Niamh is a violinist and music educator based in Glasgow.

Hailing from Castlewellan, Northern Ireland, Niamh grew up immersed in both traditional and classical music. She felt equally at home in her local youth orchestra as she did in her local Irish music sessions, and attributes her versatility as a musician to her studies of both genres.

Niamh studied at the University of Glasgow, where she received the Sir Thomas Beecham scholarship. During her studies, orchestral music continued to be an important part of extracurricular life. Niamh was an active member of the student-run Kelvin Ensemble, and lead the orchestra from 2019-20. In 2022, she participated in the first CIVIS Alliance Symphonic Orchestra project, culminating in a performance at the National Theatre of Marseille, La Criée.

Niamh strongly believes in the transformational power music education can have on the lives of young people, and is passionate about improving accessibility to music education. She currently works for Big Noise, a program that brings accessible music education into targeted communities. Youth voice and child-centred learning are fundamental to Niamh’s teaching philosophy. She believes giving students more autonomy in their learning positively impacts their engagement with and enjoyment of music, and helps develop valuable life skills. Throughout her career, she hopes to help empower as many young people as she can, and is excited to see the impact of programs like Big Noise and the Benedetti Sessions continue to unfold. She is delighted to be part of this year’s Ambassador program!