John Feeley (born 24 May 1955) is an Irish

classical guitarist This is a list of classical guitarists. Baroque (17th and 18th centuries) 19th century 20th century Contemporary See also * List of flamenco guitarists References {{DEFAULTSORT:Classical guitarists Cl ...

, and a teacher and editor of guitar music.

Life

Feeley was born in

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway, Ireland. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-centur ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

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 started guitar playing in popular music, and at age 17 "was recognised as one of Europe's best electric guitarists" After graduating from

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

, with a first class degree in music, he moved to the USA to study with

Oscar Ghiglia Oscar Alberto Ghiglia (13 August 1938 – 3 March 2024) was an Italian classical guitarist. Biography Early years Born in Livorno to an artistic family – his father and grandfather were both famed painters, his mother an accomplished pianis ...

, Ángel Romero, and David Russell, completing a master's degree at

Queens College, City University of New York Queens College (QC) is a public college in the New York City borough of Queens. Part of the City University of New York system, Queens College occupies an campus primarily located in Flushing. Queens College was established in 1937 and offe ...

. In the following years he taught at Memphis State University, Tennessee. He now teaches at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin. His past students include all current members of the

Dublin Guitar Quartet The Dublin Guitar Quartet is an Irish guitar quartet that specialises in the performance of contemporary classical music, particularly music associated with minimalist composers such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt and Kevin Volans. T ...

, along with

Redmond O'Toole Redmond O'Toole is an Irish classical guitarist who performs on a Brahms guitar. His former teachers include Oscar Ghiglia, Paul Galbraith, Graham Devine and John Feeley. He studied at the Dublin Institute of Technology and the Accademia Mus ...

Michael O'Toole Michael O'Toole is an Irish classical guitarist. Education O'Toole studied for many years with John Feeley at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin and also spent two years studying with the renow ...

and

Alec O'Leary Alec O'Leary (M.Mus., B.Mus., Dip. Inst. Teaching) is the director and founder of the Guitar Festival of Ireland and a renowned Irish guitarist. He has spent many years studying guitar with John Feeley at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, ...

, director of the

Waltons Guitar Festival of Ireland Waltons can refer to: *Waltons (department store), an Australian department store chain **Waltons Stores (Interstate) Ltd v Maher, a contracts case involving the department store *Waltons (Canadian band) *Residents in the Walton Well Road area of O ...

. Composers

Benjamin Dwyer Benjamin Dwyer (born 3 August 1965) is an Irish composer, guitarist and musicologist. Life Dwyer was born in Dublin and studied the classical guitar at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin, and at the Royal Academy of Music, London. ...

, Ciarán Farrell,

David Fennessy David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

and David Flynn, all of whom have written music for Feeley, were also guitar students of his. In 2006 Feeley completed a doctorate (Doctor of Philosophy in Music erformance at

Maynooth University Maynooth University (MU) (), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. Maynooth University was formerly known as National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ). It was Ireland ...

, which involved a major thesis in three volumes with the title ''Classical Guitar Music by Irish Composers: Performing Editions and Critical Commentary''.

Performing and recording career

Feeley has appeared at such festivals as the

Guitar Festival of Ireland The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with some exceptions) and typically has six or twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the do ...

Bath International Guitar Festival Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, the

Dundee International Guitar Festival Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, and the

Wirral International Guitar Festival Wirral may refer to: * Wirral Peninsula, a peninsula in the northwest of England, between the rivers Dee and Mersey * Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, occupying the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula * Wirral (UK Parliament const ...

. He has won numerous awards including the Special Award for interpretation in the 1984

Mauro Giuliani Mauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani (27 July 1781 – 8 May 1829) was an Italian guitarist, cellist, singer, and composer. He was a leading guitar virtuoso of the early 19th century. Biography Although born in Bisceglie, Giuliani's cente ...

competition, Italy. He has appeared as a soloist with The

American Symphony Orchestra The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York–based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski whose mission is to demystify orchestral music and make it accessible and affordable for all audiences. Leon Botstein is the orchestra ...

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, the

RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO; previously known as Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra) is the largest professional orchestra in Ireland. Housed at the National Concert Hall, D ...

, the

Ulster Orchestra The Ulster Orchestra is a full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. Based in Belfast, the orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall. It also gives concerts across the United Kingdom ...

, the

Irish Chamber Orchestra The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is an Irish classical music ensemble, administratively based at the University of Limerick. János Fürst founded the ICO in 1963. The ICO consisted only of strings as its regular ensemble for many years, adding wi ...

and the

Contempo Quartet The ConTempo Quartet is a string quartet founded in Bucharest in 1995 and long-resident in Galway, Ireland, which has held national and regional appointments in Ireland, and performed in a wide range of events in Romania, Spain, Ireland and els ...

. He performs regularly in duet with the flautist

William Dowdall William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

. Feeley is an enthusiastic champion of contemporary Irish music and in this capacity has commissioned works from many of Ireland's leading composers including

Seóirse Bodley Seóirse Bodley (; 4 April 1933 – 17 November 2023) was an Irish composer and associate professor of music at University College Dublin (UCD). He was the first composer to become a Saoi of Aosdána, in 2008. Bodley is widely regarded as one o ...

, John Buckley,

Jerome de Bromhead Jerome de Bromhead (born 2 December 1945) is an Irish composer, classical guitarist, and member of Aosdána. Biography Jerome de Bromhead was born in Waterford, Ireland. He studied with A.J. Potter and James Wilson at the Royal Irish Academy o ...

Jane O'Leary Jane O'Leary (born 13 October 1946) is an American-born Irish musician and composer who has been living in Ireland since 1972. Biography Jane O'Leary (née Strong) was born in Hartford, Connecticut. She graduated ''summa com laude'' from Vassar ...

, Brent Parker and Eric Sweeney. He also has a great interest in traditional Irish and Scottish music and in has recorded with

The Chieftains The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous w ...

and published his own arrangements of traditional melodies. He has been described by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' as 'Ireland's leading classical guitarist'"Performing Arts", in: ''The Washington Post'', 13 March 2001, p. C03. and by Michael Dervan in ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' as "a trailblazer ... when it comes to the guitar and guitar-playing in Ireland".

Discography

*''e-motion. Contemporary Works for Guitar'', Black Box Music BBM 1002 (CD, 1998). Contains: Ciarán Farrell: ''The Shannon Suite'';

: ''Gemini'';

: ''Four Pieces for Guitar''; Dawn Kenny: ''e-motion''; Eric Sweeney: ''Figurations''; Michael Howard: ''Niagara Falls on Thomond'';

Brian Boydell Brian Patrick Boydell (17 March 1917 – 8 November 2000) was an Irish composer whose works include orchestral pieces, chamber music, and songs. He was Professor of Music at Trinity College Dublin for 20 years, founder of the Dowland Consort, co ...

: ''Three Pieces for Guitar''; Andrew Shiels: ''The Voyage of Maeldun''. *''in winter light'', Celestial Harmonies13244-2 (CD, 2004); with William Dowdall, flute. Contains: John Buckley: Guitar Sonata No. 2; Fantasia No. 1 for Alto Flute; Guitar Sonata No. 1; Three Pieces for Solo Flute; ''Lullaby for Deirdre''; ''Airflow''; ''In Winter Light''. *''Islands. Contemporary Irish Solo & Instrumental Works for Guitar'', Overture Music, o label code(CD, 2010); with Laura Chislett Jones (flute) & Pavlos Kanellakis (guitar). Contains:

: ''... sting like a bee'';

: ''Cancion''; ''Tango''; John McLachlan: ''Four Pieces for Guitar'';

: Duo for Alto Flute and Guitar; Eric Sweeney (arr.): ''Three Folk Songs'';

: ''Islands''; Brent Parker: Theme and Variations for Two Guitars. Earlier recordings, including arrangements of Irish traditional music for guitar *''Celtic Classics'' (Ossian) *''Sreanga Oir'' (Gael-Linn) *''Romanza'' (Marble Arch) *''John Feeley'' (Gael-Linn CEF 109) *''Serenade'' (with Raymond Burley) (CBA Classics)

Editorships

*''Scottish Music for Solo Guitar'', two volumes (Cork: Ossian Publications, 2005) *''Contemporary Irish Music for Classic Guitar Solo'' (Pacific, Missouri: Mel Bay, 2012)

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feeley, John 1955 births Living people Irish classical guitarists Musicians from County Galway Queens College, City University of New York alumni People from Ballinasloe 20th-century Irish guitarists 21st-century Irish guitarists 20th-century Irish male musicians 21st-century Irish male musicians Irish male guitarists Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Academics of Dublin Institute of Technology