Carl Hession is an Irish

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. His background includes many elements of his education in both traditional and modern (including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

) and classical music. Originally from

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, he participated in competitions at various Fleadhs throughout the country. He has All Ireland titles to his credit as a soloist and as a member of duets and trios with flute player

Matt Molloy Matt Molloy (born 12 January 1947) is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at nineteen. Considered one of the most brilliant ...

and accordion player Joe Burke. He studied classical piano at University College

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, where he completed a B. A. in music, specialising in

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...

improvisation. He then performed with

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

virtuoso

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands. ...

. Hession played with the ceili band Shaskeen, with whom he recorded several albums, and with Paul Brock's band Moving Cloud. He also worked with traditional musician friends Frankie Gavin and Joe Derrane and jazz/blues singer Mary Coughlan. With Gavin he recorded ''The Full Score'' (TARA 4020). Gavin also played on Hession's album ''Ceol Inne Ceol Inniu - Old Time New Time'', along with

Jackie Daly Jackie Daly (born 22 June 1945, Kanturk, North Cork, Ireland) is an Irish button accordion and concertina player. He has been a member of a number of prominent Irish traditional-music bands, including De Dannan, Patrick Street, Arcady, an ...

, Steve Cooney,

Kevin Crawford Kevin Crawford (born in Birmingham, England) is an Irish flute, tin whistle, low whistle and bodhrán player. He was born in England to Irish parents from Milltown Malbay, County Clare. He later moved to West Clare to improve his music and bec ...

and others. He also made recordings with jazz

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

Louis Stewart. For several years he was part of the Rhythm of the Dance team with the National Dance Company of Ireland. Hession has written and arranged compositions for a number of orchestras and ensembles and collaborated with Aidan O'Carroll on the album ''Songs My Mother Taught Me''. Hession was a music teacher at various schools in Galway County, including Coláiste Iognáid, Galway, and most recently at Yeats College Galway, after which he commenced his retirement.

Select discography

;With Shaskeen *''The Shaskeen'', Release Records BRL 4053. *''Green Groves of Erin. Traditional Irish Music and Song'', Release Records XRL5001 *''The Ash Plant'', Release Records XRL5005 *''Traditional Irish Music'', Release Records. Audiocassette, 12 tracks. ;Others * ''Celtic Aura - Irish Traditional Music'' - compilation - 1990 * ''Mo Chairdin'' - with Paul Brock and

Manus McGuire Manus McGuire is an Irish fiddle player. Early life He was born in Tullamore, and grew up in County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and i ...

* ''Old Time, New Time'' - 1995 * ''Moving Cloud'' - 1995 * ''Return to Inis Mór'' - 1996 * ''Tra Water's Edge'' - 1997 * ''Fox Glove'' - with Moving Cloud - 1998 * ''Mega Celtique'' * ''Joe Derrane with Carl Hession'' * ''Songs my Mother Taught Me'' - by Aidan O'Carroll * ''Heart of Ireland'' - Collection of Celtic Songs - Compilation - 1998 * ''Shamrocks & Holy - An Irish Christmas Celebration'' - compilation - 2000

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hession, Carl Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Irish composers Irish male pianists Irish educators Irish male songwriters Musicians from County Galway 21st-century Irish pianists Alumni of University College Cork 21st-century Irish songwriters Irish male composers