Tullamore International Summer Organ Series

Gerard Gillen was Professor and Head of Music at Maynooth University from 1985 to 2007, and was Titular Organist of Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral from 1976 to 2018. He is widely regarded as one of Ireland's leading church and concert organists. A First Class Honours graduate of University College, Dublin, Oxford University, and the Royal Conservatoire of Music, Antwerp (where he gained the Prix d'Excellence, the highest award for instrumental performance in the class of Flor Peeters), Professor Gillen has an international reputation as an organ recitalist and has given more than 1000 recitals throughout Europe, the Middle East, America, Hong Kong and Australia, performing at such prestigious venues as the Royal Festival Hall, London, King’s College, Cambridge, St Thomas, New York, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, St Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna, St Thomas’, Leipzig, St Bavo, Haarlem, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and cathedrals and major recital venues in Antwerp, Bratislava, Brussels, Bruges, Copenhagen, Freiburg, Ghent, Hamburg, Jerusalem, Kosice, Lübeck, Luxembourg, Malaga, Stockholm, Oslo, Notre Dame and La Madeleine, Paris, Pittsburgh, Potsdam, Rome, San Francisco, Talinn, Turin, Warsaw, Zaragosa, etc. He has also been a member of international organ playing competition juries in the UK, USA, Austria and Dublin.

Gillen was conferred with a Knighthood of St. Gregory (KCSG) by the Vatican in 1984. Other honours include the John Betts Visiting Fellowship at Oxford (1992), and in December 1996 he was nominated the classical winner in Ireland's TV National Entertainment Awards, the first and only organist to be so honoured. In 2006 he was conferred with the title Chevalier des Ars et des Lettres by the French Government for his contribution to French Music, and in 2007 he was conferred with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa by the Pontifical University of Maynooth for his services to Church Music, and he was also elected to Fellowship of the Royal Irish Academy of Music (FRIAM). In 2010 he was decorated by King Albert ll of Belgium as an ‘Officer of the Crown,’ and was awarded the Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst (Cross of Honour for Science and Arts) by the Austrian Government. His CD of the organ music of César Franck and Flor Peeters on the LCS HiRes label was one of Norman Lebrecht’s special Christmas recommendations for 2009.

He was artistic director of this series of annual recitals since its inception in 1999 to 2024.

The Choir of St Ann's Church, Dawson Street, Dublin (directed by Thomas Charles Marshall), is a mixed choir that sings regularly in the liturgical life of the parish throughout the year. It has an established reputation for fine music and fine singing in the Anglican choral tradition, drawing on a rich repertoire that spans the Renaissance to the present day. The choir's history extends back beyond the early nineteenth century and originally comprised men and boys. Today, it continues this long tradition of excellence through the regular singing of Choral Eucharist, Choral Matins, and special services during the Church year.

Among the highlights of the choir's activities are the annual Civic Carol Service, which attracts large congregations from across Dublin, and the music for Holy Week and Good Friday. In addition to its liturgical ministry, the choir occasionally presents concerts and special musical events.

Under the direction of Thomas Charles Marshall, the choir continues a long tradition of worship through music, combining the treasures of the Anglican choral heritage with works by contemporary composers and maintaining a vibrant musical presence in the heart of Dublin city.