Aoife Ní Bhriain received classical violin lessons at a young age at the Young European Strings School of Music in Dublin, Ireland. She completed her master’s degree with honors at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig (Germany), having already completed her bachelor’s degree there with Prof. Mariana Sirbu.
In music competitions Aoife Ní Bhriain won prizes for traditional Irish and for classical music, including all relevant Irish awards for young violinists as well as the “Campus Internazionale di Musica”, the “Pontino Festival Young Musician Award”, the 2nd prize at the “Concours International de Violon Marie Cantagrill” as well as the 3rd prize at the international violin competition “Vasco Abadjiev”. She also has the honor of being a member of the Board of Directors of the Irish Traditional Music Archive since 2016. Other awards include the “Bill Whelan Bursary” for exceptional musicians, the “Prix d’Or” of the Conservatoire du Pays de Loire in Nantes, the Music Network Ireland award for the purchase of an instrument, a scholarship from “Live Music Now Leipzig” with the Osmosis Quartet and a scholarship from Dr. Bunge for further studies in Leipzig.
The young musician made her debut at the age of nine with the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has performed as a soloist with various orchestras in Europe and Asia, including the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Korean Chamber Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the Esker Festival Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre d’Ariège, the Orchestra of the Musikalische Komödie Leipzig and the Symphony Orchestra of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig. She also performs regularly with the Goodman Trio, the Crash Ensemble, with Neil O’Loghlin’s Cuar, the Caerus Ensemble, and the avant-garde string quintet “Wooden Elephant.” In the 2018/2019 concert season, Aoife Ní Bhriain was “Artist in Residence” at the National Concert Hall in Dublin.
Aoife Ní Bhriain has collaborated with musicians of various genres, including actor, singer, songwriter and Academy Award winner Tim Robbins and “The Rogues Gallery Band,” with Kate St. John, Declan O’Rourke, Camille O’Sullivan and Kris Drever, as well as traditional Irish artists Martin Hayes, Denis Cahill, Mick O’Brien, Emer Mayock, Julie Fowlis, Pádraig Rynne, John Sheahan and many others. She has performed chamber music with renowned classical musicians such as Eliso Virsaladze, Barry Douglas, Finghin Collins, Andrei Banciu, Mariana Sirbu, Massimo Paris, Tatjana Masurenku, and Frank Reinecke, as well as with “Golden Globe” award-winning Brian Byrne and “Grammy Award” winner Judith Sherman. She was also a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland and the European Union Youth Orchestra.
The young violinist has been invited to numerous festivals, including the PODIUM Esslingen Festival (Germany), the Cross-linx Festival (Netherlands), the Gregynog Festival (Wales), the Kilkenny Arts Festival (Ireland), the Bantry Masters of Tradition Festival (Ireland), the Chamber Music Festival in Sligo (Ireland), the Galway Jazz Festival (Ireland), the Festival dei Due Mondi Spoleto (Italy), the Ravello Festival (Italy) and the Camden Folk Festival (London).
Aoife Ní Bhriain plays on a violin by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.