Michael O'Toole
| Michael O'Toole | |
|---|---|
| Instruments | Guitar |
Michael O'Toole is an Irish guitarist.[1][2]
He studied for many years with John Feeley in the Dublin Institute of Technology Conservatory of Music and Drama[3] and also spent two years studying with the renowned Cuban virtuoso Ricardo Iznaola in Denver, Colorado. He has since established himself as one of Ireland's leading guitarists, giving many memorable recitals and becoming Artistic Director of both The Waltons International Guitar Festival and the "Chord" Ennis International Music Festival. O'Toole is also on the board of directors of the prestigious Kilkenny Arts Festival.
O'Toole has performed extensively throughout Ireland, America and the United Kingdom, and has performed live several times on national radio and television, including a live broadcast of Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez on RTÉ lyric fm with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. His commitment to contemporary music and to the expansion of the guitar repertoire has led him to work with prominent Irish composers such as Eric Sweeney, Jerome de Bromhead, David Fennessy and Ian Wilson. He has also performed in ensemble with such groups as the Opera Theatre Company, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Dublin Guitar Quartet and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. O'Toole is also on the faculty of The Royal Irish Academy of Music, the Music Department at Waterford Institute of Technology, and also the Dublin Institute of Technology Conservatory of Music and Drama.
O'Toole plays a guitar specially made for him by acclaimed Irish luthier Michael O'Leary.
Reviews
- "...I was knocked out by his performances... he revealed a talent for telling stories with his hands and weaving meticulous trains of musical thought, delivered with a fair punch." Tim Panting, Classical Guitar Magazine.
- "In Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez the playing of soloist Michael O'Toole was fluent, shapely and always apt." Martin Adams, Irish Times.
- "O'Toole is a powerful player who gave great accounts of Giuliani's Grand Overture and Rodrigo's Invocacion y danza" Tim Panting, Classical Guitar Magazine.