MTU Cork School of Music label CSM Sounds release new EP ‘Blowing in the Breeze’ by classical flute quartet Hiflutin
· Hiflutin is a classical music flute quartet made up of: Eilís O’ Sullivan, Aoife O’Donovan, Katrina Emtage & Maria Mulcahy on piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute and contrabass flute.
· Their EP ‘Blowing in the Breeze’ will be released digitally on Friday 29th of November.
· Hiflutin will celebrate the launch of the EP with a live concert, on Friday 29th of November at MTU Cork School of Music, at 6pm.
MTU Cork School of Music are delighted to announce ‘Blowing in the Breeze’ a new EP, released under the CSM Sounds record label by flute quartet Hiflutin on Friday 29th of November 2024. The four track EP consists of original classical pieces composed by ensemble member Katrina Emtage and May Howlett.
The quartet is made up of Cork based musicians; Eilís O’ Sullivan, Aoife O’Donovan, Katrina Emtage & Maria Mulcahy on piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute and contrabass flute. Hiflutin are renowned for their performances in which they highlight new original works for flute quartet as well as delivering well-known classical masterpieces and popular programmes. Previous concerts include; the Low Flutes Festival, Washington USA (2024), Finding a Voice Festival, Clonmel (2023), and Triskel Arts Centre’s Summertime Concert Series (2021).
'Blowing in the Breeze’ will be released digitally under the banner of the CSM Sounds record label on Friday 29th of November. It will be available to stream on all streaming platforms from that date. They will also celebrate the launch of the EP at a live concert held at MTU Cork School of Music, Foyer at 6pm. Admission is free and open to all.
Hiflutin will also be playing on Saturday 7th and Sunday 9th of December in Nohoval church as part of their annual Christmas concert.
For press queries, contact katrina.emtage@mtu.ie or on 087 7981904.
About ‘Blowing in the Breeze’
1. Strolling on the Strand, comp. Katrina Emtage – 7’43’’
2. Summer Breeze, comp. Katrina Emtage – 5’37’’
3. By The Billabong, comp. May Howlett – 4’00’’
4. Happy Frogs, comp. May Howlett – 3’28’’
About MTU Cork School of Music
At MTU Cork School of Music, we pride ourselves on the holistic nature of our music and drama education, spanning five levels, which places us amongst leading conservatoires nationally and internationally. CSM has more than 470 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in four undergraduate programmes, three Masters programmes, PhD programme and an accredited Inclusive Music Ensemble programme of study. There are more than 2,500 enrolments in the part-time Conservatoire provision of the School, where students receive one-to-one instrumental lessons, musicianship classes and large ensemble tuition. MTU Cork School of Music presents more than 450 performances and events every year and is an important cultural hub for Cork City, as well as a creative home for students and staff. It is fortunate to experience the richness of the arts daily and strives to engage with local, national, and international communities through performance, education, and outreach. The school boasts many award-winning performing groups, which contribute to the vibrant cultural life of Cork City and to the international arts scene. For more information visit: https://csm.cit.ie/
About CSM Sounds
CSM Sounds is the record label created in 2020 by lecturers in the degree courses provided at MTU Cork School of Music. The aim of the record label is to create an awareness of the incredible talent in our university as well as to provide opportunities to our students to publish some of their work. The first release for CSM Sounds was Over The Line (2020), an EP of recipients of the Colin Vearncombe (aka Black) Memorial Bursary Award. The following two releases were Quarantapes, (2021) an album of tracks created during lockdown, Find Me Here, (2022), and IME by the Inclusive Music Ensemble (2023). For more information visit: https://csm.mtu.ie/csm-sounds
Hifilutin Ensemble Bio
Four flutes in combinations of piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute and contrabass flute
Four fabulous flute-players based in Cork, Ireland.
In their performances they highlight original works for flute quartet as well as performing quality arrangements of classical masterpieces and popular classics.
Promoting new composition for this ensemble is a priority, particularly works that explore the possibilities created by using the full range of instruments. Hifilutin enjoys working with composers and hopes to extend these collaborations in the future
Performing to popular acclaim at the Finding a Voice festival in Clonmel in 2023 they presented a program of original works by female composers. They also played this program at the 3rd International Low Flutes Festival in Washington USA in April 2024.
Hifilutin has performed at Triskel Arts Centre’s Summertime Concert Series in Cork and also in Dublin for the Hugh Lane Gallery’s outdoor series of concerts in the courtyard of IMMA as well as at the Buttermarket in Kenmare.
As community musicians they have played for audiences in community hospital settings as part of the HSE’s Healthcare Hoolies series in 2024 and in Cork County Council’s Cork CoCo pops series in 2021 and 2022 Hifilutin entertained multi-generational audiences at outdoor pop-up venues in Fermoy, Carrigaline and Midleton as well as providing seasonal cheer at the Ballygarvan Christmas Market and making a popular contribution to Culture Night 2021 in the Crawford Art Gallery.
In tandem to their concert performances in 2021, Hifilutin also engaged with young audiences through their series of schools workshops/concerts in conjunction with West Cork Music. This saw them playing all over Cork introducing the next generation to live music through skilful arrangements of screen and musical favourites as well as encouraging critical and explorative listening with original compositions.
In 2019 they performed for Cork Vision Centre, North Main Street, in the Crawford Art Gallery and at Cork Airport’s Christmas Gala. Unfortunately performances planned for 2020 were cancelled.
Hifilutin re-established themselves in late 2018 after a hiatus of over a decade dictated by personal circumstances. Originally coming together in 2006 when they played concerts in the season of 2006/07 in Cork and Killarney.
Hifilutin acknowledges the support of the Music Network Capital Fund and Cork ETB for use of the contrabass flute.
About The Artists
Eilís O'Sullivan
Irish flautist Eilís O'Sullivan graduated from the Cork School of Music and, as a scholarship student, continued her studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She graduated with B.A. (Hons) and M.Mus with Distinction.
Eilís is much in demand as a solo, chamber and orchestral musician, having broadcast and toured extensively. Throughout her career she has been distinguished with many awards including the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, London and first prize in the Governor's Recital Prize Competition at the Scottish Conservatoire.
Eilís has performed widely as a soloist. Recitals include performances at St. Martin in the Fields, London, Sir Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, NCH Dublin, with Crash Ensemble in Germany, for the Prince of Wales at Hollyrood Palace, Edinburgh and at the main concert hall and music club venues throughout Ireland, Britain and Germany. Guest concerto engagements include performances in Seattle, USA, Glasgow & Edinburgh, Scotland, and as a broadcast with the RTE Concert Orchestra, Dublin. As an active chamber musician some of Eilís' recent performances include Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp, Beethoven's Trio for Flute, Bassoon and Piano,
Wind Trios for ClassicalKids, recitals with Hifilutin flute quartet and NCH appearances with the Orpheus Trio. As an orchestral musician she has freelanced with the RSNO (Royal Scottish National Orchestra), SCO (Scottish Chamber Orchestra), BBC Wales, NSOI (National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland) and RTÉCO (Radio Telifis Éireann Concert Orchestra).
Currently Eilís is a lecturer at the MTU Cork School of Music.
Aoife O’Donovan
is a Cork native and has been part of its music scene since her teenage years. Her formative years of flute were under the tuition of Conor O’Connell through Cork ETB School of Music. She progressed through her third level studies in MTU Cork School of Music under Eilís O’Sullivan and Sabine Ducrot resulting in a First Class Honours MA in both flute and baroque flute performance in 2010.
Aoife is a member of the Irish Symphonic Wind Orchestra, Cork Concert Orchestra and Hifilutin Flute Quartet. She enjoys playing with Cork Fleischmann Symphony Orchestra on occasion and is an active community musician with MIC – Music in Community since 2017. Her work with MIC brings her to various healthcare and community settings such as Marymount University Hospice and Westgate Foundation.
Aoife is currently a staff member of Cork ETB School of Music and MTU Cork School of Music. She has a passion for instrumental teaching complemented by her busy performance schedule. Aoife is a multi-award winning performer from her student years including the stalwart Feis Maitiu Senior Woodwind and Duo competitions and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet Chamber Music competition. Her inaugural solo performance was in 2003 playing the “Pennywhistle Jig” with the then County Cork Youth Orchestra as part of the IAYO Festival of Youth Orchestras.
Katrina Emtage
A native of Sydney, Australia, Katrina now lives in Cork and lectures in flute at the MTU Cork School of Music and also teaches at the Cork ETB School of Music in Ireland.
She attended the Sydney Conservatorium High School and graduated with an advanced performance diploma (DSCM)
The award of a Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee scholarship enabled her to further her study in Austria at the University of Music in Vienna with principal flute of the Vienna Philharmonic, Wolfgang Schulz where she completed her MA in 1995. In Vienna she freelanced with many orchestras and ensembles including contemporary music ensemble Klangforum Wien, with whom she performed on many occasions including for the Salzburg Festival and at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
As a soloist she has toured with the Welsh Chamber Orchestra and Willoughby Symphony Orchestra Sydney. She has also played with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, toured Europe, Asia and America with the Vienna Mozart Orchestra and Strauss Festival Orchestra and was a founding member of the Vienna Pocket Opera.
Her compositions are published by Tetractys Publications in London and in 2023 her quartet Summer Breeze was the winner of the American Flute Association newly published music award for flute quartet.
In 2024 the she was awarded an Arts Council of Ireland Agility Award which enabled her to attend the Grolloo flute sessions with Ian Clarke, Matthias Ziegler and Wissam Boustany and further research arranging and writing for flutes.
In recent years she has played also given concerts and masterclasses in Italy as part of an ongoing Erasmus exchange
She is musical director of the CAFE Cork Flute Ensemble based in MTU and has played with the Barrack St Band and Cork Concert Orchestra and Cork Philharmonic Winds
Besides teaching, composing and performing she also plays traditional Irish music and enjoys sailing and yoga
In 2017 she returned to life on the land after a 3 year sailing adventure, circumnavigating the world with her husband on a 13 metre boat.
