Orchestra people
Fergus Sheil - Conductor
Born in 1971, Fergus Sheil studied music in Trinity College in his native Dublin. After graduation in 1992, he pursued private conducting studies with Leon Barzin in Paris and he also attended masterclasses with Ilya Musin, Myung-Whun Chung, Helmuth Rilling and George Hurst.
Fergus began orchestral conducting in 1989 when
he formed the Trinity Chamber Orchestra while
still at college. In 1995 he won the BRI Conducting
competition run by the National Association of
Youth Orchestras in the UK. He has appeared in
concert with the National
Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTE Concert
Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the Northern
Sinfonia (UK) the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the
Orchestra of St Cecilia, Orchestra 2000 (Cape
Town) and many other groups.
In Opera, Fergus has conducted
Verdi’s
Aida and Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore
for Scottish Opera, Donizetti’s L’elisir
d’amore for Opera Ireland, Rossini’s
Cinderella and Peter Maxwell Davies’ The
Lighthouse for Opera Theatre Company as well
as Donizetti’s Lucia di
Lammermoor and Verdi’s I due Foscari and
Attila (Irish première), Puccini’s
La bohème and Madama Butterfly for Lyric
Opera Productions, Dublin. A former Head of Music
of Opera Ireland, Fergus has also worked as chorus
master and assistant conductor at Wexford
Festival Opera, Opera Ireland and Scottish Opera.
He has also worked as assistant conductor for
the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland’s
2002 performances of Wagner’s Der Ring
des Nibelungen.
Fergus Sheil is also dedicated
to contemporary music. In 2002 he became director
of Crash Ensemble,
Ireland’s leading contemporary music group.
With this ensemble Fergus has appeared throughout
Ireland as well as in, Denmark, Sweden, UK, Estonia
and Holland – and highlights have
included the world première of Michael
Gordon’s 2003 version of his video opera
Van Gogh, in collaboration with the composer.
As well as performing throughout
Europe, Fergus has undertaken engagements in
South Africa (1999 – 2001)
as a director of the Amateur Chamber Music Player’s
orchestral concerts in Cape Town’s City
Hall, and in Australia – where he worked
as assistant conductor with the
Australian Youth Orchestra’s 2005 performance
of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde at the Queensland
Music Festival. In 2002 Fergus made his North
American début in New York’s Carnegie
Hall in the opening concert of a tour of highlights
from the “Irish Ring” – The
Bohemian Girl, The Lily
of Killarney and Maritana.