Fergus O’Carroll was born in Waterford into a musical family. He studied French Horn with Victor Malirsh at the Royal Irish Academy of Music under a scholarship from the Irish Youth Orchestra and is currently Section Principal Horn with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Fergus holds a Masters Degree in Music from CIT Cork School of Music.
As well as being Musical Director of the Dublin Concert Band, Fergus is also Musical Director of the Dublin Symphony Orchestra, Mullingar Choral Society and Director of the Junior and Senior Wind Bands at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He has appeared on many occasions as guest conductor with the RTÉ National Symphony and Concert Orchestras and has also conducted the Orchestra of St Cecilia, the Dublin Baroque Players and many other community institutions.
Fergus was Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee that hosted the much acclaimed World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles World Conference in Ireland in July, 2007 and is a publisher of Irish wind band music. As a composer, he has had many of his compositions and arrangements performed and recorded by leading ensembles and he is recognised nationally as a specialist in the field of music notation.
Fergus has been Head of the Wind, Brass and Percussion Faculty since 2004.