Newpark Festival 2027 presents...
Our Adjudicators
We are delighted to present this year's adjudicators for Festival 2027! Please see below more information about all of our adjudicators for our competitions.
String Competitions
Lynda O'Connor
Lynda O'Connor is one of the finest Irish violinists of her generation. She made her début appearance at the National Concert Hall, Dublin when she was just four years old. Subsequently, Lynda has enjoyed a busy performing career throughout Ireland, Europe, Asia and the USA.
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Lynda's soloist career features many memorable performances including Mozart Sinfonie Concertante with Nobuko Imai and Bach Double Violin Concerto with Chee Yun Kim, alongside Camerata Ireland. In 2016, she performed as a soloist with Giles Apape and the International Mahler Orchestra at a Menhuin Tribute concert in Frankfurt. In 2024 Lynda was invited to perform for Prince Albert of Monaco. More recent performances include Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Simfonua, Dublin Orchestral Players, Greystones Orchestra and the Orchestra of Ireland.
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In May 2024, Lynda made herdebut as a Naxos recording artist with the release of the album Folk Tales 2, alongside cellist Gerals Peregrine and pianist Antony Ingham. On Augusst 2nd of 2026, Lynda's debut solo album The Irish Seasons was released by AVIE Records with a recording of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" and a new commission by Irish Composer Aibhe McDonagh, "The Irish Four Seasons,' produced by multi-Grammy Award Winner, Judith Sherman.
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Lynda performs on a Gand and Bernardel violin from 1891.
Piano Competitions
Réamonn Keary
Réamonn Keary studied piano with Gerard Shanahan in Limerick, John O'Conor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and with Leonid Brumberg in Vienna. Réamonn is a highly regarded chamber musician and has performed and recorded with many of the country's top instrumentalists. He has appeared as a soloist with RTÉ Concert Orchestra and performed recitals in the UK, Berlin, Beijing and Shanghai.
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Over the years, he has curated and performed in numerous chamber music concert series which he built around the music of contemporary Irish composers and has brought many world premier performances to the stage. His most recent performances have been with cellist Annette Cleary, actor Barry McGovern and with fellow piano professors in the Dublin Piano Series at the RIAM.
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Réamonn is closely associated with the RIAM's Local Centre examination system, having served as the Chairman of the Senior Examiners for many years. In association with RTÉ Lyric FM, his Piano keys podcast series won second place in the New York Festivals International Radio Awards in 2012. He is also in much demand as an adjudicator and as an external examiner for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Dr. Conor Linehan
Bio TBR.
Concerto and Repertoire Competitions
Mia Cooper
Mi Cooper studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Yossi Zivoni, and completed her studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris.
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After graduating, Mia joined the Royal Philoharmonic Orchestra, then the City of London Sinfonia, and has since been in demand as a guest leader with orchestras at home and abroad.
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Mia joined the RTÉ Concert Orchestra as Leader in 2006, and in the same year, joined the. violin faculty at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Teaching and chamber music are equal passions and with the Esposito quartet, Mia undertakes annual national tours aided by the National String Quartet Foundation.
Wind and Brass Competitions
Ciarán O'Connell
Ciarán O'Connell is a lecturer in flute performance at TU Dublin Conservatoire.
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In the early part of his career, he was a very busy freelance flute player, playing regularly with the NSO, RTÉCO ICO and in pit orchestras for any musical theatre and opera productions in Dublin theatres. He has performed in various orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout Ireland, and in Germany, France, UK and USA.
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Ciarán has a passion for teaching, his students range from beginners through to Masters level, and is regularly invited to adjudicate and examine at music festivals and schools throughout the country.
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From the early stages of his flute playing, Ciarán has had a love of chamber music and has played in duos with guitar, harp, along in wind quintets. Additionally, for many years he has played with the organist Siobhán Kilkelly.
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Performances include Kilkenny Arts Festival, the NCH, Áras an Uachtaráin and flute and organ recitals in Dún Laoghaire, Galway, Limerick, Tullamore, Saint Mary's Pro-cathedra, the Unitarian Church, Saint Stephen's The Peppercanister and Summer Music Sandford.
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Ciarán is delighted to be invited to adjudicate at the next Newpark Festival.
Chamber Music Competitions
Ciarán O'Connell
Ciarán O'Connell is a lecturer in flute performance at TU Dublin Conservatoire.
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In the early part of his career, he was a very busy freelance flute player, playing regularly with the NSO, RTÉCO ICO and in pit orchestras for any musical theatre and opera productions in Dublin theatres. He has performed in various orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout Ireland, and in Germany, France, UK and USA.
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Ciarán has a passion for teaching, his students range from beginners through to Masters level, and is regularly invited to adjudicate and examine at music festivals and schools throughout the country.
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From the early stages of his flute playing, Ciarán has had a love of chamber music and has played in duos with guitar, harp, along in wind quintets. Additionally, for many years he has played with the organist Siobhán Kilkelly.
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Performances include Kilkenny Arts Festival, the NCH, Áras an Uachtaráin and flute and organ recitals in Dún Laoghaire, Galway, Limerick, Tullamore, Saint Mary's Pro-cathedra, the Unitarian Church, Saint Stephen's The Peppercanister and Summer Music Sandford.
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Ciarán is delighted to be invited to adjudicate at the next Newpark Festival.
Vocal Competitions
Dr. Sandra Oman-Farren
Sandra Oman is a Dublin-born soprano, researcher and producer. She was appointed head of Vocal, Opera and Drama at TU Dublin Conservatoire in October 2025.
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As The 2004 recipient of the Margaret Burke Sheridan Memorial Award for excellence in the field of opera, Sandra has performed extensively in opera and concert in Ireland, UK, USA, Italy, Germany, Faroe Islands, Latvia and Poland, and has interpreted over 40 operatic roles on stage. Roles for Opera Ireland at the Gaiety Theatre include: Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Despina in Così Fan Tutte, Tisbe La Cenrentola, Kitty Hart inDead Man Walking, Eunice Hubbell in A Streetcar Named Desire, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Tebaldo in Don Carlo, Clotilde in Norma, and Rychtarka in Jenufa; while for Lyric Opera at the NCH, she has interpreted Gilda Rigoletto, Susanna Le Nozze di Figaro, Liù Turandot, Musetta La Bohème, Micaëla Carmen, Anna Nabucco, High Priestess Aida, Dew Fairy/Sandman Hansel and Gretel, Suor Genovieva Suor Angelica, First Lady Die Zauberflöte.
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She has two number one albums on iTunes to her credit, Liberty and Noël, which she launched at sell-out concerts at the NCH. She has performed with both the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Combined Bands of the Defence Forces. A frequent broadcaster on radio and television, Sandra was invited to performed at Áras an Uachtaráin for His Excellency, President Michael D. Higgins. An Irish Research Council Government of Ireland scholar, she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy for her research on the embodiment and execution of Puccini's Manon Lescaut. She is now a published author, contributing a chapter to the distinguished Brepols (Belgium) publication, The Body in Musical Performance: Knowledge, Gesture and Identity.
Dr. Sylvia O Brien
Sylvia O'Brien is an Irish soprano whose international career encompasses opera, concert repertoire, chamber music and contemporary music. Renowned for her vocal versatility, dramatic intelligence and fearless musicianship, she has established herself as one of Ireland's leading sopranos.
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She made her professional breakthrough as the Governess n Britten's The Turn of the Screw, reprising the role with English Touring Opera at the Buxton Festival. Her operatic repertoire has since included the titles roles in Die Entführung, Jenůfa, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan Tutte, Luciadi Turandot, and 2026/27 makes her debut as Brünnhilde in Wagner'sDie Walküre and Götterdämmerung.
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Her concert repertoire ranges from Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Verdi, Rossini, Strauss, Berlioz, Orff, and Shostakovich to contemporary works by Feldman, Nono, Vivier and others. She has performed with national and international orchestras including RTÉ Concert Orchestra, NSO, NDR Radio Philharmonie, Ulster Orchestra, and Irish ChamberOrchestra, with international appearances including Carnegie Hall and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
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A founding member of Evlana, Ireland's contemporary sinfonietta ensemble, O'Brien has premiered numerous works by leading Irish and international composers. She is Professor of Voice at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where she teaches vocal technique, French mélodie and contemporary repertoire. She holds a Doctor of Music from Trinity College Dublin.
Harp Competitions
Geraldine O Doherty
Geraldine O'Doherty enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher. She is the Principal harpist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and teaches concert and Irissh harp at the Royal Academy of Music.
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As n active chamber musician who is keen to expand the repertoire for concert harp, Geraldine has premiered works by Irish based composers including John Buckley, Philip Martin, Eric Sweeney, Gerard Victory, James Wilson, Linda Buckley, Garrett Sholdice, Kevin O'Connell, Anselm McDonnell and Catherina Schembri. She has recorded several albums of chamber music, with five featuring new arrangements for violin, cello and harp with violinist David O'Doherty and cellist Moya O'Grady. She also recorded an album with flute, viola and harp trio, Triocca, on the Lyric FM label. and two albums on the Ergodoslabel with Ficino Ensemble. Geraldine has also recorded several new works for harpand mixed choir with the UCD Choral Scholars for Signum Records, and an album with Breathe Upon the Flame Ensemble featuring Eimear Quinn. Recent projects include a album with Jazz trumpet virtuoso, Mike Lovatt, to be released in 2026.
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Geraldine has performed at Killaloe Festival, Chamber Music on Valentia and the Narrow Water Arts Festival in Ireland, and Harrogate Festival, Perth Festival and the BBC Proms in the UK.
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Geraldine studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and Hochscule fur Musik in Zurich with the eminent French harpist, Catherine Michel. During her studies, she won the Kiwanis Musikpreis in Zurich, and second price at the Reinl International Harp Competition in Munich.
Guitar Competitions
Dr. Michael O Toole
Dr. Michael O'Toole is one of the leading guitarists in Ireland today. He has performed all over the world to great acclaim and has worked with many other world-class musicians and ensembles. He completed his PhD in 2018 in the Conservatory of Music and Drama at Dublin Institute of Technology. In 2019 Michael published the book John Williams: CHanging the Culture of the Classical Guitar, with Routledge Publishers and has given numerous papers and seminars around the world about the work of John ±Williams.
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THroughout his career, Michael has balanced his busy performing schedule with an active role in promoting the instrument at home and abroad. He spent three yeaors as Artistic Director of The Waltons Guitar Festival, in Dublin and in 2007, was curator of the ChordFestival, which brought an array of excellent musicians including John Williams to Ennis, Co. Clare. Michael is currently a director of the prestigious Kilkenny Arts Festival.
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Michael has recordedthe solo CD, Invocation, which still recieves regular airplay on Lyric FM and RTÉ Radio 1. He is well-known for collaborating with others and has worked with many different groups such as RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, The Opera Theatre Company, Musici Ireland, The Dublin guitar Quartet, The Callino Quartet and many others. He has been involved in a hugely successful duo project with famous Chinese pipa virtuoso LiuFang (the only known collaboration between classical guitar and popa), which led to the acclaimed recording Changes in 2008 and a number of memorable concerts. The duohave performed in Mexico as part of the prestigious 'zaxatecas Festiva' and hope to play againtogether early next year. Michael hasalso worked with many high-profile Irish composers such as David Fennessy, Marian Ingoldsby, Eric Sweeney, Ian Wilson and Ann Rice in addition to working with international composers Toshiyuki Haraoki, Clark Ross and Philip Glass. Michael began his studies with John Sweeney and then Alan Grundy, before studying for many years with Irish virtuoso John Feeley and subsequently with Ricardo Iznaola in Denver Colorado. He has been employed as an examiner at the RIAM, DIT, WIT, Cork School of Music, Dundalk Institute of Technology and University of Surrey.
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Michael has performed on radio many times, including a live recording of Rodrigo's Aranjuez Concerto in 2005 on Lyric FM, with David Brophy and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Michael again performed Rodrigo's Aranjuez Concerto last year with Misici Ireland as part of the New Ross Guitar Festival to great acclaim. He has a deep commitment to education in 2021, took part in a highly cclaimed Music Network residency in Listowel which sought to bring older people back in touch with their musical heritage. Michaael teaches at SETU's Department of Creative Arts as well as in the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
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Michael performs on a guitar made by Philip Woodfield Moore.
Jazz Competitions
Linley Hamilton
Linley Hamilton is a trumpeter, composer and broadcaster that has been a leading voice on the Irish jazz scene for over three decades. Balancing an international performing career with work as a BBC jazz broadcaster and university lecturer, he has released six acclaimed albums; from Taylor Made (2010) through to Ginger's Hollow (2023), featuring Adam Nussbaum and Mark Egan.
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Following a First Class Masters and a PhD in Jazz Performance, Linley joined Ulster University as a lecturer, while continuing to perform widely. H has headlined the Cork Jazz Festival with his ambitious 'Making Other Arrangements' mini-big band with strings, toured Ireland with his quintet, and appeared recently at London's Pizza Express Soho and 606 Club.
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In 2019, Linley and his wife Maggie founded their own venue, Magy's Farm, which has since hosted more than 100 concerts featuring international artists including Larry Goldings Trio, Ari Hoenig, Enemy, Eddie Henderson and Joe Webb Trio. In recognition of his contribution to jazz, Linley was awarded an MBE in 2024.
Drumkit Competitions
Steve Hogan
Steve Hogan is a Dublin-based drummer and musician with over 40 years' experience performing live, on television and in the studio. His career has seen him work with a wide range of artists and productions, including Riverdance, Sharan Shannon, Bob Geldof and Sir George Martin to name but a few. He has also appeared on TV with artists including Take That, Westlife, Boyzone and Andrea Bocelli. Steve also teaches at BIMM and continues to perform regularly acrossIreland and Internationally.
