Marie Caffrey

Being Irish, I learned the accordion at a very young age. As a teenager, I was a member of the Oristown Accordion Orchestra. The Orchestra toured in Northern Italy, and also travelled to Prague, France and the UK to take part in festivals and competitions. The orchestra eventually dispersed and everyone went their separate ways, which is when I turned my focus to the piano. I learned piano a bit later, when I was 14, under the encouragement of my music teacher in secondary school. I completed all my exams, and when I left school, worked full time as a piano teacher in a private music school. I always wanted to perform so I applied for conservatoires in the UK and gratefully accepted my place in RWCMD. I studied there for four years, under the watchful eye of Graham Caskie.