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It was noticeable right from the start in Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks Concerto which was played with such outstanding clarity and individual nuance and color in the winds that it sounded fresh and bright .... with a wicked sense of humor – and the musicians responded with glee to the music's circus atmosphere.

* * * *

Laurence Wittes, Bachtrack (Review of  Ulster Orchestra online concert, 2021)

SINEAD HAYES

 

Royal Philharmonic Society Women's Conducting Programme (Excel) 24-25

Conductor: Royal Irish Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra

Irish orchestral conductor Sinead Hayes has forged a career conducting symphonic and opera repertoire, with strong experience in contemporary music and a particular interest in the work of established and emerging Irish composers. 

 

Creativity, collaboration and empowerment are at the centre of her work.

 

After a decade of focussing on contemporary music, the 2024/25 season sees Sinead refocus on conducting orchestral and operatic repertoire, with returns to Ulster Orchestra, Irish National Opera (Guest Chorus Master on Rigoletto), Branar Theatre Company and the Fews Ensemble. She will also work as assistant conductor with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, assisting conductor Dinis Sousa on Tippett's A Child of our Time

 

23/24 was Sinead's 10th and final season as conductor of Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble (HRSE) in Belfast with whom she premiered over 70 new works by Irish and international composers. She returns to the ensemble as a guest conductor this season. She is in her fourth season as conductor of the Royal Irish Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Excel Women’s Conducting Programme 2024-25, working with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Newcastle.

Sinead was a Britten Pears Young Artist 2023/24, participating in the Royal Opera House/Britten Pears Conductor as Dramaturg International Conductor’s course in August 2023 with Sian Edwards & Kanako Abe.  In February 2022 Sinead was appointed principal guest conductor of Galway's Luminosa Orchestra for two seasons.

 

She has worked with all the major professional orchestras in Ireland including the Ulster Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra & National Symphony Orchestra. In opera she has conducted productions for Northern Ireland Opera, Irish National Opera and Opera Collective Ireland. She has also been invited as guest conductor with the Orquestra do Algarve, as well as working in masterclass with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Bochumer Symphoniker, Argovia Philharmonic, and others.

She completed her MMus in conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music and her BMus in violin and composition at City University, London. Sinead also participated in masterclasses with Johannes Schlaefli, Sylvain Cambreling & Sir Roger Norrington among others. In 2014 she was one of three finalists in the Interaktion Conducting Workshop, chosen by the players of the Critical Orchestra Berlin (leader: Lothar Strauss), whose players are drawn from the Berlin Staatskapelle and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. She has worked as assistant conductor to James Lowe (Halle Harmony Orchestra), Alex Ingram (British Youth Opera), André de Ridder (Irish National Opera) and others.

As well as being active as a violinist in chamber ensembles, leading the Ivernia string Quartet and solstrek strings, Sinead is also a professional level Irish traditional fiddle player, and in 2017 performed alongside members of the Berliner Philharmoniker in two of the orchestra’s family concerts in the Philharmonie, Berlin. She is fascinated by the links between folk music and the orchestral canon, and brings a fresh, unique perspective to the symphonic repertoire.

Sinead was invited as a participant in the Darmstadt Summer Course Words on Music workshop with Kate Molleson and Peter Meanwell (August 2023) where she had the opportunity to delve into the work and music of composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton. As part of her explorations into large scale improvised ensemble repertoire, Sinead regularly plays with the QUBe Ensemble, Queen’s University, developing her own violin improvisation skills.

Sinead divides her time between Belfast and Dublin, while maintaining strong links with her native Galway.

To read Sinead's full biography and discover her forthcoming projects, visit the links below.

2023/24 CONDUCTING PERFORMANCES

VIDEOS

Conducting, Project & Interview Videos

Dmitri Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony Op. 110a (Excerpt) Conductor: Sinéad Hayes: Luminosa Orchestra
PIERROT LUNAIRE (Op. 21) - Arnold Schoenberg | Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble | Sarah Richmond
The Luminosa String Orchestra - Seóirse Bodley, Music for Strings
Conductor Sinead Hayes | Green Room
The Luminosa String Orchestra - Samuel Coleridge Taylor, Four Novelletten
Jane O'Leary: Strings in the Air, Songs in the Stones: Luminosa Orchestra: Conductor: Sinéad Hayes
Elizabeth Maconchy – Nocturne for Orchestra | Conducted by Sinead Hayes
REVOLVER (2020) - Ed Bennett

KEY INTERESTS AS A CONDUCTOR

WORKING WITH THE COMPOSERS OF OUR TIMES TO PERFORM THEIR WORK AND ENSURE FURTHER PERFORMANCES

THE CREATIVE CONDUCTOR...

As well as conducting, Sinead maintains her interest in many aspects of music and musical life. Here is a selection of Sinead's recent writings and projects around music. 

For a more detail on Sinead's creative interests (including conducting, violin, improvisation and composition!) check out The Creative Conductor, her blog on Substack. Why not subscribe for regular updates....

Image by Aaron Burden
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Image by Julia Joppien

WRITING: NSO & CMC COMPOSER LAB 2023

Composing for full symphony orchestra must surely be at the top of any budding composer’s wish list.....Read Sinead's musings on the 2023 Composer Lab Workshop

WRITING & AUDIO: ANTHONY BRAXTON AT DARMSTADT

At the age of 78, Anthony Braxton was invited to Darmstadt for the first time. Sinead spent three days watching him work with the very first Darmstadt Creative Orchestra...

EXPERIMENT:
TANGLETRAD - MESSING WITH THE TRADITION

Inspired by the creativity and irreverence of Darmstadt 2023, Sinead developed a toolkit for breaking beyond the boundaries and exploring new sonic possibilities in Irish Traditional Music...

COACHING...

Intrinsic to her work as a conductor is Sinead's work as a coach, workshop leader and mentor... She has developed a holistic approach to this work, drawing on her experience as a high level violinist, conductor and engineer. 


When schedule allows, Sinead coaches professional musicians, singers, composers and talented music students who want to develop their conducting and performance skills with a creative approach to sound, structure and drama.

Chess

COMPOSERS: LEARN TO THINK LIKE A CONDUCTOR (ONLINE & IN PERSON - BELFAST)

Image by RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist

CREATIVE MUSICIANSHIP COACHING FOR ADVANCED INSTRUMENTALISTS, SINGERS & MUSIC STUDENTS

As a composer...

It can be difficult to separate yourself from your work, to take a step back and think about it objectively. 
In these sessions (75 mins per session) we look at preparing a piece by Schoenberg and Stravinsky as a conductor. You then take these skills, apply them to your own work, and we discuss possible changes as a result - musical, gestural, notational etc.

As a singer or instrumentalist....

It is easy to get lost in the technical issues of just getting the notes right! Your regular teacher is probably doing an excellent job with this aspect, but sometimes there isn't time to take a step back and think about the music you are performing from multiple angles! This is where I can help!! Together we will explore possibilities of phrasing, line, dramatic arc, rhythmic vitality to give you new perspectives on your performance.

More Creative Projects here...

JOIN SINEAD'S MAILING LIST

To hear about Sinead's concerts, projects and ideas to change the world, sign up for our seasonal newsletter!!

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Photo Credit (Top):  Neil Harrison

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