Tullamore International Summer Organ Series

Bogdan Sofei was born in Bucharest in 1975. He is co-founder and leader of the ConTempo String Quartet, the ensemble-in-residence in Galway since January 2003 and RTE Resident Quartet since May 2014. He graduated from the University of Music in Bucharest where he studied with Ladislau Csendes and Stefan Gheorghiu. He continued his studies at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, Royal Academy of Music in London, Academia Chigiana in Siena, European Academy of Music in Aix-en Province, Britten-Pears School for Advanced Music Studies in Aldeburgh and Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid. Bogdan received the Master of Arts in Music at Cork School of Music, in 2005. Bogdan has won several international and national competitions in Italy and Romania in addition to the international prizes he has won as first violinist of ConTempo Quartet: 1st Prize at GrosserForderpreise Competition in Munich-Germany, 1st Prize at Valentino Bucchi competition in Rome-Italy, 1st Prize at Tunnel Trust Competition in London-UK, 1st Prize at Mozart competition in Cluj-Romania, 2nd Prize at Johannes Brahms International Competition in Hamburg-Germany, Audience Prize and 3rd Prize at London String Quartet Competition in UK, 3rd Prize at Schubert und die Musik der Moderne Competition in Graz-Austria, 3rd Prize at Max Reger Competition in Weimar-Germany, The Wigmore Award and The Romanian Musical Critics Union Prize in Bucharest. He has toured extensively, performing at many major international festivals in Europe, Canada and the USA. He was recently awarded the degree of DMus h.c. by NUI Galway in recognition of his contribution to music in Galway and the Western region.

Thomas Charles Marshall grew up in Portlaoise and now lives in Tullamore. He studied organ with Shane Brennan, Peter Hurford and David Adams. He is a graduate of Cambridge University and has a Masters in Music Performance from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and has performed both in Ireland and abroad. He is director of music and organist at St Ann's Church, Dawson St., Dublin, where he directs a choir of twelve profesional singers, a quartet of whom we are very happy to welcome as contributors to this evening’s concert. He is also a researcher and renowned executant of the Japanese traditional lute known as the satsumabiwa.