Saturday 16 August 1997 at 12.30 pm

Peter Sweeney

Born in Dublin, Peter Sweeney is a gold medalist of the College of Music and a graduate of Trinity College Dublin. He undertook advanced organ studies at the Conservatoire do Musique in Geneva, winning the Premier Prix de Vituosité, the Prix Rochette (improvisation competition) and the Prix Otto Barblan (top performance award). In 1978 he won second prize at the Manchester International Organ Competition, and since then has given recitals throughout Europe, North America and Canada. In 1989 he was invited to act as juror for the Paris Conservatoire examinations, and has appeared at festivals in Ireland, England, Austria, Germany amd Switzerland. For six years he was Artistic Director of the Dublin International Organ Festival.

Peter Sweeney is a regular soloist with the enormously popular Music in the Classroom series, performing with both the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and the the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. He also directs his own Children's Music Workshops at the National Concert Hall, where he is a curator of the organs. Peter is a lecturer at the DIT Conservatory of Music, and for eleven years was Organist and Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Recent performances include the Poulenc Organ Concerto and the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony, in addition to recordings with the Ulster Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. 1994 saw the first Irish performance of Aaron Copeland's Organ Symphony with the NSO.

Peter's USA appearances have included Washington DC, Alabama, Atlanta and the world-famouse 'Open Air Series' in San Diego's Balboa Park. In Canada he has played in Vancouver, Vernon and Victoria. In June 1997 he performed at the 150th Anniversary Recital in St Patrick's Basilica in Montreal and also in the city's Christ Church Cathedral.

Peter has given the world premiers of many solo organ works, including John Tavener's Mandelion, Confrontations in a Cathedral by Brian Boydell, John Buckley's Concerto for Organ and Orchestra and Ian Wilson's concerto for organ and orchestra Rich Harbour, part of the 1996 Dublin International Organ & Choral Festival with the National Symphony Orchestra.