John Gilhooly

John Gilhooly OBE OSI (born 15 August 1973 in Castleconnell, County Limerick, Ireland) is the Artistic and Executive Director of Wigmore Hall, a central London chamber music venue.[1][2][3][4] When Gilhooly became Artistic Director of Wigmore Hall in 2005, he was "the youngest director of an internationally acclaimed concert hall".[5]

Education

Gilhooly was educated at Lisnagry National School, Ardscoil Rís, Limerick, and University College Dublin where he read History and Political Science. He went on to study singing as a tenor at the Dublin City College of Music and the Leinster School of Music, under the mentorship of soprano Veronica Dunne.[6][7]

Career

Before joining Wigmore Hall, Gilhooly had worked on events and concerts at Harrogate International Centre and was working at the £300m ExCel Centre in London's Docklands.[8]

In 2000, he became Executive Director of Wigmore Hall under its then Artistic Director, William Lyne. In 2005, Gilhooly took on the additional responsibility of Artist Director at the age of 32, becoming the youngest head of a classical concert venue worldwide.[5]

Gilhooly is (voluntary) chairman of the Royal Philharmonic Society,[9] a registered UK charity and one of the oldest music societies in the world. He has held this office since 2010.[2] Gilhooly is also a frequent juror in international competitions. In June 2019, he chaired the BBC Cardiff Singer of The World Song Competition.[10] He has also chaired the biennial Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera International Song Competition[11] and the Wigmore Hall String Quartet Competition.[12]

Gilhooly undertakes a large amount of voluntary work in music and the arts and is associated with numerous arts charities. He has served as Chairman of Mahogany Opera Group and holds a number of Honorary Patronages including Leeds Lieder, The Chopin Society, Irish Heritage and the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust. He was also Patron of the refurbishment of Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, Covent Garden. He is a trustee of the International Musicians’ Seminar, Cornwall, a trustee of The Susan Chilcott Scholarship and an advisor to London Music Masters. He is Patron of Wimbledon Music Festival and a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He has held advisory roles with Cheltenham Music Festival and the Dartington Trust. He is a former director of the British Association of Concert Halls.

Recognition

Gilhooly was appointed OBE in 2013. He has also been awarded the Star of Italy, the German Order of Merit and the Austrian Cross of Honour, and is a Knight in the Order of the White Rose of Finland. He has been granted honorary fellowships of the Royal Academy of Music, the Guildhall School and the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and honorary membership of the Royal College of Music.[13]

In 2016 Gilhooly was listed by The Sunday Times as one of the 500 most influential people in Britain, described by the Sunday Times/Debrett's as "one of the most influential figures in British arts administration."[14]

In 2019 he was awarded the Heidelberger Frühling Music Award at the Heidelberg Spring Festival.[15] He was also presented with The Cobbett Medal for services to Chamber Music from the Worshipful Company of Musicians.[16] He is frequently listed in The Evening Standard's "London's most influential" list.[17]

References

  1. "Arts head: John Gilhooly, director, Wigmore Hall - Culture professionals network - The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com.
  2. Hennessy, Mark. "Irish head of London's Wigmore Hall receives OBE for services to music". The Irish Times.
  3. "MusicalAmerica - Special Reports". www.musicalamerica.com.
  4. Jacques, Alan (9 November 2013). "When John met the Queen" (PDF). Limerick Post. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  5. "John Gilhooly receives Heidelberger Frühling Music Award". 20 October 2018.
  6. Desk, BWW News. "John Gilhooly Elected Chairman Of Great Britain's Royal Philharmonic Society". BroadwayWorld.com.
  7. "Limerick born John Gilhooly awarded OBE". Independent.ie.
  8. "From one city of song to another". The Irish Times.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "BBC - BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, 2019 - John Gilhooly". BBC.
  11. To, Sukie. "The 2019 Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera International Song Competition | Song Competition | Competitions". Wigmore Hall.
  12. To, Sukie. "The 2018 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition | String Quartet Competition | Competitions". Wigmore Hall.
  13. Audley, Fiona (26 September 2017). "Multi-award winning Irishman John Gilhooly scoops another European honour". The Irish Post.
  14. "Britain's 500 most influential". The Sunday Times. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  15. "John Gilhooly receives Heidelberger Frühling Music Award". Rhinegold.
  16. "The Musicians' Company | Walter Willson Cobbett Medal for services to Chamber Music".
  17. "The Progress 1000: Music". Evening Standard. 19 October 2017.


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