Hailing from Three Castles, Kilkenny, The Rafter Family is one of Ireland’s newest and most exciting classical music groups. Performing for the first time as a family across the country, they will perform a varied repertoire from the Italian classics to Irish ballads.
They are making their Irish debut in the National Concert Hall on Wednesday, September 30. They are then completing an Irish tour before travelling around the world.
All the members of this award-winning family have achieved international recognition for their exceptional musical talent and ability. Paddy, well-known in Ireland from his time with The Three Tenors, has been singing opera from the age of 18. Since then he has worked with stars of opera including Placido Domingo and Carlo Bergonzi, and with conductor Daniel Barenboim. At present, Paddy is performing in La Scala with Massimilliano Bullo where he is perfecting his main roles in operas such as Pagliacci and Madame Butterfly. His wife Maura has a life long love for the piano, and has spent time studying with teachers including Dr John O’Connor. Together with Paddy, she founded the highly successful Kilkenny Academy of Music in Three Castles, Kilkenny.
Paddy and Maura brought their children into the music world, starting Isabelle on cello and Patrick junior on violin. Patrick has progressed from a full entrance scholarship to the Royal Irish Academy of Music to winning the 2009 National Concert Hall Young Musicians’ Award. He is currently studying with Fionnuala Hunt and is the leader of the National Youth Orchestra. Isabelle began playing cello at five years of age, and has won awards at Wesley, Kilkenny Music Festival and the Feis Ceoil Dublin. She is now studying singing in the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
The Rafter Family are performing a special pre-launch recitals for their Kilkenny fans, at the Watergate Theatre on Saturday September 19.
