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Shaun Davey, Irish composer
Shaun Davey is an Irish composer whose international career spans nearly 50 years. In Ireland he is best-known for The Brendan Voyage (1980), a narrative suite for uilleann pipes and orchestra. This was the first of his innovative concert works designed to explore Irish themes and to bring together musicians of borh aural and classical traditions within an orchestral framework. Over the years he expanded this concept to include amateur choirs and engaged in many collaborations, most notably with his wife, singer, Rita Connolly (Granuaile), Liam O'Flynn, Seamus Begley, (Béal Tuinne) percussionist Noel Eccles (Special Olympics), Mark Redmond (The Brendan Voyage) and tours with Dr Sorin Dobre and a Romanian male voice choir. His melodic and descriptive music has featured on the Irish schools carriculum, and his setting of St Patrick's Prayer, The Deer's Cry, has been used on public and private occasions alike.
As a composer for Theatre he worked at The Abbey (The Silver Tassie, Well of the Saints etc) and in the UK at the Royal Shakespeare Company (The Tempest, King Lear etc). In the USA his work in theatre has been recognised by New York and San Diego Critics' awards and by Tony and Drama Desk nominations (James Joyce's The Dead, The Tempest, Pericles, ). Similarly, his music for TV and Film has been awarded an Ivor Novello (The Hanging Gale, BBC) a TRIC for best UK TV theme and two BAFTA nominations.
Recent concert work includes One Hundred Years a Nation for narrator, choir and orchestra, song suite Nora, Daniel O'Connell's Hymn, Sunt Angelis for choir and orchestra, Happy Out for the Fidelio Trio with Cillian Vallely, and Clarinet Lesson 1962 for John Finucane.
Refuge, Concerto for cello and orchestra, made its debut in March 2023 with the NSO and cello soloist Sinéad O'Halloran at the National Concert Hall, Dublin. In September 2023, as an artist in residence at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, he prepared for his latest orchestral work, St Patrick's Overure . This had its premiere on 17th March 2024 with the NSO and organist Fergal Caulfield. It was conducted by David Brophy with whom he has enjoyed a close working relationship for over a decade of sell-out concerts at the NCH.
Liam O'Flynn performing The Brendan Voyage with the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny, 2010
Publishers; Silverstream Music
CONTACT JULIET MARTIN AT www.silverstreammusic.ie
Media representation; Air Edel, London
SHAUN DAVEY IS REPRESENTED BY AIR EDEL, LONDON; www.air-edel.co.uk