A bit about me
I hold a degree in English and History , University College Dublin, a Diploma in Anglo-Irish Literature , Trinity College Dublin and a Masters degree in Anglo-Irish Literature University College Dublin.
I studied harp in Dublin with Máirín Feiritéar at Sion Hill Convent, Catríona Yeats at the College Of Music, Dublin and Denise Kelly at The Royal Irish Academy Of Music.
I present with 1 to 3 harps: an 1850's Erard concert harp, a 1998 Paddy Cafferky Irish harp, and a Camac 'Deborah Henson Conant ' Electric Blue Harp (2017) ...when possible with piano.
Repertoire
I compose songs for harp and piano: These are greatly inspired by my childhood home in Dublin once a miniature farm. I lives there now and host retreats and small concerts in what was once the farmyard
I set the poetry of WB Yeats and Austin Clarke to music,
I perform Irish and Gaelic songs, traditional tunes and Irish dance music.
Radio performances
I have performed on Irish, US and Australian radio programmes.
Performances
I have performed all over Ireland including at 398 weddings!
National Concert Hall Dublin: lunchtime solo recital in 2002 & 2005 with Harpists Fionnuala Monks and Madeleine Doherty.
Evening concerts and many solo lunchtime recitals at the National Concert Hall, most recently in spring 2024.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I lived in Florida where I opened concerts for 'The Chieftains ' and 'The Furey Brothers' at Florida Theatre, Jacksonville and performed several times at the Florida Folk Festival.
I undertook extensive tours around the USA including 27 concerts in 22 states, and performed over 20 concerts in North West USA with John Willmott of 'Celtic Ways' .
I have also toured in Australia : 9 tours of Irish Clubs, National Trust Houses and House Concerts.
Recordings :
1998: Dancing In The Wind: poems by WB Yeats set to music.
1999: Out Of The Ordinary: original songs with harp.
2000: The Lilt Of The Banshee : a selection of Celtic music and song.
2000: An Irish Wedding Ceremony: songs and music for an Irish Wedding.
2009: Journey With Claire Roche: songs with piano and harp.
Songs From The Harp Room’: traditional songs learned at school
From Then To The Here And Now: piano and harp songs composed between 1971 and 2017.
2018 Reviews
Review in Irish Music Magazine December 2018
Hotpress Music Magazine Winter 2018
The Irish Times October 4th 2018, by Siobhan Long .. not a fan, however :
“To say that Claire Roche’s music is otherworldly is to state the blatantly obvious .. for sure lurking deep beneath her grandiose musical gestures are echoes of Kate Bush (circa Wuthering Heights), Joanna Newsom and, regrettably Enya.”