Róisín Blunnie
My name Róisín Blunnie and I am the Programme Chair of the MA in Choral Studies here at DCU. As a choral conductor and academic, my professional work is always drawing on research and practice and combining these in different ways.
Along with all colleagues on the programme, I am deeply engaged with choral life in Ireland, and that is a very exciting context because we have great music, great choirs, and great activities going on in Ireland right now. It is wonderful to be part of this vibrant cultural landscape and to be developing talented students as future leaders and creative contributors.
I conduct a choir called Laetare Vocal Ensemble, based in Dublin city centre. We love collaborating on artistic projects. Our latest album is ‘Ghost Songs: Contemporary Music and Words from Ireland’. This combines contemporary choral works with readings by leading Irish poets Paula Meehan and Dairena Ní Chinnéide, playwright Marina Carr, and broadcaster Carl Corcoran, as well as harp and sean-nós singing by TG4 Amhránaí na Bliana, Síle Denvir.
Here at DCU I conduct the large undergraduate choir DCU Lumen Chorale, and we enjoy collaborating on end-of-term concerts with other choirs and ensembles in the university.
My recent research projects include co-editing the book Perspectives on Conducting, with chapters by leading Irish and international conductors, both choral and orchestral; and leading the DCU team for the PRESTO Erasmus+ project, which created an extensive online collection of free multimedia resources for use in choral, instrumental, and classroom contexts. Music is such an exciting collaborative space, and it is great that the MA in Choral Studies can play a part in developing graduates to thrive within it.