Dáirine Ní Mheadhra

Dáirine Ní Mheadhra is a cellist, conductor, and founder of the Queen of Puddings Music Theatre.

Dáirine Ní Mheadhra
BornIreland
GenresOpera, contemporary
Occupation(s)Cellist, conductor, music director, theatre director
InstrumentsVioloncello

Life and works

Born in Cork (city), Ireland, Dáirine Ní Mheadhra began music lessons at the age of four.[1] She began performing with the Irish National Symphony Orchestra as a cellist at the age of 17.[2] She studied at Marseille Conservatoire after developing an interest in conducting.[3] She founded a contemporary music ensemble, Nua Nós, in 1990 along with Rosie Elliott and Michael Taylor.[4][5][3] She also studied at Pierre Monteux School before immigrating to Canada in 1993, where she married pianist John Hess.[3]

The couple co-founded the Queen of Puddings Music Theatre in 1995 with the goal of commissioning, developing and producing original Canadian opera.[6][7][1] The company produced a number of groundbreaking operas. This included the 1999 work Beatrice Chancy (1999), the first opera about Canadian slavery (with a libretto by George Elliott Clarke, music by James Rolfe, and launching the career of singer Measha Brueggergosman), as well as The Midnight Court (2005), based on the famous Gaelic poem of the same name (and featuring music by Ana Sokolovic).[8][9][10] When interviewed about the challenges of producing original work, Ní Mheadhra remarked: "We would never put on anything without thinking of its future life."[11] She was nominated for a Dora Award in 2009 for Outstanding Musical Direction, and she and Hess were co-nominated in 2012 for the Ana Sokolovic work Svadba-Wedding.[12]

The company closed in 2013, with Ní Mheadhra and Hess issuing a statement:

The end of our season in August 2013 feels like a very natural artistic ebbing point, and thus feels like the right moment to close the company. We want to conclude in a year like this, which is full of artistic pleasure, highlights, and fulfillment of our goals, with continued financial stability due to a deficit-free track record.[13]

Ní Mheadhra continued to work as a musical director in partnership with other Toronto-based theatre companies, including All But Gone: a Beckett Rhapsody in 2016.[14]

Awards

References
  1. Gooding, Wayne (Summer 2011). "Dairine Ni Mheadhra". Opera Canada. 52 (2) – via Questia.
  2. "SFOpera - Dáirine Ní Mheadhra". sfopera.com. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  3. "Ni Mheadhra, Dairine | NMC Recordings". www.nmcrec.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  4. Dervan, Michael. "Michael Dervan: What my undercover stint as a woman taught me about sexism". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  5. "Nua Nos | NMC Recordings". www.nmcrec.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  6. Ní Mheadhra, Dáirine (2013-01-06). "The Art of Making Opera with composer Ana Sokolović". THE CHARLEBOIS POST - CANADA. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  7. Terauds, John (2013-02-08). "Sad news: Toronto's Queen of Puddings Music Theatre to cease operations at end of season". Ludwig van Toronto. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  8. Kaplan, Jon (2005-06-16). "Court's vivid verdict". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  9. Everett-Green, Robert (2005-06-11). "The muck of the Irish set to music". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  10. Kareda, Urjo (2000-01-24). "Soprano's voice instrument of sorcery". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  11. Everett-Green, Robert (2000-10-10). "The selling of new opera". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  12. "Dora Awards -Nominees". Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts.
  13. Taylor, Kate (2013-04-10). "Making way for new blood in Canada's performing arts scene (without killing the old guard)". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  14. "Meet The Musical Director: Dáirine Ní Mheadhra". Necessary Angel Theatre Co. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  15. "Queen of Puddings director wins $50K Molson Prize". CBC News. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  16. John, Therauds (2012-05-31). "Arts portion of Canada Council Molson Prize awarded to Queen of Puddings co-founder". Ludwig van Toronto. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
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