17-year-old, award-winning Cork violinist, Mairéad Hickey, is to perform a special fund-raising concert at the Curtis Auditorium at the CIT Cork School of Music on the 31st of May 2013 at 7.30pm in aid of the CUH Charity’s Children’s Appeal to raise €1.5m to refurbish the outdated existing Children’s Unit. All proceeds will go towards improving facilities and services for children attending the Cork University Hospital. Tickets are priced at €15 for adults, €10 for students and €25 for families and are available from Pro-Musica, Opus II and the CUH Charity office on 021 4234529.

Mairéad, who is originally from the Lough in Cork, was named Irish National Concert Hall Young Musician of the Year in 2010 and is a former co-leader of the Irish National Youth Orchestra. She has won eight ‘All Ireland’ titles for fiddle playing, and has also won acclaimed classical competitions including the Jeunesses International Violin Competition in Romania in 2012 and the Antonio Salieri prize in Italy 2010. Mairéad has performed on several occasions for the President of Ireland at Áras an Uachtaráin, on various RTÉ shows including the Toy Show, with world famous traditional Irish group Altan and with traditional Irish musicians Michael O’ Sullivan and Liam O ’Flynn.

Mairéad will be accompanied by Cork’s Ciara Moroney on the piano and will be joined on the evening by her father, Michael Hickey and the under 12 Douglas Céilí Band and a young string quartet from CIT Cork School of Music, Accelerando. Evelyn Grant, Lyric FM broadcaster and Musical Director of the Cork Pops Orchestra, will act as concert compere on the night.

“I am really happy to be invited to perform in aid of the CUH Charity’s Children’s Appeal,” said Mairéad. “I hope that music lovers from all over the region will come along to the concert and help the charity a little further towards reaching its overall fundraising goal of €1.5m.”

Professor Michael Maher, Consultant Radiologist at Cork University Hospital said “To have Mairéad playing in aid of our Children’s Appeal is a great honour. She is a shining example of how hard work, dedication and passion combined with unique talent can lead to great achievements and success, which is very much in tune with our ethos. We are also extremely grateful to Dr Geoffrey Spratt, Director of CIT Cork School of Music, and his staff for so generously providing the wonderful Curtis Auditorium to stage this concert.

“This is a night to celebrate Cork’s young musical talent, and in doing so, help the CUH Children’s Unit to become a centre of excellence for treatment of sick children in the Munster region.”

Mairéad started to learn the violin at just three years of age and went on to hone her skills under the guidance of Adrian Petcu, senior lecturer at the CIT Cork School of Music. She has travelled to the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Romania, the UK, Bulgaria and the UAE with her musical talents.

For additional information on the concert and the CUH Charity’s Children’s Appeal visit: www.cuhcharity.ie.