In collaboration with musicians based in Offaly.
Live Music in Residential & Day Care Settings is part of the Anam Beo programme. It aims to support positive ageing, develop a framework to establish music as creative and social engagements for older adults in healthcare facilities.
Facilitated by Anam Beo, these interactive musical conversations and socially inclusive engagements encourages a back door to memories, movement & activities. It is where musical experiences facilitate self-expression and promote social interaction and inclusion between all involved. These sessions and performances advocate the development of a quality framework that captures the experience of appropriate live music engagement, to support and recognise best practices in the sector, and promote professional standards of practice in the field of Arts and Health where engagement in the arts can enhance care models for older adults.
Our aim is to encourage and develop opportunities for creative expression, in a safe environment through quality musical practices, for the individual and collective group. Music engagements sessions are in 4 HSE settings, located in Tullamore, Edenderry, Clara and Birr, Offaly.
Meet the Musicians!
Aoise O’Dwyer is a professional violist from Tullamore, Co. Offaly. She performs regularly with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra as well as a variety of chamber music ensembles. She holds a BMus in Performance from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and an MA in Performance from the MTU Cork School of Music.
Alongside her active performing career, Aoise is passionate about the creation of new music. In 2021 she was commissioned, with bassist and music creator Camilo Gaete Puga, to create a new work for SLEEPERTOWN, an international sonic art programme. Their piece “Trees are sanctuaries… “ was premiered in that year and was subsequently featured as part of the 2023 installation in Lazio, Italy. Aoise participated in the Contemporary Music Centre Colleagues program in 2022 in partnership with cellist and composer Adele O’Dwyer, culminating in the premier of a new work, “Three Worlds” for viola and piano, in September 2022. In September 2023, Aoise was selected for the Arts Council Agility Award, in support of her research and performance of works for solo viola by women composers. She looks forward to presenting a series of recitals based on this project in July and August of 2024.
Camilo Alberto Gaete Puga is a Chilean musician living in Ireland since 2019. He holds a BMus in Double Bass Performance from the Faculty of Music of the University of Chile. His training included two years of study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under the tutelage of Peter Stotijn and Olivier Thiery (Het Concertgebouw Orkest). As a Classical musician, his main interest lies in works for Double Bass from the 20th century, as well as chamber music from that period. In the past 4 years he has also directed his career towards music creation, channelling inspiration from a lifelong interest in different styles such as Rock, Experimental and Electronic Music. He was awarded an Arts Council Agility Award in 2023 to support further study in sound production. His debut album Epinoia will be released in March 2024.
Bernadette Moran anamceolmusictherapy.iacat.ie is a performer and teacher of traditional Irish music. She is a dedicated individual and enjoys being part of creative initiatives. These attributes have become stronger throughout her involvement in music. She holds a BA Hons degree in Irish Music and Dance and a MA Music Therapy, both from the University of Limerick and is a full professional member of the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists (IACAT).
As a student she was mentored to facilitate music lessons, also working with children with multiple disabilities, visual impairment and autism spectrum disorder. She is currently finishing her MSc Psychotherapy at Dublin City University. Bernadette works independently and has valuable skills working with clients who are non-verbal. Her professional experience is vast, with placements in both special education, older age settings, adults with moderate to severe/profound intellectual disability and music lessons for individuals with learning difficulties. Past clients of Bernadette’s include Esker Rí Nursing Home, Clara, Co. Offaly, Newbrook Nursing Home, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. In 2017 she established her own music therapy practice business Anam Ceol and advocates music as a socially inclusive and creative process for people living in residential care settings.
She is a vocalist and instrumentalist. Music and musicianship are a large part of her life, where she has competed at various Fleadhanna and succeeded to provincial level on several occasions, has been involved with many bands, choirs and ensembles, including the Brosna Céilí Band 2009, Offaly Mol an Óige, Moate Community School “Splanc” and other informal groups, as well as some international performances. She has completed up to Grade 3 Classical Guitar, and Grade 5 theory under The London College of Music. During her studies she participated in many different ensemble groups and large-scale performances, as well as learning from some of the most renowned musicians in the Irish Traditional Music community.