RIAM Junior & Transition Strings 

The RIAM Junior String Group was founded by Sheila O’Grady in 1994 with the important purpose of training young string players in the art of ensemble string playing.   

A burgeoning number of young string enthusiasts at the Academy necessitated the development of two separate ensembles in 2014: RIAM Junior Strings and RIAM Transition Strings directed by violinist Yvonne Donnelly and cellist Yue Tang respectively.   

Junior Strings is a fun, preparatory group which gently introduces young players to the joy of orchestral string playing, whilst Transition Strings aims to nurture and challenge the Academy’s more seasoned young players by extending the orchestral playing experience.   

These busy and vibrant young musicians perform annually at the RIAM Performing Groups concerts in venues including the National Concert Hall, O’Reilly Theatre, Belvedere College and St Andrew’s Church, Westland Row.  Past seasons have also seen them perform at the National Gallery of Ireland, and Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny.  These exciting young musicians have also performed in aid of a number of charities and recorded a CD Children for Children in aid of Barnardos.