Paul back with another prestigious concert
THE impressive rise of Ballymac Viola player Paul Fitzgibbon continues anew this week after he was invited to play at the prestigious Frank Maher Classical Music Awards in The Royal College of Physicians in Dublin.
The 17-year-old player made headlines earlier this when he was chosen to perform as a soloist in the ‘International Shining Stars Competition’ in Carnegie Hall in New York alongside the New York Concerti Sinfonietta.
Describing this as an “unbelievable” experience, Paul not let his hunger for even more success diminish however and is keen to build on it in Dublin this week.
“The experience that I had playing there in Carnegie Hall, it was just incredible, it really was.”
A member of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland and a co-principal violist in the Ulster Youth Orchestra, Paul is also an associate of the Royal Schools of Music (ARSM) having received a distinction in his performance diploma.
Speaking about how he was selected to perform in the prestigious Awards Ceremony this week, Paul said that he was delighted to be chosen from such a wide pool of talent.
“I’m delighted. I had to send in a CD and a resumé, the application process was open to sixth year students only and I was one of seven students selected to perform,” said Paul, speaking on Friday.
Now a student in Brookfield College in Tralee, Paul said that he is “feeling grand” ahead of the show and is feeling no nerves; he knows that as long as he is well prepared, everything should go well on the night.
Paul will be performing as a soloist on the night and has been allotted a 10 minute programme to perform his pieces.
“I just want to say thanks to Elijah Dowling from Brookfield College for all the support that he’s given me. To my teacher as well, Simon Aspell. I just want to thank him for all of his work in helping me get here,” Paul finished.
As for the future, Paul said that he is thinking about doing an audition for The Juliard school in New York or for the Royal Academy of Music in London.