Full-Time Faculty

Ronan is a bassist, composer and an acknowledged innovator in the area of rhythmic technique. He has toured extensively in Europe, Asia, and America, performing with such artists as Dave Liebman, Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano, Kenny Wheeler, Brad Mehldau, John Abercrombie, Benny Golson, and Jim McNeely. Ronan's book, "Creative Rhythmic Concepts for Jazz Improvisation", is now seen as the standard text for the teaching of advanced rhythmic techniques. He has taught this at many schools around the world including Berklee College of Music, The New School, and is an associate Artist of the Royal Academy of Music in London. As a composer he has written a vast body of work for both jazz and classical ensembles, from pieces for solo violin to three-movement works for symphony orchestra. less

Patrice was born in France and started playing Saxophone at the age of 10. He began his professional career in 1996 with the great Orchestre International Bernard Becker. Since in Ireland, he studied Jazz at Newpark Music Centre and graduated with an Honours Diploma in Jazz Performance from the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama.Since then, he has performed with guitarist Louis Stewart, the Commitments, Fuzzy Logic Ensemble, Dublin City Jazz Orchestra and Havana Ché, as well as Dublin Symphony Orchestra and UCD Orchestra. As a composer/arranger, Patrice has written for the Rise Saxophone Quartet, Migration lead by pianist German Lema (Argentina) , and for his own jazz quartet and sextet. less

Cormac started playing bass at the age of 16 and after studying music in school he went on to study full time in Newpark Music Centre. In 2004 he studied composition with Ronan Guilfoyle and in 2006 Cormac completed a BA in Jazz Performance with 1st class honours. He has since been a full time member of the faculty at the Newpark Music Centre. Cormac has continued to study with a range of teachers including Scott Colley, Drew Gress, Curtis Lundy, Dave Liebman, and Steve Coleman. Cormac is one of Dublin's busiest bassists and he has performed and recorded with many of Ireland's finest musicians, such as Louis Stewart, Tommy Halferty, Michael Buckley, Hugh Buckley, The Kai Big Band, The Zoid Ensemble, Lunfardia, Yurodny. He has also played with a range of international artists such as Bobby Watson, Jamie Baum, Dave Allen, Ryan Quigley, and Bruce Adams. He has held the bass chair in the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra since its inception and also co-founded the group Rhythm Method, for whom he also composes. less

Phil's career as a pianist and jazz educator has taken him throughout Europe and as far afield as America, Asia and the Middle East. His long-standing piano trio, completed by Newpark faculty members Dave Redmond and Kevin Brady, was chosen to represent Ireland at the 2008 Eurojazz Festival in Mexico City. As a sideman, he has played with international figures such as Guy Barker, Peter Ind, Ian Shaw, Gene Caldarazzo and heroes of the Acid Jazz revival, Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers. His skills as a particularly sensitive accompanist are well-noted. Not only have they led to many engagements as musical director for live performances and studio recordings, they also form the foundation of the jazz ethos he teaches. less

David plays Double and Electric Bass. He studied in the Newpark Music Centre for three years (1999-2002) and in NYC (summer 2003) at the School for Improvisational Music. He started work as a professional musician in 2001 playing with Irish and international musicians such as Michael, Richie and Hugh Buckley, Phil Ware Trio, Guy Barker, Yurodny, Kevin Brady trio featuring Bill Carrothers, Dave Liebman, Van Morrison, Conor Guilfoyle, Jesse Van Ruller, Bobby Wellins, Louis Stewart, Jason Rigby, Dave Geraghty group, Cormac Kevevey group, Ian Shaw, Scott Hamilton. David appears on over 15 albums of established Irish and international artists and performs in Ireland and abroad in such places as Euro Jazz festival Mexico, Dubai Jazz festival, Ronnie Scotts London as part of the Ian Shaw Septet, Europe and the U.S. less

Derek has been heavily involved in the Dublin Jazz scene in both teaching and performing formats for the best part of a decade. He has played consistently with many of the leading jazz musicians all over the country and has more recently been playing in some of the U.K's more recognized Jazz Venues. He is also involved in many of the Dublin Jazz scene's more experimental Jazz groups, many of which experiment extensively with unconventional approaches to Rhythm and Harmony. These groups include The Troupe, Redivider and The Fuzzy Logic Ensemble. less

Drummer/producer Kevin Brady has been performing professionally for 17 years. He has studied in New York with Kim Plainfield and Bobby Sanabrias; In 2008 in Havana, Cuba with Jose Eladio. Other teachers have included Jeff Ballard, Matt Wilson, Ben Perowsky, Elliot Zigmund. He has performed with artists such as : Ronnie Cuber (Baritone Sax) Bobby Watson (alto sax.) Ulf Wakenius (Guitar) Giovanni Mirabassi (Piano) Brian Kelloch (Piano). He has performed worldwide in the The Sydney Opera House, Ronnie Scotts, Utsav Festival - India, Euro Jazz Festival , Copenhagen Jazz Festival, South Africa & numerous New York City clubs. In 2008, he was endorsed by the cymbal manufacturer, Bosphorus. Brady is signed to Fresh Sounds New Talent Records who represent his piano trio featuring Bill Carrothers (U.S.) less

Conor Guilfoyle began playing drums at age 13. In 1983 Conor went to study at Drummers Collective in New York where his teachers included Michael Carvin, Horace Arnold and Frank Malabe. From there Conor won a scholarship to the prestigious jazz programme at the Banff College of Fine Arts in Canada directed by bassist Dave Holland.
Conor's played and recorded alongside John Abercrombie, Larry Coryell, David Liebman, Sonny Fortune, Pat la Barbara, Ronnie Cuber, Joe Lovano. Pianists: Kenny Werner, Jim McNeilly, Mark Levine, Mal Waldron, John Taylor and Enrico Pierranunzi. Conor has directed 3 Latin groups, "Havana 'che" "Havana Son" and "A night in Havana" along with the Newpark Music Centre Student Latin Jazz Big Band. He is a member of Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers European touring band and has also toured with Cuban trumpeter Bobby Carcasses. A co-founder of the jazz programmes at Newpark Music Centre, Conor has lectured in many leading colleges worldwide including Berklee College of Music; the New School; Tufts University; Drummers Collective; The Royal Conservatory; The Bruckner Conservatory; The Rhythmic School; The American School of Jazz; Folkhogskola Skurups, The Lucerne School of Jazz, among others. He is the Author of 2 books, "Odd Meter Clave for drumset" and "Rhythmic Reading For Drummers" both published by Advance Music. less

After completing a BA in Jazz Performance at Newpark Music Centre in Dublin in 2008, Matthew travelled to Switzerland where he studied at Lucerne University's renowned jazz department for a Masters of Arts in Music Performance Degree (1st Class Hons). In 2004 he received a scholarship to attend the Summer Performance Programme at Berklee College of Music, Boston and in 2007 he attended the SIM summer intensive workshops at the Centre for Improvisational Music, New York. He has studied privately with Jim Black, Gerry Hemingway and Gerald Cleaver, has attended masterclasses with Jason Moran, Steve Coleman, Tim Berne and Vijay Iyer among others and in 2010 spent one month in Chennai, India, studying the region's traditional Carnatic music under the tutelage of Dr. KSS Subramanian. As well as playing and composing for his own band 'RedivideR', Matthew is a co-leader in the Germany-based 'ORIGAMI Quartet', the Swiss-based 'Blowout Fracture' and has also performed with some of Ireland's finest musicians including Ronan Guilfoyle, Michael Buckley and Louis Stewart. Internationally Matthew has performed with saxophonist Evan Parker (UK), trumpeter Peter Evans (USA), violinist Mark Feldman (USA), the Niels Klein Quartet (Germany), George Kontrafouris (Greece) and in 2008 was Ireland's representative in the European Jazz Orchestra, which toured Europe extensively. less

Shane is a Dublin based drummer and producer. Currently very active on the Dublin jazz scene, Shane is involved in a number of projects alongside some of Ireland's leading jazz musicians. These include Mike Nielsen's Frisk Verden; The Dublin City Jazz Orchestra; The Hugh Buckley Quartet; Rhythm Method; Dennis Wyers' Rhombus; The So-Young Yoon Quartet; Peter Dobai Quartet. He has also worked with many top international musicians such as Guy Barker, John Stowell, Greg Osby, Greg Burke, and Loren Stillman, to name a few. Early on in his career Shane developed a keen interest in electronic music. After many years spent creating electronic productions Shane has amassed a vast repertoire ranging from melodic ambient to abstract experimental beats and soundscapes. Upcoming electronic music releases include an EP on the Dublin based Label Kaboogie and a track on the second Elektron users compilation "Machine". less

Chris is an up and coming guitar player on the Irish jazz scene. He studied at Berklee College of Music - where he was awarded a scholarship from Fender Guitars, the Jazz and Improvised Music Salzburg conference in Austria, and at the International Association of Schools of Jazz in The Netherlands. Chris has been actively performing in the Dublin Music scene for more than 7 years and has also performed along side jazz luminaries Dave Liebman, George Contrafouris and Reggie Workman. less

Tommy has been playing guitar for the last 30 years and in that time he has gained a wealth of experience performing with musicians from all over the world. He has performed in France, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Argentina with such luminaries including Benny Golson, Lee Konitz, George Mraz, Ronnie Cuber and Martial Solal. Tommy has been guest lecturer at Berklee College Boston, Conservatoire de Paris, Conservatoire Salon de Provence and Conservatoire Saint-Brieuc, France. Tommy has taught English and Classics Studies in Coolmine Community School and is a critic on the French writer, Albert Camus. Tommy has a Irish trio with Ronan Guilfoyle (bass) and Conor Guilfoyle (drums); has recorded 3 CDs with The Keith Copeland, 'In Two' with guitarist, Mike Nielsen, 'Breathing the Air' and 'Anda'. Tommy is also part of two French groups - Irish French Connection with Jean-Philippe Lavergne (organ) and Christophe Lavergne (drums) and Orgham with Mario Canonge (piano) Michel Zenino (bass) and Stepane Foucher (drums). Tommy plays regularly in Jazz festivals and jazz clubs in France. less

Shane is a guitarist, composer and teacher based in Dublin. As an active musician on Dublin's creative music scene he performs with a variety of groups on a regular basis including Jenna Harris Quintet and Rhythm Method. He has attended the Banff Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music and the School for Improvisational Music in New York. He has received a B.A. in Jazz Performance and has also completed an MMus in Performance. He is a founder member of Bottlenote, a collective of creative musicians based in Dublin responsible for programming concerts of jazz, improvised and new music. less

Originally trained as a classical pianist from a young age, Linda subsequently developed an interest in jazz and began studying at Newpark Music Centre. She holds a Licentiate Diploma and BA(Hons) in Jazz Performance. Since graduating, she has been much in demand as a teacher, and as a performer has recorded and toured extensively with various groups. She is an active member of the Dublin jazz scene, appearing with various ensembles, including the Dublin City Jazz Orchestra and the Essential Big Band, and composes for and performs with her own piano trio. She has a keen interest in contemporary classical music, and is currently pursuing an Associate Diploma in performance. less

Greg is a pianist and composer working in Ireland in recent years. He holds a diploma in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre and a Masters in Composition from Waterford Institute of Technology. He furthered his expertise in many areas through studying with innovators such as Dave Liebman in the USA, Dave Douglas in Banff, Canada and Dr. K.S. Subramaniam in Chennai, India. He was commissioned to write and perform a large-scale piece for the RTÉ Living Music Festival in 2007 with the group White Rocket. Performance highlights with the Greg Felton Trio and White Rocket include performances at 2009 Macedonian Biennale, New Delhi in November 2009, a US tour in February 2009, and Mexico City in March 2007. Support slots include Charles Lloyd, Dave Douglas and Steve Coleman. less

Colm grew up in Dublin, where he studied classical music in the Royal Irish Academy, and Jazz in Newpark Music Centre. He later moved to Holland to study in the Royal Conservatory, The Hague, where he obtained an honours degree in Jazz performance. He also attended the Music Hochschule, Luzern, Switzerland for 6 months where he studied with world-renowned trombonist Nils Wogram. Now back in Ireland, Colm enjoys playing many different styles of music, and whilst his own groups concentrate on spontaneously composed music and free improvisation, he is involved in groups playing Eastern-European folk music and contemporary and traditional Jazz music. He is involved with groups in Dublin, Berlin and Copenhagen, and frequently performs and tours in the UK. In 2009 Colm was appointed director of Kilbride and Lakeside music school. less

Bill is a trumpet player/composer who has worked professionally in Ireland for the last ten years. He has a degree in Music from Trinity College Dublin and in addition to this has studied with renowned trumpet players Kenny Wheeler and Dave Douglas. His live and recording work spans a wide range of styles from classic/contemporary jazz to pop, Irish traditional and electronic music - this has seen him perform recently in London, Istanbul and Sydney. His composing has been mainly for small band jazz ensembles with one large-scale piece commissioned for the short-lived 'Kai Big Band'. less

Jenna is a singer/ band leader/ music teacher based in Dublin. She studied in Newpark Music Centre in Dublin, and achieved an honours degree in Jazz performance at the same time making history by being the first woman to hold a degree in Jazz Performance in Ireland. On completion of her studies she has been teaching on the BA course at the school. As well as teaching in Newpark on the BA she is involved with youth groups and has been teaching in Waltons school of music since 2006. Jenna performs widely with the Jenna Harris Quintet/Quartet/Trio/Duo, and as a session musician with various other groups. less

Marie Séférian is the daughter of a chamber musician and a French chanson singer. In 2006 Marie moved to Berlin to study at the Jazz Institute in Berlin with Judy Nimack, Peter Weniger and David Friedman. While in Berlin Marie was part of the German Yamaha Big Band vocal group, conducted by Peter Herbolzheimer. In 2009 her trio 'Gerry Getz Chet' took part in a tour of Chile organized by the Goethe Institute who also organized a tour in the Lebanon with her quartet in 2010. In 2009 she gained a scholarship from the 'Live Music Now' society. She also sang for the soundtrack of the German movie "Freche Mädchen 2". In 2009 she took part in an exchange with the Royal Conservatory Brussels where she took lessons with John Ruocco. Marie's quartet won first prize in the Berlin Jazz Awards in September 2009. Marie's first album with originals came out in May 2010 on the Jazz Label Mons Records. In 2010 Marie moved to Switzerland to complete her Masters with Lauren Newton and Nils Wogram. In 2011 her trio, 'Gerry getz Chet' released an album on the Jazz label Octason Records followed by another Chilean tour. In summer 2011 Marie won the 3rd prize in the international Voice Competition in Zory, Poland. less

Ellen started her professional career as a freelance flautist with the National Symphony Orchestra, The RTE Concert Orchestra, and many other chamber orchestras and ensembles. She has composed music for many theatre and dance companies, amongst them Coiscéim Dance Theatre, Rough Magic, B*spoke, The National Theatre, and the St. Patricks Day Festival. She has also written scores for several TV and radio documentaries. In 2004 she began presenting the flagship traditional music show, Grace Notes, on RTE Lyric FM, and she has created and presented many radio documentaries for both Lyric and RTE Radio 1. Ellen has produced a number of film documentaries, most notably 88 STRINGS ATTACHED, for Al Jazeera Television, and DUN LAOGHAIRE-LIFE IN THE DAY, a silent film with live music by Ronan Guilfoyle, performed by Métier.

Click on the video link for her theme music for TG4 series, Ros na Rún less

Andrew Csibi began playing music at the age of 5, attending the College of Music Dublin where he studied both the piano and trumpet. While there he was a regular prizewinner in several piano and trumpet competitions and won 1st prize in the trumpet competition in the Feis Ceoil. A member of both the Dublin Youth Orchestras and the Junior National Youth Orhestra, he performed around Ireland from an early age, including many concerts at the National Concert Hall. In 1998 he began studying the electric and double bass and was awarded a Diploma from the Guildhall School of Music London. Andrew also studied Double Bass at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and achieved distinction and scholarships at the annual exams. More recently he was awarded a First Class Honours Degree in Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre. Along with his commitment to teachingÊAndrew is now a regular performer on IrelandÕs Jazz scene. less

Japanese born but Irish resident pianist Izumi has performed extensively as a solo, orchestral and chamber musician. She is active in both fields of classical and improvised music and has worked with some of the leading performers and ensembles from both disciplines including the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, the RTE Concert Orchestra, the Crash Ensemble, Music 21, Michael D'arcy, Ioana Petcu-Colan, Ken Edge, Benjamin Dwyer, Cora Venus Lunny from the world of classical music and with Ronan Guilfoyle, Julian Arguelles, Tommy Halferty, Ed Neumeister, Stéphane Payen and Sarah Buechi from the jazz world. Izumi has given many premiere performances of contemporary music including pieces especially written for her by some of the leading Irish composers. Her solo album of Japanese and Irish contemporary pieces is available from Diatribe Records. less

Tenor and soprano saxophonist Daniel Rorke has lived and worked in Sydney, Melbourne, Iceland, Norway and New York. He recently relocated to Dublin from Trondheim, Norway where he completed his Masters in Jazz Performance at NTNU Jazzlinja. He also holds a Bachelor in Jazz Performance with first class honours from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Rorke has studied both performance and composition extensively, learning from some well known artists such as Jerry Bergonzi, Kenny Werner, Terje Bj¿rklund, Henning Sommer¿, Victor Morosco, Gordon Brisker, Mike Nock, Dale Barlow, Bill Motzing, Dave Panichi and Richard Toop.

His performance career has included work with musicians such as Hilmar Jensson, Per Oddvar Johansen, Rune Nergaard, Samuel Jon Samuelsson (Sigur Ros), Sygtryygr Baldurson (Sugar Cubes) Oskar Gudjonsson, Siggi Floasson, Lasse Lindgren, Alister Spence, Andrew Gander, Matt Clohesy, Will Guthrie and many others.

Notable concert appearances include the Trondheim Jazz Festival, the Jazz Cafe in London, Acton Jazz Cafe in Boston, Moods in Zurich, Central Park Summer Stage in New York, BennettÕs Lane in Melbourne, The Reykjavik Jazz festival in Iceland, Groningen Festival in the Nederland, The Darwin Festival in Australia, the Sydney Opera House, and many other clubs and festivals in Europe, the United States, and the antipodes.

Recent recordings San'an and The Mismeasure of Man are available through Satu Musikk. less

Dylan is a composer of many genres. He founded award winning jazz orchestra Fuzzy Logic Ensemble and has made two albums of his music with them. Dylan has scored music for theatre, an award winning short film and became involved in electro-acoustic composition and surround sound through his masters in music technology from Trinity college. He has also received commissions to write for contemporary classical ensembles, including sax and string quartets. Dylan is represented by both the Contemporary music centre and the Improvised music centre, and has recently completed a Doctorate in original composition with composer John Godfrey, in U.C.C. less

Bonnie is a drummer, composer, music teacher and band-leader active in the Dublin jazz scene. Since completing her Honours BA in Jazz Performance at Newpark Music Centre, Bonnie has furthered her studies in New York with jazz innovators such as Tom Rainey, Ralph Alessi and Drew Gress. She was also awarded a full scholarship in 2008 to attend Berklee School of Music in Boston, as well as participating in a jazz and improvised music workshop in Salzburg Austria, with the influential drummer Jim Black as her mentor. Presently leading her own sextet Roofio, Bonnie also performs with the Riona Sally Hartman group. less

Francesco is a pianist, accordionist and percussionist. He left his native Italy in 1997 to study jazz piano and early music in The Hague royal conservatory, where he obtained a bachelor and a master's degree. In 2006 he moved to Dublin where he is currently resident and very active as a performer and teacher. Francesco performs regularly with his Irish-Mediterranean ensemble Tarab and with his jazz piano trio. He is also a member of other important Irish ensembles such as Yurodny (Balkan Jazz), eX early music ensemble, Morisca (medieval music), Hamsa (sephardic and contemporary music). He has collaborated and performed with many artists from the jazz, early music and world music scenes: Dave Liebman, Furio Di Castri, Gianluigi Trovesi, Gabriele Mirabassi, Maria Pia de Vito, Theodosii Spassov, John Ruocco, The King's Singers, Pepe el Habichuela, Lucilla Galeazzi, Bijan Chemirani, Zohar Fresco, Pedram Khavar Zamini. less