Maria Fitzgerald

Soloist

Maria Fitzgerald, a multi award winning singer, actor and music producer,  trained at the prestigious and world renowned “Royal Academy of Music” in London where she graduated in 2005 having completed her major study in Voice and Theatre Studies.

Maria has extensive vocal training. Her ability to crossover vocal styles and genres to sing Classical, Modern Contemporary & Jazz repertoire makes her a much in demand singer in the music industry.

Her awards to date include the very highly regarded Féis Ceoil (RDS Dublin Ireland) and Féis Mattiú competitions.

Maria has toured internationally with Irish Musical “To Dance on the Moon” as lead female vocalist and has been featured on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, UK television station Channel 4 and TV3 Ireland as well as guest soloist at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin.

Maria is a regular singer on the Musical Theatre platform in Ireland & The UK. She has performed in the countries most prestigious Theatre & Concert venues, including The National Concert Hall with The RTÉ Orchestra & The Irish Philharmonic Orchestra. She also completed a series of cabaret shows in The Regent Park Theatre in London and regularly performs on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show.

Last year Maria released her debut album “Mia, Little Trip To Heaven” under the label, MiaBelle Records. A cool jazz styled album paying homage to old Hollywood Cinema and New York Jazz and produced the intimate concert show of the same title.

During Maria’s time in London she had the great privilege of working with many music industry professionals such as West End leading actor Philip Quast (of Evita and Les Miserable fame), Jeremy Sams (musical director), Zoe Wanamaker (TV Actor).

With over 15 years experience in the music industry and event management and has performed and coordinated hundreds of events throughout Ireland & Northern Ireland, England, Scotland & Wales. She has also produced and performed in her own music concerts entitled “Mia Little Trip To Heaven”, “Defying Gravity” and “All that Jazz” here in Ireland.

Maria is also Company Director of the very prominent wedding music entertainment agency ‘WeddingSinger.ie’ in Dublin, Ireland.

Other theatre credits include: ‘Susan’ in Sondheim’s Company (Jack Lyons Theatre RAM London), ‘Desdamona’ in Shakespeare’s Othello ( Royal Academy of Music London), “In the Family Way’, Cabaret (Regents Park Theatre London), ‘Julie Stephens’ in Talent by Victoria Wood ( RAM London), ‘Cinderella’ in Sondheim’s Into The Woods (Draoicht Theatre), ‘Tuptim’ in The King and I (National Concert Hall), ‘Peron’s Mistress’ in Evita (Rupert Guinness Theatre), ‘Antonia’ in Man of La Mancha (O’Reilly Theatre), ‘May Tallentire’ in The Hired Man (Theatre Royal, Wexford), the lead in Sleeping Beauty Panto (Cork Opera House), ‘Consuela’ in West Side Story (Dun Mhuire Theatre). Maria also devised and performed a musical cabaret show “All That Jazz” (Wexford). “Mollser” in The Plough and the Stars (Theatre Royal Wexford)

Frank McNamara

Piano & Organ

Frank McNamara is an internationally known arranger, conductor, composer and pianist from Ireland. McNamara’s career began at the age of 11, when he first appeared on Irish national television. Frank attended Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated with music honours. He received the most outstanding pupil award at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Irish audiences are well familiar with McNamara’s work as Music Director of RTÉ’s The Late Late Show for 20 years. He was the arranger and producer of two consecutive winners at the Eurovision Song Contest. He has composed TV themes and other music for Irish television. He has written numerous works for orchestra and has released several albums, which include his orchestral arrangements and original compositions. Those albums have resulted in two platinum albums and two gold albums.

McNamara also has an acting credit to his name. He was Reuben the pianist in Ronan O’Leary’s Hello Stranger (story by Truman Capote) filmed in 1992. The movie starred Daniel J. Travanti. McNamara wrote the title song Hello Stranger and performed the song in the movie.

In 1994 and 1995 he signed up with the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) and rearranged Iceland’s Eurovision Song Contest entries. He conducted the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra on the final night for the live performances of these entries during the Eurovision Song Contest which was hosted in Ireland in both these years.

He was also the musical director of the1997 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Dublin. In 1998, he helped found The Irish Tenors, which group has been highly successful. He was their Music Director in five of their albums and three PBS specials and toured with them throughout the United States, New Zealand and Australia. Their album Ellis Island rose to number one on Billboard’s World Music listing.

McNamara is the composer of a four-part movement classical work entitled Beatle symphony, which is based on Beatles melodies and has been performed internationally. He has written an ABBA piano concerto, a Rolling Stone soverture and a Simon and Garfunkel suite.

He is the producer/musical director of The Young Messiah – Messiah XXI which is an adaptation of Handel’s Messiah. The CD and DVD of this work was released on 3 October 2006. The production starred Gladys Knight, Roger Daltrey, Chaka Khan, Jeffrey Osborne, the Irish Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir and the Visual Ministry Gospel Choir. On 18 October 2002, McNamara staged and produced a performance of this music in Warsaw, Poland as part of a Gala Event for the President of Poland and dignitaries. His work with John McDermott entitled A Time to Remember was released as aPBS special and on CD and DVD and that album was number one on Billboard’s World Music list.

In 2002, McNamara created the group The American Tenors. Their PBS special was filmed in Los Angeles, California, at the Kodak Theatre. Within the first few weeks of its release, The American Tenors album was at number five onBillboard’s Crossover Classical Chart. They also released a slightly different version of their album in Ireland.

McNamara has made albums with The Irish Tenors, The American Tenors, Ronan Tynan, John McDermott, David Agnew, Rebecca Storm and Mary Lowe, among many others. He was the Music Director and toured with LeAnn Rimes during her 2004 Symphonic Christmas tour. In 2005, he was the Music Director of the Argent Mortgage Orchestrated concert series, which included shows with Le Ann Rimes, Seal, Jewel (singer) and Duran Duran.
He has conducted some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra and conducted the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for Ben Fold’s three-concert orchestral debut in the United States.

During his early training at Royal Academy of Music he studied composition with James Wilson and piano with Rhonda Marshall. Peter Katin also instructed Frank in piano in London and Canada.

Katie O’Connor

Violin

Katie studied violin with Brian McNamara in the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama and graduated with an Honours Bachelor in Music Performance. She works regularly with the RTE Concert Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra and the Wexford Opera Festival Orchestra.

No stranger to the contemporary Irish music scene, Katie has worked with many artists including U2, The Frames, The Corrs and Glen Hansard.

Internationally Katie has performed with Micheal Buble, Puff Daddy, Josh Groban, Kanye West, and the Three Irish Tenors, touring across the globe.

String Quartet

At Funeral Music Dublin The String Quartet is available for hire as a stand-alone ensemble or as accompaniment to our solo singer or singers.  One of Ireland’s leading String Quartet, the ensemble comprises of our best musicians who play Violin, Viola & Cello. As a quartet, they have performed at some of the most prestigious venues, for corporate functions & celebrity weddings.

All of our musician have experienced playing with The RTÉ Concert Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, The Ulster Orchestra and many more.

The String Quartet are available to perform at Corporate Events, Wedding Church Ceremonies, Civil Ceremonies, Humanist Ceremonies, Spiritual Ceremonies, Cocktail Hour/Drinks Reception, during the Wedding Meal and for Private Events.

All accomplished classically musicians, skilled in the performance of both Classical & Contemporary Music.

They have collectively and as solo artists performed with musical artists such as U2, Michael Buble, Glen Hansard, Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo, The Frames, The Corrs, Josh Groban, Puff Daddy, Kanye West, The Irish Tenors and many more.