Biography

Clíona Doris has extensive experience as a soloist and chamber musician and has performed throughout Ireland, Britain, Europe and the United States. Her broadcasts include performances on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Ulster, RTÉ LyricFM, National Public Radio USA, ClassicFM TV, UTV, RTÉ Television and BBC Television, including as soloist at the BBC Proms in the Park from Belfast broadcast as part of the BBC Last Night of the Proms.

An active exponent of contemporary music, Clíona has premiered works by Elaine Agnew, Enda Bates, Linda Buckley, Donnacha Dennehy, Jason E. Geistweidt, Deirdre Gribbin, Philip Hammond, Brian Irvine, Deirdre McKay, Neil Martin, Betty Olivero, Aleksandra Vrebalov, Ian Wilson, Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky and John Zorn. Her recordings include three solo albums, a pale yellow sky (RTÉ lyricfm label), in blue sea or sky (Riverrun Records) and Cantares de la Frontera (LCMS) and a concerto recording of Handel’s Harp Concerto with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra (RTÉ lyricfm label).  She also features on contemporary chamber music recordings for Louth Contemporary Music Society, NMC Recordings and Diatribe Records.  Her most recent recording, Brian Boydell: Mosaics & Sketches, explores the chamber music for harp written by the Irish composer, Brian Boydell, in collaboration with TU Dublin Conservatoire colleagues.

Clíona graduated with the Doctor of Music Degree in Harp Performance and Music Literature from Indiana University, Bloomington, USA, where she studied with the acclaimed harpist, Susann McDonald. She is a graduate of Queen’s University of Belfast and began her harp studies at the Belfast School of Music.

She is a Professor at TU Dublin Conservatoire where she manages postgraduate performance programmes and lectures in harp, artistic research and performance studies. She previously held the positions of Head of Orchestral Studies and Head of Conservatoire.  She is a member of the Board and Corporation of the World Harp Congress, having served as Chair of the Ninth World Harp Congress Dublin 2005. She has also served as a board member of the Music Generation and Music Network, and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Contemporary Music Centre Ireland.