Musicians 2025
Patrick Rafter
Violinist and Conductor
Patrick Rafter is recognised and celebrated as one of Ireland's foremost classical musicians, acclaimed for his mastery of the violin and extraordinary musicianship. Rafter has taken to the stage as a soloist, director, conductor, and recitalist across Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. Garnering over a hundred prestigious awards, including the National Concert Hall Young Musician of the Year (Ireland), Clandeboye Festival Young Musician of the Year (UK), Valiant Violin Competition (Switzerland), London Performing Arts Competition (2017), RDS Music Bursary (Ireland), Dublin Feis Ceoil Conducting Competition (2022), and the Royal Academy of Music Sir Curtis Price Award (UK), Patrick has firmly established himself as one of Ireland’s leading classical musicians.
As a violinist, Patrick has performed as a soloist with many of the world's notable orchestras and ensembles including Prague Philharmonia, Mannheim Soloists, National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, RTE Concert Orchestra, Kyiv Soloists, and Camerata Ireland. He has performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls such as the National Concert Hall Ireland, Royal Albert Hall London, Berlin Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Seoul Arts Centre. Patrick boasts a longstanding collaboration with esteemed Irish pianist, Fiachra Garvey, culminating in the highly anticipated release of their inaugural recording released in December 2024 presented under the prestigious Rubicon Classics label in London.
A protege of the legendary violinist, Maxim Vengerov, Patrick was born into a musical family in Kilkenny, Ireland. His father, Paddy, is a tenor and his mother, Maura, is a pianist. In 2021, Patrick was awarded a Conducting Fellowship with the UCD Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic Choir. In 2022, he conducted the RTE Concert Orchestra and was awarded 1st prize in the Dublin Feis Ceoil National Conducting Competition.
As a choral conductor, Patrick has worked with many of Ireland’s leading choirs including the Chamber Choir Ireland and UCD Philharmonic Choir. He is the Principal Conductor of The Kilkenny Choir - a 110-person SATB Choir. He was formerly associate conductor of the UCD Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic Choir 2021 - 2022 and served as conductor of Carlow Voices from 2020 to 2023.
Patrick performs on a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin, made in Paris in 1842 and a 1925 Eugene Sartory bow, generously sponsored by the Music Network Capital Scheme and a private anonymous sponsor from Switzerland.
Follow Patrick on Instagram and Facebook or visit www.patrickrafter.com for more information and news. To follow his festival in Ireland, visit www.marblecitymusicfestival.com
Dida Condira
Pianist
Romanian/Irish pianist Dida Condria, 22, has performed inprestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Perth Concert Hall, Brasov Filarmonic and the National Concert Hall of Ireland. Dida is currently pursuing her MPerf at the Royal College of Music, gratefully awarded the RCM C.H. Scholarship under the tutelage of Prof. Vanessa Latarche, alongside the generous support of Irish Heritage, Drake CallejaTrust and the Countess of Munster Trust. A 2025 graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with first-class honours, Dida studied with Prof. Aaron Shorr as an ABRSM Scholar. Shebegan her musical studies with Prof. Reamonn Keary at the Royal Irish Academy of Music at the age of 6.
A BBC Young Musician Keyboard Finalist and winner of the BBC Walter Todds Bursary 2022, Dida is a laureate of numerous international competitions, including 1st prize in the Edinburgh Festival Concerto Competition and Scottish International Youth Piano Competition, and 2nd prize and the Audience Prize at the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Intercollegiate Competition. Dida was recently awarded the 2025 McCullough Bursary and the Charles Brennan Prize for the highest placed Irish competitor in the triennial Dublin International Piano Competition. She was also awarded the 2025 Irish Heritage Music Bursary and the 2026 Blackwater Valley Opera FestivalBursary Award.
She is also an avid chamber musician and song pianist, winning the RCS Dunbar-Gerber Chamber Music Cup 2024, Mozart Concerto Prize and Alex Menzies Prize for the most outstanding lieder accompanist, and she regularly performs with various instrumentalists and singers across Ireland and the UK. Recent collaborations with Hastings International Piano have deepened her passion for community outreach projects, music education,and wellbeing through music.
Megan Walsh
Mezzo-Soprano
Megan is an acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter whose radiant voice and artistry have captivated audiences across the globe. Classically trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London, she distinguished herself early on, winning the Soloist Competition at just 17 years old—an achievement that launched her onto international stages. Her career quickly expanded from celebrated performances throughout Ireland to a standout debut at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York.
In 2018, Megan became one of the featured performers with the Grammy-nominated global phenomenon Celtic Woman, touring extensively and gracing legendary venues including Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The London Palladium.
More recently, she has enchanted audiences across Ireland in the Candlelight Classics concerts with Frank McNamara, and she received glowing praise for her starring role as Bronagh in the new musical 1588 at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
Megan is currently crafting her debut collection of original music, set for release in the new year—marking an exciting new chapter for this exceptional artist.
The Rafter Family
Paddy Rafter Tenor
Maura Duggan Rafter Piano
Paddy and Maura Rafter, from Kilkenny, are internationally acclaimed musicians, performers, and educators, celebrated for bringing a world-class standard of teaching to students across Ireland. Their pupils have achieved top honors in national competitions, including the prestigious Féile Ceoil in Dublin.
A distinguished tenor, Paddy Rafter holds a Bachelor’s degree from D.I.T. under Mary Brennan and trained with some of the world’s leading vocal masters, including Carlo Gaifa, Carlo Bergonzi, and Massimiliano Bullu. He has performed internationally, both as a soloist and as a member of the acclaimed Three Irish Tenors.
Maura Rafter studied with some of Ireland’s finest pianists, including Mabel Swainson, and holds diplomas from the London College of Music. Together, Paddy and Maura founded the Kilkenny Academy of Music, nurturing generations of talented musicians. As performers, they have toured extensively as a family, releasing their acclaimed album “The Rafter Family” and captivating audiences in prestigious venues such as the National Concert Hall, Dublin, combining technical brilliance with warmth, passion, and a deep love for music.
Laura Aherne
Soprano
Laura Aherne is a graduate of the Royal College of Music, where she was the Joseph Clover Scholar, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where she studied with the late Professor Mary Brennan. An INO Studio Artist, she will cover the roles of Vixen in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen and First Wood Nymph in Dvořák’s Rusalka.
As a Wexford Factory Artist 2025, she
performed the roles of Corinna in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims and Tytania in The Little Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2024, she there sang the roles of Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and Adina and Giannetta in Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, and in the same year was awarded the Danone Award for Young Outstanding Female Artist.
Laura has won many other awards including the Canto al Serchio Award at the Birr Festival of Music and the Brackaville Bursary for Vocal Students by Irish Heritage UK.
She was also recently a competitor in the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition. Her opera credits include Tweedledee in Will Todd’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Opera Collective Ireland), Maria in the work premiere of Jasmine Morris’ Church on the Blood (RCM) and The Lost Girl in the premiere of Connie Harris’ The Drifterman (RCM). Laura has performed in venues and festivals
across Ireland and the UK including the Wigmore Hall, the National Opera House (Ireland), the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, McGovern Park, and the Irish Embassy in Londo