Since his London debut in 1990 with the Walton Concerto, Michael d'Arcy has performed to critical and public acclaim throughout Europe, North and South America and in the Far East. Eager to return to Ireland he became concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra for their 1992/1993 season, deciding to take up the same position with the RTE Concert Orchestra in 1994, a position he held until 2000 when he left to pursue a broader range of musical activities.

As concerto soloist Michael performs regularly with all the major Irish orchestras. He has appeared as guest concertmaster of BBC Scottish Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, Ulster Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Portuguese National Orchestra, Opera Ireland, Opera Theatre Company and many others. He is concertmaster of Camerata Ireland, directed by Barry Douglas, which brings together the finest Irish musicians and with which he has toured North and South America and performed for President Bill Clinton.

Keen to bring new and neglected works to the public, Michael gave the world premiere of the Violin Concerto by Ronan Guilfoyle (commissioned for him by RTE in 1998) and the Irish premieres of concerti by Samuel Barber (NSO/Pearse 1994), Kurt Weill (RTECO/Heusel 2000), Philip Glass (RTECO/Kok 2003), Martinu (RTECO/Wagner 2003) and Vivaldi (Concerti for two violins with Nigel Kennedy, in a sell-out tour of Ireland with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, 2003). He has also give the first Irish performances of works by Xenakis, Penderecki, Gerald Barry and others. He recently performed the Violin Concerto of Sir Hamilton Harty (Ulster Orchestra/Braithwaite, BBC Radio Three, 2003)

Michael is a member of the string faculty of the Royal Irish Academy of Music (Dublin), and the Principal String Tutor of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. He has recently given masterclasses in Washington D.C., at the University of Wyoming, in Anchorage, Alaska, at the Cork School of Music and at the inaugural "Camerata at Clandeboye" festival. Michael also serves as a board member of Opera Theatre Company (Dublin). He founded the Irish Piano Trio, with which he has performed throughout Ireland, and toured to France and the Far East.

In addition to, and adding to Michael's experiences as a classical player, he holds the record for most appearances as concertmaster in the Eurovision Song Contests (1994, 1995, 1997). He has worked as concertmaster and soloist with Burt Bacarach, Carl Davis and performed in Jazz ensembles with the New York saxophonist Dave Liebman, Ronan Guilfoyle and Simon Nabatov. As a concertmaster of the Irish Film Orchestra, he can be heard on many Film and Pop album scores

Michael d'Arcy plays on violins by Carlo Giuseppe Testore (Milan 1710) and Michael de Hoog (Dublin 1998). He uses bows by Peccatte, Voirin, Nurnberger, Benoit Rolland and Dodd.

Reviews

"...Martinu's Violin Concerto No.2... by any standards is demanding, especially for the soloist. Michael d'Arcy was in full command. He combined wiry, highly sprung rhythm with subtle variety of tone and a panache which was all the more winning for being quiet.... this performance was the concert's highlight..."

Irish Times
 

"... sharing the limelight with Nigel Kennedy was the leader of the ICO Michael d'Arcy... both soloists were as one... the vastness of the hall was forgotten thanks to the instant rapport between performers and audience. Seldom has one heard such a wide range of quiet dynamics from piano to the merest whisper..."

Belfast Telegraph
 

"...in Glass' Violin Concerto, Michael d'Arcy was the sweet-toned soloist, rolling his arpeggios with immense clarity and making much of very little..."

London Independent
 

"...Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No.1 was splendidly performed by the immensely talented Michael d'Arcy... the concerto found a dedicated advocate in this unassuming young Ulsterman who earned a huge ovation..."

Manchester Evening News
 

"...one of the most poetic readings of the Tchaikovsky concerto I have ever heard..."

Irish News
 

"...Michael d'Arcy produces the most exquisite violin tone, and the performances of the various works were seductive without being cloying, quite a feat in such a romantic programme... he transmuted the written notes into pure song and left an unforgettable impression on the ear..."

Irish Times
 

"...in a well matched partnership with Alexandra Andrievsky the fireworks of Stravinsky's Suite Italienne were spectacular in execution... the Schubert Sonata was powerful and forceful, sounding at times more than usually introvert and intense, yet frequently illuminated with delicate touches. Saint-Saens' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso sparkled with scintillating gypsy bravado, bringing the programme to a stunning peroration..."

The Scotsman
 

"...stylish technique supported by intelligent appreciation, stunning tone highlighting expressively elegant, tasteful musicianship that worked well with, and in contrast to the Ulster Orchestra..."

Ulster Newsletter
 

"...exceptional technical ability, and clearly a musician to his fingertips... a violinist who has rightly attracted much attention..."

Belfast Telegraph
 

"...in the Mendelssohn Concerto, Michael d'Arcy had copperplate-pure intonation. During the cadenza the Irish soloist gave a brilliant virtuoso performance a la Paganini... (he) endowed the cantabile of the andante with an exquisite musical spirit..."

Rheinpfalz Kultur
 

"...in the Sonata by Leclair, the violinist seduced the audience with the lightness of his bow, the finesse of his playing and his natural phrasing. He was at once decisive and poetic in the demanding Sonata for Solo Violin by Prokofiev. His virtuosity was also manifest in the formidable Tzigane by Ravel, performed with abandon and bravura, but without the usual harshness... In the Franck Sonata, the violinist's long and ample breaths, his open and lively phrases, his suppleness and silky timbre were complimented by the breathless lyricism of Francois Killian. This very beautiful interpretation made a profound impression on the large audience which, because of its prolonged ovations, received three encores..."

Dernieres Nouvelles D'Alsace
 

"...Michael d'Arcy played the Mendelssohn Concerto not in the manner of an arrogant, austere soloist, but in perfect integration with the orchestra, which supported his playing with verve. The soloist did not seek unnecessary glitter but always played expressively using a rich palate of nuances, lending his phrasing sensitivity and inner life..."

Dernieres Nouvelles D'Alsace

Contact details and further information

E-mail Michael d'Arcy

For further details, see Michael d'Arcy's website