Seán Morgan-Rooney is an Irish pianist and composer. His artistic practice spans a wide array of activity, including solo performance, chamber music, composition, arrangement and multimedia projects.
Seán is a past winner of the Charles J. Brennan Prize at the Dublin International Piano Competition, awarded to the highest placed Irish competitor. He has appeared as a concerto soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Ulster Orchestra and Camerata Ireland. In 2019, he made his solo debut at Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, performing Liszt’s Sonata in b minor. He has since given recitals in all of the Netherlands’ major concert halls, including Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam, De Doelen in Rotterdam and TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. His performances have also taken him further afield to the USA, Canada and Japan.
Seán is a past member of the Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, one of the UK’s leading contemporary music groups. During his time with the ensemble, he premiered countless works by Irish and British composers, as well as performing modern masterpieces by the likes of Boulez, Xenakis, Reich and Murail. He has also performed with Iceland’s CAPUT ensemble at the Dark Music Days Festival in Reykjavik, premiering new work by Irish composer Simon Mawhinney. During his time at the Royal Academy of Music, Seán was the winner of the Else Cross prize for contemporary music.
Originally from the village of Mayobridge in County Down, Seán first began to take piano lessons at the age of 5 with local teacher Colm Murphy. He went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.From the age of 11, Seán studied with John O'Conor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, studying concurrently first with Colma Brioscu and later with Peter Tuite. He went on to complete his Bachelor’s with Professor Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating with First Class Honours. He completed his Master’s and Artist Certificate with David Kuyken at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He also studied privately with Yossi Reshef in Berlin. Seán has participated in masterclasses at the International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada and the Aspen Music Festival and School in the USA.
Seán plays on a 1975 Viennese Bösendorfer, generously on loan to him from Het Muziekinstrumentenfonds of the Netherlands.