Dermot Dunne

Irish accordionist; teaches at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. Born in Dublin, Dermot commenced musical studies aged nine on the recorder with Sr. Carmel McEvoy and the accordion with Paddy Kavanagh, later studied with Patricia Kavanagh, and then with V.V. Besfamilnoff at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Kiev, Ukraine, graduating in 2001 with first class honours Master of Fine Arts degree. A frequent prize winner from an early age at competitions-with over fifty prizes at home and abroad, Dermot won first prize at the All Ireland Accordion Festival from 1992-1995, and also took prizes in France (1992), Italy (1996), Poland (2000) and Germany (2000). In 1995 he was the winner of the RTE Prize at the inaugural West Belfast Classical Bursary and in 1996 he won first prize in the 1996 RTE Musician of the Future Competition-the first accordionist ever to participate in this festival. Since then Dermot has been a regular performer throughout Ireland as well as in England, France, Germany, Portugal, Yugoslavia and Ukraine, both as a soloist and with various chamber groups and orchestras including the RTE Concert Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra, Ronan Guilfoyle Trio and others. Dermot regularly performs as accordionist and as conductor with Concorde who specialise in contemporary music. He has also toured with the Irish Chamber Orchestra both as soloist and as conductor.