Tullamore International Summer Organ Series

Dublin Bach Singers, directed by Blánaid Murphy, was founded in 2002, bringing together excellent choristers who love the music of Bach. A prolific new chamber choir was born. Their inaugural performance that year of Handel’s Messiah established the choir as an instant success. DBS began a fruitful relationship with the Orchestra of St Cecilia in 2003, performing in the Bach cantata series. That same year, the groups collaborated on Bach’s St John Passion to critical acclaim. Recent years have seen the choir performing Haydn's Seven Last Words with the Orchestra of St Cecilia, and a concert under the direction of Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, former Kantor at the Leipzig Thomaskirche and 15th direct successor to J.S. Bach. In March 2012 (their 10th anniversary) they performed the St Matthew Passion with the Palestrina Choir. Since 2012, the choir has given performances of J. S. Bach’s 'Lutheran Masses', Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Israel in Egypt, Bach’s seminal Mass in B Minor, the C. P. E. Bach Magnificat, the Scarlatti Stabat Mater, and a programme devoted to the works of Claudio Monteverdi.

Siobhán Kilkelly combines a post as lecturer in piano in DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama with a career as freelance organist and accompanist. She has worked and performed with many choirs, singers and instrumentalists, been an organ scholar in St Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity College, and given organ recitals in Ireland and UK. In 2006 she graduated with an MMus from DIT, specializing in the subject of organ composition and performance in 19th-century France. In recent years she has collaborated with flautist Ciarán O Connell and harpist Anne-Marie O Farrell. In 2011 Siobhán performed in the Celtic Prelude Festival in Dudelange, Luxembourg, featuring a new composition by Anne-Marie for Irish Harp and Organ called ‘Airs and Grace Notes’ as well as duo versions of Carolan tunes and other solo repertoire. Exploration of the organ and flute repertoire with Ciarán O Connell has included many performances of original modern and contemporary music in particular the music of Jehan Alain, Frank Martin and composers such as John Weaver, Lowell Libermann and Daniel Roth. Some recordings of solo organ repertoire and harp and flute duo performances can be heard on www.soundcloud.com/siobhankilkelly. Siobhán has long links with Dublin Bach Singers and has performed with them on many occasions.