About me

My background and music

My Background

Cathy Purcell is a recent first class honours graduate of the MA in Composition and Creative Music Practice at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick where she focused on thematic composition exploring grief and loss processes.

Cathy has a background in music education and a MA in Ethnomusicology from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, with specialisations in West African and Indonesian percussion.

Composer

She was composer in residence for Waterford New Music Week outreach programme from 2006 – 2008 where she composed pieces for children and teenagers over a 10 week programme that ended in a public performance.

Winner of Finding A Voice 2024 with her piece Droplet for Flute and Soprano. It was performed by Bill Dowdall on flute and Soprano Sylvia O’ Brien as part of the festival in Clonmel.

Cathy’s piece Without Feathers, for piano and soprano, was selected under the ‘Young and Upcoming composers’ category of the Crescent Festival of Irish Contemporary Music and she was shortlisted in the Emerging Composer Competition for Finding A Voice Concert Series 2022.

Cathy is a member of the National Concert Hall’s Gamelan Orchestra, Kyai Jati Roso, and travelled to Indonesia with Culture Ireland to perform at the International Gamelan Festival in Solo, Java 2018.

She was awarded a Travel & Training YPCE grant from the Arts Council of Ireland in 2019 to study in Lac Rose, Senegal at the West African Cultural Expedition under the tuition of Mohamed Gueye and Mass M’baye.

Her music focusses on repetition and development of short motifs, using these techniques to create individual emotive soundscapes. Cathy uses weaving interlocking patterns with a variety of instrumentation. She has a fundamental minimalist approach which continues to both excite and relax the senses. Plucking influences from a variety of genres, she constantly challenges herself to write with new and different styles, incorporating a myriad of influences resulting in an eclectic and diverse contemporary body of work.

Music Facilitator

As musical director of ‘Rhythm and Shakes’ Cathy has eighteen years’ experience delivering music workshops to Irish primary and secondary schools addressing the core strands of the music curriculum: listening and responding, composition and performance.

Her world music in education course introduces students to music from West Africa, Indonesia and Polynesia. Her students learn through a combination of oral, aural and kinaesthetic approaches in a fun and educational setting.

Cathy’s preparation and planning for her lessons are impeccable and so carefully thought out by her. Her workshop is always fun, interesting and the boys and girls learn so much. Cathy’s choice of music, activities and resources engage each and every child. She has exceptional class management and has a wonderful way of encouraging and promoting confidence among the boys and girls. Cathy’s workshop is much more than learning about music and she has a wonderful ability to bring out the best in each and every child. Children leave her class happy and smiling and looking forward to their next lesson with her.

Pat Murphy

5th Class Teacher, Fenor N.S.

Cathy’s drumming workshop is invaluable. The boys and girls always look forward to her coming into the school. Her lessons promote and enhance not only musical skills but so many others – essential skills such as following instructions, listening, organisation, team work, communication, presentation and performance. Every child is included and they achieve success in Cathy’s lessons. For us the teachers, we see the children’s confidence build and grow through the progression of each lesson. It is amazing to listen to the performances that the children produce and this is all thanks to Cathy’s careful planning, preparation and choice of music and activities.

Gillian Murphy

6th Class Teacher, Fenor N.S.