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In the latest instalment of our Alumni Spotlight series, we speak to violinist, composer and singer-songwriter, Eilidh Pope, who is a graduate of the BA in World Music (now the BA in Music). 

Eilidh speaks about what it was like to study ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and shares her advice for anyone considering studying music ��ɫ��Ƶ. 

Tell us a bit about yourself. 

I spent most of my childhood living in the town of Nenagh but prior to moving to Nenagh I lived in Newtown, which was where my mother grew up. Both being quite small towns there has always been a real sense of community and a peacefulness that has kept me living in Tipperary even though my life is definitely in Limerick now.

Myself and all my siblings attended the local Irish primary school, Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan, which I believe was formative in developing my love for the Irish language, culture and traditional music. Many of my first encounters with music took place during my time in the Gaelscoil, which was mostly due to the amazing teachers we had. As there is a huge traditional music scene in Nenagh, most kids played multiple instruments and were heavily involved in Comhaltas sessions and the Fleadh. I remember every week the whole school would go into the hall and spend hours practicing sets of tunes or céilí dances together.

Though I began my musical journey through Irish traditional music, I began exploring classical repertoire on the violin as my previous teacher Lucia McPartlin was moving abroad. This led me to study under Oonagh Keogh, a tutor who I studied under until my 6th year of secondary school. During my time with her I got the opportunity to explore different styles of repertoire and expanded my technical abilities and knowledge of the violin as an instrument.

I also became a member of her orchestra Ceol na mara Chamber Orchestra, which highlighted my love for collaboration and working with others when creating music. It also gave me the opportunity to perform in venues such as the National Concert Hall and to work with organisations such as the Irish National Opera and the Whistleblast Quartet on various projects.

Why did you choose to study music ��ɫ��Ƶ?

I remember during my final year of secondary school being unsure whether I wanted to go to college at all, but I knew that music was one of the things that was a constant throughout my life. 

My mother was a huge fan of Mícheál O Súilleabháin and Mel Mercier and recommended that I research the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance ��ɫ��Ƶ and particularly, the BA in World Music course (now the BA in Music). I was immediately interested as it seemed like a course where I could continue to further my practice as a violinist whilst furthering my knowledge of other musical cultures and my musicianship as a whole.

What did you enjoy most about the course?

To try to sum up the four years I spent completing the BA in World Music is a tough thing. I had so many wonderful experiences and opportunities I often find myself struggling to remember just how much I did. Just to list a few of those were countless workshops with visiting artists from all around the world, performance opportunities and artistic collaborations with local and international artists. 

The BA in World Music course was unique in the fact we were learning about global cultures but in a way that also felt relevant to our own practice and which gave us real world experiences with tutors and guest artists. We were also given the opportunity to focus on musical cultures in depth such as North Indian Classical Music, West African Drumming and Javanese Gamelan. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to study these musical cultures in depth, which is made possible by the fantastic resources and tutors in the Irish World Academy.

What did you enjoy about studying ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Irish World Academy?

The Irish World Academy holds such a special place in mine and so many other students hearts. Every time you walk in, you’re surrounded by the sound of music coming from absolutely every possible corner of the building that students can find to practice, collaborate and perform.

One of my favourite things about the Irish World Academy was that you never knew what could happen when you're in there. Often times you would run into someone you know and end up going for a random jam session that could end up being a composition session or forming a band off pof that one spontaneous meeting. 

Some of my favourite memories are mostly from those times when you and a friend would be finished class and just sitting around so you decide to go play some music together and end up either creating something or simply laughing the entire time instead of practicing.

Tell us about your experience on co-op.

I completed my co-op in the Nenagh Arts Centre, the local arts centre in my town. Looking back, I couldn’t have chosen a better place to do my co-op. 

During that time, I was working on the administration side of the arts, which allowed me to see what it would be like to be a working artist. I was given so many opportunities to interact with local artists and gain an understanding of the business behind the arts and music industry. 

It also helped me to realise my passion for marketing, content creation and graphic design, which I have been able to utilise for promoting my own music and creating cover art.

Were you a member of any clubs and societies during your time in UL? 

During my final semester of college, I joined the DJ Society as it has always been something I have wanted to learn how to do. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the DJ Society and loved the community they have created. 

I found this was a pivotal moment which aided in my transition post college as it helped me to think about the Limerick music scene as a whole and what is happening outside of the Irish World Academy and my music when it is removed from an academic context.

How did your degree and time in UL help you in your music career?

My time spent in UL and the Irish World Academy was a truly invaluable experience due to the fact I had four years in which all I did was think about music all day, every day – being given the time and space to explore my own artistic practice and interests whilst also broadening my entire understanding of what music was.

I came into this degree with a very close-minded understanding of what music should and shouldn’t be. One of my most important takeaways from the degree is that there isn’t really a certain way it should be, and to be open and curious always.

Are there any lecturers or people in UL who inspired or mentored you during your time in college? 

To begin, I have to say it’s difficult not to be inspired by every single person you meet in the Irish World Academy. Just walking around, I was in awe of the talent that surrounded me so casually on a daily basis.

I have to commend my course director, Dr Matthew Noone, on his mentorship and sheer love for the BA in World Music course (now the BA in Music). I’m still amazed looking back at how many wonderful opportunities we received due to his constant drive to constantly evolve the course for the better, and for every student within the course to reach their full potential. He also fostered a real sense of community within all the members of the course and created a space in which everyone was an equal and valued contributor.

I am also extremely grateful to Dr Eoin Callery in the Irish World Academy for his mentorship as my final year project supervisor, particularly in relation to composition, and academic research and concepts he introduced me to. Comparing my mindset and approach to composition and performance at the start of my final year and post graduating are vastly different and his mentorship was pivotal in helping unlearn many preconceived ideas I held about what composition is and what the act of making music should be.

What inspires you to make music?

I think what inspires me most is the connections you make with people through playing with and getting to know other musicians. I always find it so funny when you meet someone new and at first it's just regular small talk, getting to know each other and then once you begin to play and start the process of figuring out how you are going to create something together, even without speaking, you end up feeling connected on such a deeper level, often times within a short few minutes or hours.

I've also come to appreciate the act of creation and navigating that space where you have no idea what you are creating until it’s completed and having to force yourself to let go of any preconceived ideas of what a work of art “should be” and to explore what it is in that given moment.

You’re a member of cliodhnas.wav with two other UL graduates. Can you tell us more about the music you make as a trio?

cliodhnas.wav is an international trio made up of myself, Emma Jane Grant and Soojung. Emma and I first met when we were working on a live performance of Jenny Raisanen's debut album, which I had featured on playing the violin. I think we immediately were both in awe of each other and knew that at some point we would collaborate but due to timing we didn’t have the chance whilst we were both studying in the Irish World Academy. 

Though Soojung was also doing the MA in Songwriting at the Irish World Academy, we didn’t get a chance to get to know each other until Soojung had completed the MA and was back living in Arizona. I featured on their EP’ Unbloom’ on violin and vocals, which was done fully remotely. 

We also recorded our first single as cliodhnas.wav fully remotely. ‘Afterthought’ was released last October, and we’re currently working on songs that will feature on our debut album which we have also made fully remotely, apart from one writing session we had in London where we met for the first time in two years.

It has been a dream to collaborate with both Soojung and Emma, and a really special project for all three of us, especially due to the fact we wrote, recorded, produced and mixed everything ourselves. I think as a woman in music existing within the music scene, when I was younger, I didn't see that representation of women in music production very visibly, and for a long time I didn't think it was something I could do for that reason. I think being able to make even a tiny contribution to that visibility is something I'm extremely proud of and something I'd love to see highlighted more often.

Here ��ɫ��Ƶ, we're known as the '��ɫ��Ƶ of Firsts' - are there any important 'firsts' that you experienced as a UL student that you would like to share?

I think one of my favourite memories is from my final year when I had a performance lab class in which we were required to perform a piece for our classmates. I remember panicking about what to play and procrastinating about it the whole week before. I ended up having absolutely nothing until the day before when I decided I hadn’t enough time to learn something, so I decided to just try to compose something of my own.

I ended up basing it on the title of an Irish language poetry book I was reading titled ‘Solas Geimhridh’ by Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha. I wrote a violin piece with an electronic accompaniment, which I played over. I remember this was the first time I had written a piece I was proud of and I was so happy to share it with my classmates during the lab.

We encourage our students to 'Stay Curious'. What keeps you curious and how important has curiosity been throughout your studies and career to date?

I think curiosity is one of the most important things in this career. I’ve always been the type of person who likes to ask lots of questions and who tries to understand how things work. I try as much as I can to follow what piques my interest without overthinking it. 

I think it can be difficult sometimes to keep a level head when your artistic practice is so open to feedback, be it positive or negative, but I think it's important not to assume you know it all and be open to the knowledge other people possess, to value that everyone has something they could teach or share with you and to remember the reasons why you chose to dedicate your time to this art form in the first place.

What advice would you give to anyone considering studying ��ɫ��Ƶ, and in particular to those who might be considering studying music at the Irish World Academy?

To anyone considering studying in UL, I really can’t recommend it enough, particularly in the Irish World Academy. It’s so much more than just an undergraduate degree. Looking back over the past four years, I see it as a place in which every day you show up and you are surrounded by like-minded artists who are all there for the same reason as you.

The Irish World Academy also encourages collaboration through classes taken by undergraduate, postgraduate and sometimes PhD students, which gives students at different stages of their musical journey/career the opportunity to network and collaborate. 

I would advise anyone considering studying in the Irish World Academy to get to know people at all stages of their career as they often have invaluable advice on areas such as the business and administration side of the music industry and how to navigate a career as a working musician.

What are your hopes and plans for the future?

Currently I’m working on finishing the debut album for our band clíodhnas.wav which should hopefully be completed this year. I also have a few interesting projects coming up in which I can further my experience working on the production/stage management side of the industry. 

Eventually I would like to undertake a master's degree and perhaps return to the Irish World Academy, however, at the moment I'm really enjoying just existing in the Limerick music scene. I feel really lucky to have gotten to know so many musicians and bands recently, either through going to gigs or mutual friends and having the opportunity to support and admire their work.