Supported by:

Morgan Buckley - Classical Guitar
Age: 22

Twenty-two year old Morgan Buckley began playing classical guitar with Luke Tobin nine years ago taking graded examinations with Trinity College, London. He received his grade eight with distinction at just sixteen years of age. Morgan then completed the Bachelor of Music program at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Dr. John Feeley specialising in performance. He finished with an overall average which placed him first in his year and won the top award for his research dissertation on ‘Five Bagatelles’ by William Walton. During the course Morgan performed at masterclasses given by Oscar Ghiglia, Elena Papandreou, Berta Rojas and Raymond Burley.

In 2010, Morgan won the Guitar Bach Prize (George Lowden Cup) and the Senior Guitar Prize at the RDS Feis Ceoil Music Festival. This year he won the Contemporary Irish Guitar Cup making him only the second guitarist ever to have won all three major guitar competitions at the festival. Earlier this year at the Sligo Feis Ceoil, Morgan won the Lyric fm Bursary, the Anita Loretto Cup for most promising musician and the senior guitar competition. He won the Caliendo Cup for strings repertoire and senior guitar and the Arklow music festival and senior strings at the Newpark Music festival.

Morgan formed the DIT Guitar Quartet in the autumn of 2010. With tuition from RTE Vanbrugh Quartet, the guitar quartet have performed in the National Concert Hall, the RDS for the Rising Star series and will be performing at this year’s Boyle Arts Festival. Morgan has also performed with the DIT Guitar orchestra, the DIT Choral Society and the Artane Jazz Band under the direction of Irish Wind Ensemble conductor Ronan O’Reilly. Morgan teaches at the Mater Dei Institute of Education and in the Artane School of Music.

This September, Morgan will be taking part in the Master of Music in Performance program at the Royal College of Music in London. He will be studying under assistant head of strings and head of the guitar faculty Professor Gary Ryan. There, he will also have the opportunity to avail of tuition from other professors Carlos Bonnell, Charles Ramirez, Chris Stell and visiting Professor John Williams.