Kerry School of Music and Performing Arts

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

Two of Kerry School of Music’s talented senior students come together in an hour-long joint recital in the school’s Fleischmann Studio on Saturday, September 14th at 6pm. 16-year-old Cahersiveen pianist Kevin Horgan, who was recently awarded the Associate of the Royal Schools of Music with Distinction will play his ARSM programme consisting of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight Sonata) and Ravel’s Sonatine. 18-year-old Tenor Rae Moriarty from Kilfenora, Spa will perform a varied programme of songs by Bach, Arne, Haydn, Rossini, Brahms, Schubert and Barber. Rae will be accompanied by Kerry School of Music former director Aidan O’ Carroll.

The recital is an hour long and admission is free. Voluntary donations will be accepted for the Kerry School of Music’s Access Fund!

28/08/2026

Term is just around the corner so we are highlighting two classes on offer in the School this week!

First up we have our Musical Theatre Class with Clodagh Harrington and Aileen Murphy. This takes place every Saturday at our High Street centre and is an excellent hour of song, dance and acting. Singer and performer Clodagh Harrington has just returned from London where she received a First Class Honours in her Masters in Musical Theatre. Her experience on stage is well evidenced, most notably with her AIMS award for Best Female Singer for her protrayal of Evita. Aileen is a well established choroegrapher and dancer across the county and with the Light Opera Society of Tralee. Aileen also furthered her Musical Theatre and Dance training in UK before returning to Tralee where she teaches with KSM Dance Academy in a number of diciplines.

Our Children's Choir takes place on a Wednesday evening at 5.30-6.15pm. The Children's choir is under the helm of Aidan O'Carroll founder of the Kerry School of Music. Aidan's vocal coaching, composition, choral direction and wealth of experience makes this choir the perfect choice!

Email us at [email protected] for more info 🎤🎼🎹

27/08/2026

It’s time to kick off our next show season!! With a lot of events coming up for LOST this year we are beginning our production in the coming weeks. As with our two previous productions our leads and chorus will be auditioned. We are looking for a small talented group to bring this fantastic musical to Siamsa Tire stage. To express interest and be in line to receive audition packs please email [email protected] with your name, number and whether you would like to audition for a lead or chorus. Audition announcement to follow. We cannot wait to start this unbelievable show!!

13/08/2026

We at the Kerry School of Music are very disappointed by the treatment we have received from the Kerry Local Authorities in relation to works done surrounding our building.

We were never alerted to the works being done in the first place, there was no consultation or conversation about how our school runs, who it serves, what times of year is quieter etc. We found out about the works via a Facebook post last year. We had to seek out members of the council to let us know what was happening and were finally alerted that in a week the road was to be shutdown in January, during our term without any chance for us to deal with the consequences. We are open 7 days a week, we have hundreds of students as young as 6 months to elderly, we have students with additional needs, those who need access to our building via our wheelchair ramp at the back and hundreds of children who use our carpark to safely get into the building.

We fought tooth and nail to have our section put off until the school was not in session or a quieter time for us. We agreed to close our access to our carpark during our summer camps during our work time and were told that when we came back from annual leave we would have full access to our carpark!

We have returned and 11 weeks after our access is still being denied. At all points throughout the process the contractor and the school have worked together to make it as easy for all involved but the Kerry County Council have made it impossible for us at all turns. We have phone calls unanswered, no communication about plans, we have to continually seek out information and are met with no answers.

We are a business open for 45 years, a registered charity and the continued block to our business is having an impact on us across the board.

We have given the council every opportunity to work with us we understand that works need to be done and we support the improvement of our town but when it is to the detriment of established businesses we ask what is the goal here?

Kerry's Eye The Kerryman

11/08/2026

We are delighted to welcome back Clodagh Harrington. Clodagh will be resuming her role at the Performing Arts group on a Saturday as well as resuming teaching in Tralee, Di**le and Listowel!

Clodagh Harrington is an award-winning performer and singing teacher with a passion for helping singers develop healthy, confident, and expressive voices. She recently completed a Master's degree in Musical Theatre Performance with Distinction at Associated Studios, London, and also holds a Bachelor's degree in Musical Theatre from the Cork School of Music.
Having performed leading roles across Ireland and London, Clodagh brings valuable industry experience to every lesson. Her performing career has earned two nominations for Best Female Singer at the National AIMS Awards, and she was awarded the National AIMS Award for Best Female Singer for her acclaimed portrayal of Eva Perón in Evita.
Passionate about vocal health and sustainable technique, Clodagh tailors every lesson to the individual needs and goals of her students. Whether preparing for auditions, examinations, competitions, drama school entry, professional performances, or simply singing for enjoyment, she creates a supportive and encouraging environment where students can build confidence, refine their technique, and develop their own unique voice.
In addition to Musical Theatre, Clodagh also has a wealth of knowledge and experience in various genres such as Pop, Jazz and Soul. From singing with bands to producing her own jazz cabaret in a famous London jazz club, Clodagh loves passing on her expertise in all genres.
Combining professional performance experience with high-level training, Clodagh is dedicated to helping singers of all ages and abilities achieve their full vocal and performance potential.

Drop us a message or email us at [email protected] to sign up with Clodagh 🎶🎶

21/07/2026

This November 28th the Kerry School of Music will be celebrating its 45 years in existence as well as paying tribute to our founder and past principal Aidan O’Carroll and his legacy!

A concert with past stars who have gone on to global successes, as well as current performers in the school and surrounding community will be taking to Siamsa Tíre stage to celebrate all of Aidan’s hard work and dedication towards bringing music to kerry.

We are asking any previous members of our orchestra to contact us if they are interested in joining us on the night to perform as part of the school once more! This unique opportunity hopes to bring players together for a global performance on the night, all welcome! Please contact us here or at [email protected] if you would like to join us once more on the night!! 🎶🎻🎺🎷

15/07/2026

Our final week of music camps in Listowel and Tralee before we take our annual 3 weeks of summer holidays! We resume in August with our Dance camps. We have our LOST A Little Night of Music taking place this Friday at 7pm in St John’s Ashe Street to close out our term 🎶🎶

07/07/2026

Camps in full swing for the next two weeks!! Tralee and Di**le this week and Tralee and Listowel next week 🎶🎶🎶

01/07/2026

Ross Kingston (Bass Baritone) and Aidan O’ Carroll (Piano) perform Robert Schumann’s Myrthen, Op. 25
Fleischmann Studio, Kerry School of Music, this Friday, July 3rd, 7pm.
Myrthen (Myrtles), Op. 25, was composed in the spring of 1840 by Robert Schumann. Its 26 Lieder were written as a wedding gift for his fiancée, Clara Wieck, and presented to her on the eve of their wedding. Clara’s father was so vehemently opposed to their union that they had to secure a court judgement to enable their marriage to proceed. Clara was by that time an internationally recognised concert pianist while Schumann subsequently became one of the most significant composers and music critics of the nineteenth century.

The texts are by various poets including eight by Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns, and several each by Rukert, Goethe and Heine. The cycle is performed in German. Translations are provided.

Ross and Aidan who are avid song cycle enthusiasts have previously presented Schubert’s Winterreise/Winter Journey (24 songs) and Die Schon Mulerin/The Miller’s Daughter (20 songs) song cycles and Schumann’s Dichterliebe/Poet’s Love, Op. 48 (16 songs) as well as his Liederkreis (song cycles) Op. 24 (9 songs) and 39 (12 songs).

An interesting Tralee connection to the Schumanns: 19th century Tralee-born pianist and composer Arthur O’ Leary studied in Leipzig where he met the Schumanns and Mendelssohn. He moved to London to complete his musical education at the Royal Academy of Music and eventually became a professor there. When Clara resumed her pianistic career after her husband’s death, she often toured in England add would invite Arthur to join her to play piano 4-hand works. Arthur is buried in Aghadoe cemetery in Killarney.

The concert is free of charge and all are welcome.