Ms Nora Kavanagh

Nóra Kavanagh is a music educator, performer, musical director, and composer with a particular interest in creativity, inclusivity, and life-long learning. The nature of her discipline opens up the opportunity to incorporate various skill sets. These include connecting with different pedagogical approaches and presenting music in various artforms such as performance, text, imagery, and musical compositions. An advocate for life-long learning Nóra enjoys embracing new teaching platforms which help to broaden her scope to engage with students and peers at all stages of their academic journey.  

As a performer and composer, Nóra’s most recent publication titled Mo Cheol (July 2024), is a collection of fifty-two original Irish dance tunes, marches and airs which were inspired by the topography, culture and people from the South East region of Ireland. 

Her first publication titled Music & Memories – A Documented History of the Waterford Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (June 2020) included previously unpublished images, tunes and primary accounts of musicians in that region over a timescale of 100 years. 

The concept of style in Irish Traditional Music was explored in her post graduate research which focused on Regionalism in pre-Revival Irish Traditional Flute Styles (2011).

With a background in art music, the compositional style associated with the harper/composer Turlough Carolan (1670-1738) provided the focus for Nóra's undergraduate dissertation which was titled The Revival and Interpretation of Carolan’s Music in the 20th Century (1994).  

[1995 –2024] 

[Music Lecturer], [South East Technological University] 

Delivery of face-to-face and online modules at SETU including – Irish Traditional Music History, Music Performance, Critical Thinking and Writing Skills, Research Methodologies, Composition, Aural Skills, Musicianship Skills, and Orchestra. Designing, developing, and updating Module Descriptors in line with educational values, learning outcomes and assessment rubrics. 

[2000 - 2024] 

[Music Director] [Orchestras & Ensembles] 

2024                Musical Director of the SETU ITM Orchestra 

2019-2022      Musical Director of Senior Ensemble Music Generation Waterford 

2013-2014      Musical Director of Casóg, Waterford City  

2008-2011      Musical Director of Craobh Nua, Waterford City  

2004-2006      Music Director – Waterford City CCÉ 

[2023 -2024] 

[Music Advisor], [Eircheoil, Youghal] 

Member of the advisory committee for the Eircheoil project, Youghal, Co. Cork. In this capacity I will also be developing their orchestra and delivering workshops to their members.