Page 187 - Gonzaga at 60
P. 187
Music, during my early years in prep school in Gonzaga, took
the form of classes during which I mainly recall listening to
LP records of popular classical works, and a general danger
of unengaged classmates annoying the teacher, in turn
Fathers Joe Kavanagh and Stephen Redmond, and later Eoin
Garret, the later two of whom were good pianists. But
Father Redmond also rose high in my esimaion when it
emerged that he had composed melodious song Gleann na
Smól and submited it to the 1968 Naional Song Contest. It
did extremely well, without actually making it all the way to
the Eurovision inal.
The arrival of Gerry Murphy in 1973, when we were
in Fourth Year, lit a bomb under Gonzaga’s musical proile.
The music encountered became much more eclecic, ranging
from Bartok’s First Piano Concerto to the rock opera Tommy
(by The Who). And most enduringly, Gerry’s indefaigibility
soon led to the tradiion of the yearly Opera (cast with the
assistance of girls from Muckross College), in which I was
fortunate enough to ‘create’ the piano part in the very irst
performances of A Spy in the Ointment, the irst of his ive-
opera cycle. Halcyon days!
Hugh Tinney
Class of 1976
Since winning irst prize at both the 1983 Pozzoli and 1984
Paloma O’Shea piano compeiions in Italy and Spain,
Hugh Tinney has performed in more than thirty countries
throughout Europe, the USA, South America and the Far East.
A prize in the 1987 Leeds Piano Compeiion earned him a
Opera at Gonzaga busy career in Great Britain. Highlights in Ireland include
regular solo appearances with the RTÉ Naional Symphony
Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra.
He has collaborated with great arists and orchestras
Facing page, top: Plea for clemency. Sir from the Borodin and Tokyo Quartets to the main London
Fiendish Cadd (Tim Forde) and Simon orchestras. He has recorded solo, chamber and concerto
Warbeck (Tom Lowe) beg Mr Murphy’s repertoire for Decca, Naxos, RTÉ lyric fm and several other
forgiveness. Top above: Mr Gerry Murphy CD labels.
bids farewell at the end of the last of the From 2000 to 2006 Hugh Tinney was Arisic Director of
Murphy operas. Above: HMS Pinafore, the Music in Great Irish Houses fesival. He has taught at the
2010 Royal Irish Academy of Music since 1995 and has been a jury
member at several internaional piano compeiions. He is a
board member of Opera Theatre Company.
He was awarded a two-year bursary in 2006 by the Arts
Council of Ireland to work on contemporary music, and he
was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music by the Naional
University of Ireland in 2007.
the form of classes during which I mainly recall listening to
LP records of popular classical works, and a general danger
of unengaged classmates annoying the teacher, in turn
Fathers Joe Kavanagh and Stephen Redmond, and later Eoin
Garret, the later two of whom were good pianists. But
Father Redmond also rose high in my esimaion when it
emerged that he had composed melodious song Gleann na
Smól and submited it to the 1968 Naional Song Contest. It
did extremely well, without actually making it all the way to
the Eurovision inal.
The arrival of Gerry Murphy in 1973, when we were
in Fourth Year, lit a bomb under Gonzaga’s musical proile.
The music encountered became much more eclecic, ranging
from Bartok’s First Piano Concerto to the rock opera Tommy
(by The Who). And most enduringly, Gerry’s indefaigibility
soon led to the tradiion of the yearly Opera (cast with the
assistance of girls from Muckross College), in which I was
fortunate enough to ‘create’ the piano part in the very irst
performances of A Spy in the Ointment, the irst of his ive-
opera cycle. Halcyon days!
Hugh Tinney
Class of 1976
Since winning irst prize at both the 1983 Pozzoli and 1984
Paloma O’Shea piano compeiions in Italy and Spain,
Hugh Tinney has performed in more than thirty countries
throughout Europe, the USA, South America and the Far East.
A prize in the 1987 Leeds Piano Compeiion earned him a
Opera at Gonzaga busy career in Great Britain. Highlights in Ireland include
regular solo appearances with the RTÉ Naional Symphony
Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra.
He has collaborated with great arists and orchestras
Facing page, top: Plea for clemency. Sir from the Borodin and Tokyo Quartets to the main London
Fiendish Cadd (Tim Forde) and Simon orchestras. He has recorded solo, chamber and concerto
Warbeck (Tom Lowe) beg Mr Murphy’s repertoire for Decca, Naxos, RTÉ lyric fm and several other
forgiveness. Top above: Mr Gerry Murphy CD labels.
bids farewell at the end of the last of the From 2000 to 2006 Hugh Tinney was Arisic Director of
Murphy operas. Above: HMS Pinafore, the Music in Great Irish Houses fesival. He has taught at the
2010 Royal Irish Academy of Music since 1995 and has been a jury
member at several internaional piano compeiions. He is a
board member of Opera Theatre Company.
He was awarded a two-year bursary in 2006 by the Arts
Council of Ireland to work on contemporary music, and he
was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music by the Naional
University of Ireland in 2007.
