Eimear McGeown, perhaps Ireland's most promising flautist since James Galway, appears at the Clandeboye Festival later today. Ahead of her performance the Armagh girl talks to AP Maginness about how she was inspired to become a flautist by 'the man with the golden flute' and a little help from her First Communion money
"I WAS seven,in the car with my parents and a flute came on the radio,"
Co Armagh-born flautist Eimear McGeown says of her first memories of the musical instrument she has made a career playing. "Instantly I loved it and asked my parents what it was and could I play it. Later that evening my parents got me out of bed because James Galway was on the television and asked me did I want to play the instrument he was playing. I said yes, of course." With money she received for making her First Communion and a little help from her parents, McGeown bought her first flute and hasn't stopped playing since. Now based in London, the 30-year-old is arguably Ireland's leading flautist and is much sought after as a concert performer and session musician. Since receiving a first class honours degree from Trinity College of Music London, she has been named as the Camerata Young Musician of the Year (2006), Accenture Musician of the Year (2010) and was last year invited by the BBC to perform as soloist with the Ulster Orchestra at the Last Night of the Proms in Belfast. As part of the Clandeboye Festival at the Clandeboye Estate near Bangor, Co Down, McGeown will perform a mix of Irish traditional tunes for flute and guitar at a lunchtime recital today and she is delighted to play at home again. "It is always great to get home to see my parents and family. "This time is extra special as my sister has just had a baby, so I get to see my nephew and spend a bit of time with them," McGeown says. Although growing up she played traditional Irish music for the flute alongside her brother (banjo) and sister (fiddle) at festivals across Armagh, McGeown is classically trained, but is happy to switch between the two disciplines. "I do such a mix of the two that I can almost see them becoming one at times," she says. "I like the contrast and the variety of doing both and I think that listeners also like that." McGeown has previously worked in theatre with The Lord of The Rings in the West End and also recently partly scored the world's most popular video game. "I got some session work for an online game called RuneScape," she says. "They had a full orchestra playing the music for the game but then they wanted some atmospheric pieces with a flute. "We were able to ad lib over it and bring our own imagination to things. "The game has 200 million subscribers -I had no idea; I couldn't believe a game could have so many followers. It was good money, though!" Over the last few years, as her career has taken off, she has performed for several presidents and princes, among others.
However, a recent highlight of her career was when she got the chance to play for her hero James Galway. "I got invited to a master class in his home in Switzerland, which was wonderful. "He gave me a gold/platinum head joint [part of a flute], which was really nice but no golden flute," she says laughing. "He has about 10 golden flutes but, strangely, also has loads of really fancy cars even though he doesn't drive." The Clandeboye Festival is organised by Camerata Ireland, which was founded by the renowned Belfast pianist Barry Douglas. Douglas also serves as artistic director with Clandeboye. McGeown is full of praise for the help that Douglas, who will perform at the festival gala performance on Saturday night, has provided to Ireland's aspiring young musicians. "Barry has been great for me and he is so supportive of young musicians," she says. "As well as organising the Camerata Young Musician of the Year he was also great afterwards, setting things up and putting opportunities my way, like concerts in New York, Washington and at the National Concert Hall [Dublin] in front of President Mary McAleese."
? The Clandeboye Festival runs until Saturday August 24 at the Clandeboye Estate, Bangor, Co Down. Tickets are on sale from the Grand Opera House box office - see www.goh.co.uk for further details - and on the night, except for the Barry Douglas recital, which is sold out.
? ? FESTIVAL FAVOURITE:: Eimear McGeown