Morton Feldman with pianist John Tilbury on Matchless Recordings. A keen pedagogue, he is regularly invited to work with string and composition students at the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music and the Britten Pears Young Artists Programme. He is a member of two award winning chamber ensembles The Smith Quartet and The Fidelio Trio. With these groups Darragh has performed at many prestigious international festivals including, Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Huddersfield, FuseLeeds, BBC Proms Chamber Music

Deirdre Cooper 

Deirdre Cooper was born in Edinburgh, UK, and spent the first years of her life there, during which time both her parents were members of the Edinburgh String Quartet. It was after immigrating to the United States that she started having cello lessons and extensive chamber music coaching with Colin Hampton, cellist of the Grillar String Quartet. As a student in New York, she studied with both Bernard Greenhouse of the Beaux Arts Trio and Zara Nelsova.  During this time, she won a full scholarship to Aspen International Summer Music Festival and participated in Pierre Fournier’s master classes in Geneva. She has been string finalist in the St. Louis Symphone Young Artists Awards, San Francisco Symphonly/ Pepsi Cola Young Musicians Competition and recipient of numerous chamber music and concerto prizes. She has appeared as soloist with many orchestras in both the US and OK, including the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Ballet Orchestra and the Glasgow Chamber Orchestra. Since starting her professional career, Deirdre has held positions with the Scottish Ballet Orchestra as principal cellist, The BBC Scottish Symphony as sub-principal and most recently the Philharmonia Orchestra. She has been guset principal cellist with the BBC Scottish Symphony, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, London Musici, the English Sinfonia, Northern Sinfonia and other orchestra and ensembles both in the UK and the USA. Alonside her orchestral work, Deirdre has continued to remain very active in all her chamber music commitments. While living in California, she was a member of the Robert Bloch String Quartet (quartet in residence at UC Davis) playing Baroque and classical repertoire on period instruments and also commissioning many new works by American composers. She has worked with both the Hebrides and Paragon Ensembles of Scotland, both groups championing new music, and also with the John Currie Singers of Glasgow as solo continuo. More recently, Deirdre has joined the Smith Quartet which specializes in performing contemporary works both acoustic and with tape and/or live electronics. The quartet has commissioned many works and has performed throughout the UK, Europe, Japan, South America and Canada. They have recorded for Sony, Decca, BMG and others and on radio for BBC 3 and Classic FM and BBC2’s Culture Show with Steve Reich. With their own record label Signum, they have brought out three CDs featuring music of Steve Reich, Philip Glass and others.

Mary Dullea

Mary Dullea is from Cork, Ireland, and studied at the Royal College of Music, London on the Edith Best Scholarship. Her Masters degree in Contemporary Music Studies is from Goldsmiths College, University of London. Much in demand as a soloist and chamber musician, Mary has performed throughout Ireland, England, Europe, USA, Hong Kong and South Africa at festivals including Brighton, Huddersfield, Corsham, Aldeburgh, Reggello (Italy) and National Arts Festival (South Africa) and was the Irish pianist at EU 12 and 15 piano extravaganza concerts in Paris, Brussels and Luxembourg. A sought-after interpreter of new music, Mary’s expansive repertoire covers the standard piano literature as well as an ever-increasing amount of 20th- and 21st- century compositions, many of which are dedicated to her.  She has commissioned and premiered works from composers as varied as Toshio Hosokawa, Edison Denisov, Salvatore Sciarrino, Michael Nyman, Donnacha Dennehy and Deirdre Gribbin – notably with the Fidelio Trio.  Her many broadcasts include BBC Radio 3, Radio 4, RTHK Radio 4, FM3 and Irish, French and Italian television.  In 2004, she was piano lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and many performances in South Africa included a concerto appearance with the KZNPO. Mary’s CD with Darragh Morgan, Opera NMC D108 was released in 2006 to great critical acclaim and further recordings due for release in 2008/09 with Darragh include the complete music for violin and piano by Michael Finnissy for Mode Records, a Simon Mawhinney portrait disc for Altarus and thirty-nine pages by Paul Whitty on Divine Art.  Fidelio Trio releases in 2008 include Bulb, Irish piano trios by Kevin Volans, Deirdre Gribbin, Ed Bennett and Donnacha Dennehy on NMC D147, Metamorphoses, the chamber music of Haflidi Hallgrimsson on Delphian Records DCD34059 and Bartlebooth, the music Joe Cutler on NMC D134 which features Mary as soloist and with the Fidelio Trio. Mary is currently researching, commissioning, performing and recording works for the piano that incorporate the use of the inside and the outside of the instrument and undertaking a PhD in Performance at the University of Ulster.  Her most recent recitals have been collaborative with visual artist, Julia Bardsley and this performance will continue on tour throughout the UK and Ireland in 2009.  Other collaborators in 2009 include composers Jennifer Walshe and Paul Whitty. In May 2008, Mary curated Soundings at the Austrian Cultural Forum in London and this culminates with a recital at the Wigmore Hall with the Fidelio Trio.  She is currently on the teaching staff of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

“The Fidelio Trio’s performances have the ring of authority.”
- Irish Times, 15th February 2008

“given with proper expression and devotional style by the Fidelio Trio… These brilliant players embrace with aplomb...”
-www.musicalpointers.co.uk                                                                                                      

“The Fidelio Trio's playing was deftly coloured and responsive down to the lightest shadows of vapour...”
- Irish Times