Our Music Teachers

Jasmin Gallagher is a violinist from Donegal who began playing the violin at a young age. She spent two of her four years of studies in Belfast at the Ulster College of Music, where she had the opportunity to attend a masterclass with Harry Cawood. Jasmin performed with the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra two years and was a member of the Ulster Youth Orchestra for five years. Currently, in her fourth year of the BMus Performance course at RIAM, she has participated in orchestral projects with the RIAM Philharmonic. Most recently, Jasmin performed with the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the 175th-anniversary celebration for RIAM. She is currently studying under Professor Mike d’Arcy.

Darren Loughran is a classical guitarist & guitar teacher hailing from Dublin. Growing up in a musical household, his father a traditional concertina player and his mother whom dabbled with the guitar, Darren was greatly encouraged and exposed to music from an early age. Having started on wind instruments as a child with his school band, Darren had his first recording experience at the age of nine and performed with the band in numerous competitions and concerts across the country, mainly Irish music.

At the age of 14, Darren received his first guitar and in his teens studied with guitar teacher Tony Lee. Following this Darren completed a diploma in music performance and technology before moving on to study classical guitar with Alan Grundy at the Dublin Conservatory of Music (DIT) and was the first student to receive their Advanced 2 diploma. Darren has also received instruction on a number of occasions from world renowned classical guitarist Denis Azabagic.

Irish baritone Dylan Rooney, raised in Co. Tipperary, completed a Bachelor in Music Performance degree at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Trinity College in Dublin, under the vocal tutelage of Virginia Kerr. Subsequently, he completed a Masters in Performance degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, with former singing teacher, Robert Dean. Since completing his studies, he continues voice lessons with Vocal Studies professor, Russell Smythe.

Some of Dylan’s recent performance highlights include soloist at:

- Bray Choral Society Concert (Mozart Requiem and Goodall’s Eternal Light) – Dublin, IRL
- Veronica Dunne Young Irish Singers Bursary – Dublin, IRL
- Summer Festival of Opera at Killruddery House – Dublin, IRL

Further abroad, Dylan represented the Royal Irish Academy of Music as one of its chosen ambassadors, performing a series of concerts entitled Artist’s Choice – New York, USA. He has also performed at various public events in Italy, most notably as part of the Arte Lirica Festival – Veneto, ITL.

Dylan’s operatic performances to date include:

- Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (Officer)
- Mozart’s La Finta Giardinera (Nardo)
- Britten’s Noye’s Fludde (Noye)
- The Irish premiere of Francesca Caccini’s Alcina (Ruggiero)

Throughout the years, Dylan has achieved several national awards and bursaries through classical singing competitions, as part of Feis Ceoil. More recently, he was a prize-winner at the Veronica Dunne Young Irish Singers Bursary.

Dylan has also participated in several masterclasses in Ireland and abroad, with esteemed singers and coaches such as: Dame Anne Murray, Brenda Hurley, Dr. Matteo Dalle Fratte, Bruno Caproni, and Julian Evans.

Siobhán Franks joined Dublin School of Music teaching Vocals and early grade piano.

Siobhan has a background in performance and songwriting as an Solo Artist.

Siobhán also works at BIMM Dublin; Irelands modern music & performance college and focuses teachings on performance anxiety and vocal techniques.

Kristina Gerasimova is a flautist from Cyprus studying at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She is currently studying her Bachelors of Music Performance with Vourneen Ryan and Susan Doyle. In 2020, Kristina passed the ABRSM flute exam 8 GRADE with distinction and was a member of the Youth Symphony Orchestra as a piccolo player with maestro Giorgos Kunturis.

During her school studies at the Larnaca Music Lyceum, she took part in music flute competitions: April 2021, the international competition in Kharkov, Ukraine, was awarded the third prize; Nov 2021, pan-Greek competition Solon Mikhailidis, awarded with a diploma of distinction; June 2022, the first pan-Cypriot competition of music schools, was awarded the first prize.

In 2021 she attended a master class with Natalia Geraki Prof. Athens Conservatoire and Lecturer State at University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart.

Adi is a classical trained musician from India, having completed his Masters in Classical String Performance from the University of Limerick under Kathrine Hunka from 2018-2020. He joined the Sing out with Strings teaching program in Limerick and continued with it till 2020 alongside teaching the Irish Chamber Youth Orchestra in Limerick.

After completing his Masters his first teaching job was at The Cavan Academy of Music at County Cavan where he taught young students and adults preparing them for examinations under ABRSM and RIAM. Afterwards he got several teaching jobs in Dublin, Ennis, Charleville and Limerick. He also acquired a Teaching Council license in 2022 and is in the panel of teachers for The Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board. He also has part time teaching hours at The Dublin School of Music in Tallaght and Terenure.

With regards to his performance experience, He has been playing with different orchestras since a very young age and was a part of different community orchestras ever since his visit to Ireland . For a while he did sub for the National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin. He also has his own ensemble called the Genie Ensemble where they merge different styles of music together creating something different with thier classical training.

Apart from music, Adi is heavily invested in his life away from music which includes Tango, West African Drumming and Dancing, Slow Waltz, Salsa and Bachata. He believes music and dance are co related and any child/adult can learn to incorporate both in their lives and be happy.

Emma Power is a mezzo-soprano hailing from Waterford. They recently completed a Masters of Music Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, studying under Imelda Drumm and Dearbhla Collins. Emma specializes in operatic and choral music, as well as experimental performance art.

Recently Emma has performed as a soloist with the NSO, and as a recital artist for the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival 2024. They are a recipient of the Mezzo Solo Cup, The Margaret Burke-Sheridan Cup, the Mrs. P.J. Geoghegan Memorial Cup, The Lieder Prize, and the Mahler Prize at the Feis Ceoil. Emma will appear in the INO 2024/2025 season as a chorus member.

Emma teaches singing of all levels, music theory, and beginner piano grades.

Aurora is from Madrid, Spain but has been living and teaching music in Ireland for the last 20 years. Focusing primarily on the classical genre, she prepares students for the ABRSM/RIAM exams as well Junior and Leaving Cert. Aurora also loves teaching students who want to learn just for fun and enjoys working on pop, rock and jazz pieces.

Aurora graduated from the Superior Conservatory of Madrid with degrees in Piano (1998), Theory of Music and Accompaniment (1999) and Musicology (2002). She also an MLit in Irish Folklore (2007) from UCD.

Emily Jane has been singing and performing since she can remember. With over twelve years of experience in musical theatre and stage performances, Emily Jane focuses on bringing the students character into each piece of music. With the Royal Irish Academy of Speech and Drama she has received distinctions in her Grade 10 exam , Public Speaking Proficiency exam and a first-class honours in her Acting Proficiency exam. She utilises this knowledge to inform her students about performance techniques and engaging with crowds.

Emily Jane has worked as a vocal teacher for over two years, successfully preparing students for auditions into 3rd level music programmes, Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate Music Practicals and ‘Rock School’ examinations.

Emily Jane recently finished her final year of study in DCU’s BA in Jazz and Contemporary Performance programme. She is one third of up-and-coming jazz vocal trio, ‘Mayflyes’. Her roles include being a lead vocalist, front woman, arranger and composer for the trio.

Emily Jane’s goal is to get each student comfortable with performing and expressing themselves through music.

Petar Krivitsky is an established multi-instrumentalist performer and teacher born in Sofia, Bulgaria. His musical training and education varies from the styles of classical to rock and jazz music. He has graduated and received professional certification from the "National School of Music - Lyubomir Pipkov" (Bulgaria), specialising in "Classical Double Bass". Thereafter he completes a dual "Bachelor of Arts" degree at the "National Academy of Music - Pancho Vladigerov, Bulgaria" (three years) followed by a one year "Erasmus exchange" in "DCU", Dublin with Guitar and Double Bass in the areas of "Jazz and contemporary music performance".

Petar has played music from the age of ten, with Guitar and Ukulele being his first instruments. At the age of fourteen he actively picks up the upright bass and bass guitar, whilst continuing to develop his guitar skills. At that time he participates in several domestic and international electric guitar competitions where he is placed 1-st prize on multiple occasions and has been awarded musical instruments. Alongside them, he also signs up and wins many Classical Double Bass competitions, where he gains success and valuable experience. During that period, he performs in rock and funk bands playing the electric bass. In 2016 he performs a fully coordinated live show with his neo-funk group in Bulgaria with American saxophonist Casey Benjamin, who is a member of the Robert Glasper Experiment, which won a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Album" for their album Black Radio. In 2018 he travels with his high school Big Band as a guitar player to Cincinnati, USA, upon invitation to take part in a jazz big band competition where they win 1-st place among five other American ensembles. In most recent times, Petar participates in several Jazz projects, playing double bass and traveling abroad for festivals. He is a teacher in DSM since September of 2023 and has thoroughly proved himself to be an innovative provider of musical knowledge and practical skill assets, amongst all age groups of students.

Lucy Champion was born in 1966 in Worcestershire, England. She graduated from the London College of Music in 1987 with a graduate honours degree, specialising in acoustics and sound recording. Upon leaving college she remained in London, working as a professional singer, piano and singing teacher and radio presenter.
From 1989-1991 she was the personal assistant to the Chief Executive and Chairman of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1993 she moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to take up the role of Concerts and Events Manager for the Ulster Orchestra, a post she held for five years.
In 1998 Lucy was appointed as Education and Community Outreach Manager at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. The Education Programme received two Business2Arts Awards in 2003 and 2004 for its innovative community projects.

In 1998 Lucy left the National Concert Hall in order to pursue more freelance activities. Since then she has been working as a choral workshop facilitator, choral conductor, vocal coach, piano and general musicianship teacher.

In February 2021 she was the Education Officer for the National Opera House, Wexford, heading up their new Education & Community Programme, a post she held for two years.

In March 2021 Lucy qualified as an Alexander Technique teacher and is a member of the Irish Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (ISATT). She works with individuals and groups at
Lucy is also Education Co-ordinator and singer with the vocal ensemble ANÚNA and is a featured soloist on eleven of their albums; she is also a soloist on the soundtrack of “Diablo III” (Blizzard Games 2013) and in 2018 was featured on the album “Xenogears : Original Soundtrack Revival Disc - The First and the Last”.

Lucy lives in Dublin with her husband, the composer Michael McGlynn, and their two daughters.

Rising Stars recipient Matthew Mannion is originally from Billings, Montana but relocated with his family back to Ireland where he began and completed his studies, receiving his Undergraduate and Masters in Music Performance from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Matthew has over a decade of performance experience and has performed with companies such as Irish National Opera, Opera Theater Company, Nouvel Opera Fribourg, Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, Wide Open Opera, Ulysses Opera, Lyric Opera Ireland, Opera Collective Ireland, and the Cork Midsummer Festival. Most recently Matthew has performed in the Ballaghaderreen Arts Festival, Summer Festival of Opera in Killruddery House, and performed with the Dublin City Choral Union, Wexford Festival Singers, Guinness Choir and the Goethe Choir.

He has performed many roles including Masetto in Don Giovanni, Melisso in Alcina, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, and two world premiere roles Owen in The Stalls and Liam in Backstage both written by Tom Lane. His small and secondary roles include Morales in Carmen, Marchese in La Traviata, Un Chasseurin Guillaume Tell, Kellner 4 in Der Rosenkavalier, 2nd Prisoner in Fidelio, Victorian 4 in William Todd’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly. Matthew has also sung as a soloist in oratorios such as The Messiah, Elijah, Stanford’s Mass in G, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Charpentier’s Messe de Minuet, C.P.E. Bach’s Magnificat, and Haydn’s Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze. Matthew has been a finalist in the Bernadette Greevy Bursary, Glenarm Festival of Voice, Trench Award, and received 3rd place in the 2017 Irene Sanford Competition. He also was granted the Agility Award in 2022 by the Arts Council of Ireland to further fund his operatic studies.

As a teacher Matthew has multiple years of training and experience to enhance his teaching style. He has taught privately and at the Dublin School of Music for many years mentoring and guiding pupils through their RIAM and ABRSM grades, as well as junior and leaving certificate practicals with much success. Matthew also is a vocal tutor in Dublin City University. Most recently Matthew undertook the Singer’s and Teachers Training course run by Classical Voice Training to further hone his pedagogical skills and continues to look for ways to constantly improve. His belief is a teacher is a forever learner and to adapt to each individual student that comes through the door. His classroom is a fun and safe environment as learning music should enrich the lives of those studying it.

Born in Yorkshire, Rohan Harron is a violinist and composer, currently studying at RIAM. As a performer, he has been a featured young artist with Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble, participated in the West Cork Chamber Music’s Fringe Festival and is the co-founder of the contemporary music ensemble ‘Outside the Lines’.

As a composer, he was the winner of the Milligan Fox Medal for his choral setting of ‘Weile, Weile, Weile’ for upper voices and also commissioned by Sing Ireland to write for the Irish Youth Training Choir as part of their ‘Unspoken Words, Unheard Voices’ project. In late 2023 was commissioned by Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir to write a string orchestra piece ‘From Dawn to Dusk’ to accompany Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass and his string quartet ‘Psychotia’, was performed by the Solas Quartet on their 2023 Irish tour and also at the National Concert Hall’s ‘Migrations’ String Quartet weekend in 2024.

Rohan has taught violin and piano at DSM since 2022

Luke Stanley is an Irish Baritone who graduated from Trinity Laban conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2023 with a Bmus in Vocal performance, where he studied under Jon Christos and Lynton Atkinson.

In July of 2022, he played the role of Giulio Strozzi in TLOperas production of “Strozzi!”. In February 2023, he was a chorus member in Uncovered Opera Company's production of Verdi's "Macbeth", and in March 2023, he was a chorus member in The Opera Makers’ premier of "Der Wald" by Ethel Smyth.

He was an understudy Burgher and chorus member in Pegasus Opera Company’s Double Bill of "The Six of Calais" and "Ruth", both by Philip Hagemann. He played Captain Robert Walton in TL Opera's production of “Frankenstein” by Libby Larsen.

Over this last year, he has performed as a chorus member in Blackwater Valley Opera Festival’s production of Giulio Cesare In Egitto by G.F. Handel, the National Symphony Orchestra’s Production of Lurline by William Wallace, and in Irish National Opera’s 2024/2025 season he was a chorus member for their productions of ‘Beatrice and Benedict’ by Hector Berlioz, ‘Rigoletto’ by Giuseppe Verdi and ‘The Flying Dutchman’ by Richard Wagner.

In may of 2025, he was a chorus member in BVOF’s Concert Production of Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell.

Aoife is a Dublin based composer and musician. Having studied in the Royal Irish Academy of music under composer Judith Ring and trumpeter Colm Byrne, Aoife has a diverse portfolio, having written and arranged for esteemed musicians and ensembles such as Elizabeth Hilliard, Izumi Kimura, Lina Andonovaska, Cora Venus Lunny, The Dublin Youth Choir, Symphonic Waves Orchestra and Trinity Orchestra.

Aoife is an experienced teacher, specialising in Piano, Trumpet, Saxophone and Clarinet.
They also have a diploma in compositional pedagogy and teaches leaving certificate music and music technology.

Aoife is the recipient of the Milligan Fox Medal for composition and was awarded the overall prize in The Christy Nolan Arts Award 2025.

Aoife is also the co-founder of the Sean Shannon Music Foundation, a non-profit organisation that creates opportunities for young musicians facing socioeconomic barriers in pursuing their music education. They have created successful partnerships with organisations such as glór arts centre, the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Music Generation Ireland.

Kristina Gerasimova (b. 2005) is a Cypriot flautist currently studying at the Royal Irish Academy of Music under the guidance of Vourneen Ryan and Susan Doyle.

Kristina has participated in masterclasses with renowned flutists including Egbert Jan Louwerse, Cormac Henry, Emer McDonough, Stéphane Réty, and Natalia Geraki.

Her orchestral experience includes performing with the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Larnaca Philharmonic, and currently, the RIAM Philharmonia. She has appeared in concerts across Cyprus and Ireland, and has taken part in workshops such as Fengaros Music Village and the Irish National Opera’s Wagner Orchestral Pit Workshop.

Kristina has been also awarded in several competitions, including a first prize at the First Pan-Cypriot Competition of Music Schools (2022), a third prize at the International Competition in Kharkov, Ukraine (2021) and was highly commended at the Pan-Greek Solon Mikhailidis Competition (2021).

In 2025, she was one of the winners of the ChamberFest prize at the Royal Irish Academy of Music with her chamber ensemble, the Lucens Trio.

Bláthnaid is a soprano from Co. Kildare with first class honours from University College Dublin in both BA Music & Drama and Bachelor of Music. Most recently, Bláthnaid made her professional solo debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland alongside esteemed mezzo-soprano, Tara Erraught. Her operatic engagements include the title role in Puccini's Suor Angelica, Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Aunt in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Julia Bertram in Dove's Mansfield Park and cover the title role in Wallace's Lurline. She has also sung in Irish National Opera's productions of Verdi's La Traviata and Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict, and the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival Chorus in Verdi's Macbeth and Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice.

Bláthnaid is a multi-prize winner, having won The Percy Whitehead Cup and Veronica Dunne Operatic Duo at Feis Ceoil 2024. She enjoys performing recitals, and has represented the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival at their recitals in conjunction with The Castlemartyr Resort and Waterford Whisky Distillery in 2023/2024, and performed a Young Artist Recital as part of Boyle Arts Festival 2022. Other notable engagements include soprano solos in National Concert Hall, Dublin, Carnegie Hall, New York and 3Arena, Dublin.