Una Hunt

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Una Hunt

Una Hunt, PianistAs one of Ireland’s leading pianists, and through her interest in the music of Irish composers, Una Hunt has established a unique position as an artist for the twenty-first century. Her eloquent performances and artistic recordings have given exposure and a new voice to Irish music which was once forgotten and neglected.

Una Hunt has performed in Ireland, Europe and the USA, where her artistry has been received with enthusiasm. She has appeared on many occasions with the major Irish orchestras and has given several first performances of new works. She has also made many appearances in concert and on television with world-renowned flautist James Galway. She is a frequent broadcaster and has produced and presented several ground-breaking programmes and documentaries.

Through her deep commitment to the promotion of Irish arts, Una Hunt has spearheaded the new Archive of Irish Composers at the National Library of Ireland. She believes strongly that while it remains scattered across the globe, the music of her countrymen will remain unknown and un-cherished. The archive will provide a totally unique and eventually comprehensive collection of historic Irish music which artists can use to expand their repertoire and bring once more in front of audiences in Ireland and farther afield. Her enthusiasm for the re-discovering of lost and forgotten works has led to several rare and unique recordings. Una has master-minded the recording of Ulster pianist / composer Joan Trimble on the NAXOS Marco Polo label and she also released a disc of the complete piano music of E. J. Moeran, an all but forgotten composer who resided for much of his life at Kenmare, Ireland. This recording is on ASV/ Sanctuary Classics. Her latest disc Shower of Pearls, the music of George Alexander Osborne is on immediate release on RTE Lyric FM’s own label.

Una has toured throughout Europe and America with her violinist sister Fionnuala. The duo’s highly successful CD Irish Fantasy was particularly well received in the US and has resulted in several invitations to tour there in recent years. The Hunt sisters featured on several important broadcasts in the States including an hour long nationally syndicated programme broadcast to six million people right across America on National Public Radio. They are among the most popular and frequently broadcast Irish Una Huntartists on Lyric FM.

Una is a founder member of the Irish piano trio, TRIANTÁN. In addition to their busy performance schedule the trio made a significant contribution as artists-in residence at the Irish World Music Centre, University of Limerick. The other founder members of the Trio are violinist Ruxandra Colan and the cellist Ferenc Szucs.

Una Hunt continues to nurture Irish musical talent. She is chairman of the Rhona Marshall Trust and for some years was chairman of the Artane School of Music.