Mairéad Hickey

As a soloist, she has performed with the RTÉ Irish National Concert Orchestra, Hessicher Rund funk Sinfonie Orchester, Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Württembergisches Kammerorchester, Kremerata Baltica and the European Chamber Orchestra, appearing in some of the most important concert halls in the world. Her Carnegie Hall debut was described as “magical, penetrating the heart and soul of the music” (New York Epoch Times).

Mairéad Hickey was concertmaster of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire from 2021 to 2023 and is often invited as guest concertmaster by other prestigious orchestras, including Orchestra National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine, Orchestre de Paris and Orquesta Simfónica del Gran Teatre del Liceu. As a passionate chamber musician, she has performed with distinguished musicians such as Sir András Schiff, Tabea Zimmermann, Renaud Capuçon, Mate Bekavac, Irena Grafenauer, Alexander Lonquich, Steven Isserlis, Christian Tetzlaff, Pieter Wispelway and many others. She has appeared at many prestigious festivals, and her love of chamber music led her to co-found the Ortús Chamber Music Festival in her native Cork in 2016. Mairéad Hickey is the recipient of many prestigious international awards, including third prize and special prize for the best interpretation of a virtuoso work at the International Louis Spohr Competition, first prize at the Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Romania, and special prize at the international music competitions in Berlin and Manhattan. Mairéad Hickey first studied the violin in Ireland and then in France. She received her master’s degree at the Kronberg Academy with Mihaela Martin. She attended masterclasses and worked intensively with artists such as András Schiff, Gidon Kremer, Dora Schwarzberg, Elena Bashkirova, Vadim Repin, Vadim Gluzman, Steven Isserlis, Christoph Eschenbach and many others. In addition to the violin, she also plays the Irish folk fiddle.