The RIAM Doctor in Music Performance (DMusPerf) and the RIAM keyboard faculty is celebrating a major achievement, as four of its Doctor in Music Performance (DMusPerf) students and graduates have been accepted to present at the renowned Doctors in Performance international conference, to be held at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki from 3–5 September 2025.
Pianists Máire Carroll, Connor Wilcox, Grace Hyun-Sun Park, and Órán Halligan will represent the Royal Irish Academy of Music at this gathering, which brings together artist-researchers from around the world to share their work at the intersection of performance and academic inquiry.
These students work under the supervision of Professor Denise Neary, the Doctoral Studies Coordinator. Denise is a member of the steering committee of the Doctors in Performance festival conference since its inception in 2014 and organised the second conference at RIAM in 2016 hosting over 100 delegates from countries throughout Europe as well as the U.K., USA and Malaysia.
Given the highly competitive and rigorous review process, this outstanding success rate is a testament to the exceptional calibre of RIAM’s doctoral cohort and to the strength of its keyboard faculty. The selection of four RIAM pianists to contribute to an international platform of this stature underscores the Academy’s growing influence in the field of artistic research and performance-led scholarship.
The RIAM community extends warm congratulations to Máire, Connor, Grace, and Órán on this significant recognition, and we look forward to seeing their work showcased on the international stage in Helsinki this autumn.