Sophie is a pianist, accompanist and piano teacher based in Birr, Co. Offaly.
Her past studies include 8 years at the Royal Irish Academy of Music where she was a piano student of Therese Fahy. During her time at the Academy she was the recipient of a music scholarship, a prize winner in many in-house competitions and the winner of two solo piano competitions in the national Feis Ceoil.
Following her BA in music from Trinity College Dublin she moved to Hungary, where she completed 2 post-graduate diplomas in piano accompaniment and piano pedagogy at the Kodaly Institute of the Liszt Academy of Music. She was the recipient of a scholarship form the Balassi Institute in 2012 and 2013 and also received funding from the Arts Council of Ireland for Travel and Training abroad, 2010 – 2012.
She lived in Lyon, France for ten years where she co-founded the Kodaly music school Bouge et Chante. She was treasurer for the National French Kodaly Association, La Voix de Kodaly en France and a lecturer on their summer courses.
She has given recitals as both a soloist and accompanist in France, the UK, Hungary and Ireland. She is co-founder of the community choir Sing It! based in Birr and accompanist for the children’s choir Birr Young Voices.
Recent Gigs
Echoes of Ireland: A Century of Irish Song.
https://www.birrfestivalofmusic.com/a-century-of-irish-song
A collaboration with mezzo Clare Dixon. Sunday 5th October, 3pm, St. Brendan’s Church of Ireland, Birr.
Recent Gigs
Birr Festival of Music 2025
Pop-up recitals during the festival with soprano Breffni Fitzpatrick.
Birr Young Voices Concert, St. Brendan’s Church, Birr
Sing It! Summer Concert, Birr Castle Courtyard
Omna Voces and Cloughjordan Choir Spring Concert, 13th April
Brrrr it’s Christmas 2024– a Christmas concert with Sing It Community Choir, Birr Stage Guild Choir, soloists John Molloy and Celine Byrne.
Birr Young Voices children’s choir – Autumn concert
Sing It! Summer Concert, Birr Castle Courtyard, June 2024
Birr Festival of Music 2024
Pop-up recital with soprano Ann Hogan, Memory Lane, Birr
Birr Young Voices Concert, St. Brendan’s Church, Birr
OFFline Film Festival 2023
Silent Movie Night
Curated and performed live piano for Andrew Legge’s silent film The Unusual Inventions of Henry Cavendish and Buster Keaton’s One Week
Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival 2023
Silent Movie Night, John’s Hall, Birr
Curated and performed live music with banjo and foley artist for silent films.
Birr Vintage Week and Arts Festival 2023
Classical Evening, John’s Hall Birr
A varied programme of solo pieces, songs and duets with sopranos Clare McEvoy and Julie Shanley
Education
British Kodaly Summer Course 2023
Piano masterclasses with Dr. Orsolya Szabo
Conducting and solfege classes
Kodaly Institute of the Liszt Academy of Music, Kesckemét, Hungary
Post-graduate Diploma in Lied Accompaniment
Post-graduate Diploma in Piano Pedagogy
Trinity College Dublin
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music (Honours)
Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin
Solo piano tuition with pianist Therese Fahy
Music Theory to Advanced Grade
Kodaly Institute Summer Course, 2013 and 2014
Piano masterclasses with Dr. Orsolya Szabo
Conducting and Solfege classes