He is a cellist, pianist, conductor and composer born in Dublin, Ireland.
He studied the piano and cello and when he was 16 his first composition, a sonata for clarinet and piano was broadcast. He followed this with a symphony that was premiered with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and later performed by the RTE Symphony Orchestra in Dublin.
He became Music Director of the Gaiety in Dublin when he was 18 where he conducted productions including Carousel, The Merry Widow and The Playboy of the Western World which he also orchestrated. He composed the soundtrack for the RTE television series adaptation of Strumpet City as well as writing the musical Stuff and Nonsense based on Edward Lear.
After he had been awarded a Fellowship by the Arts Council he studied in London, where he conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Netherlands.
During his career he has been Principal Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Orquestra Sinfonica Nacional del Equador as well as conducting both RTE orchestras and several Scandinavian orchestras. On his return to Ireland he became a vocal adviser and conductor for the RTE Singers and later was appointed Principal Conductor of the RTE Concert Orchestra.
During his years with this orchestra he is said to have been a major factor in it becoming one of the best radio orchestras in Europe and he has since been made Conductor Laureate. He has premiered Riverdance and the Seville Suite and since 1979 he has been a musical director and conductor of Our Lady’s Choral Society alongside conducting his own orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra.
RTE Concert Orchestra recordings
Warsaw Concerto (Richard Addinsell)
Naxos 6 36943 43232 7 (CD: Warsaw Concerto)
Conductor – Proinnsias O’Duinn
Piano – Philip Fowke
Sources:
- http://www.rte.ie/music/rteco/rtecoconductors.html
- https://www.cmc.ie/composers/proinnsias-o-duinn
- http://www.musicintervals.com/