Internationally-renowned pianist Jamie Duffy will bring his brilliant blend of classical and traditional Irish music to Belvedere House, Gardens & Park on Saturday, 7 September.
The 22-year-old Monaghan composer has amassed over 84 million Spotify streams for his debut piece ‘Solas’ in 2022. It is the most streamed song by an Irish artist since Hozier’s ‘Take Me To Church’. He recently performed in the National Concert Hall and Belfast Grand Opera House Studio. Jamie will be supported by County Offaly cellist Ellen Godley in Belvedere and he is looking forward to the Mullingar gig.
“It’s going to be a very beautiful night of music, craic. It’s going to be casual, it’s not black tie. That’s not me. I’ll be telling some stories about some beautiful songs. There’ll be some surprises too,” he told Topic.
An Irish tour gives Jamie the chance to visit parts of the island he has never seen before and Jamie is excited to get a taste of the great musical history in Mullingar. This will be his first visit to Mullingar. He missed the Fleadhanna in Mullingar over the last two years as he was performing in concerts of his own.
“I had so many friends who went and said the atmosphere was something else. They really had a fabulous time. I was gutted to miss that,” he said.
“It’s such a beautiful place, there’s brilliant music there.”
INFLUENCES
Jamie never competed in the Fleadh himself and said “there was never a massive trad scene” in Glaslough where he grew up. A lot of his early influences came from country music and showbands with trad and classical coming later.
“My grandparents were in showbands. Instead of reels and jigs I grew up playing showband songs and real old Irish songs. My grandfather is from Glasgow so I play these Scottish songs too,” he said.
His grandfather, Patrick McGhee was a musical director in Glaslough from the 1980s right up to the 2000s. Many of Jamie’s early musical experiences came in and around his grandfather’s productions. The Monaghan musician said his grandfather brought a variety of genres together.
“I had a lot on the plate to choose from,” he said.
BARRIERS
Jamie takes a similar approach to composition as Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. He is a leading light in making classical music more accessible and hopes to break down barriers for music fans and budding composers.
“Classical music — let’s be real — seems very posh. That’s something I’m trying to completely break down. It’s not hardcore classical music that I’m doing but it’s still under the umbrella term ‘classical music’. If people give it a go I think they’ll really love it,” said Jamie.
“I’m from a little village in Monaghan, I didn’t study in these music universities. I did a few piano grades with a local teacher which was fabulous but I never had intense classical training. Yet I’m doing two sold out nights in the Concert Hall. I never thought that I could ever do that. It always seemed to be very out of touch for someone from my background.”
Jamie praised the grades system in classical music but said the rigid nature of programmes means “there’s no real room for any creativity”. This is another part of the classical music climate that Jamie hopes to change, one note at a time.
“There are so many kids in Westmeath like me a few years ago who were doing piano grades and probably didn’t want to be doing that. You have to play exactly what’s there in the book. That doesn’t really harbour a massive love for the instrument,” he said.
“There should be a little bit more room for somebody who wants to be a composer.”
You can buy tickets to Jamie’s Mullingar show here.
