Piano
Cormac McCarthy is a pianist, composer and arranger born in Cork, Ireland. He has performed and composed in a wide range of musical genres; from classical, jazz, pop, to Irish traditional music. In 2010, having completed his Masters degree in composition at the CIT Cork School of Music, Cormac received the prestigious Bill Whelan International Music Bursary for young Irish composers studying abroad. He spent a number of years living in Chicago, where he completed a Masters in Jazz Studies at DePaul University. His compositions and arrangements have been recorded by such jazz icons as Phil Woods and Jeff Hamilton. As a pianist, he has performed extensively throughout Europe and the US, recording and performing with artists including Peter Washington, Billy Drummond, Liz Carroll, Mark Lettieri, Padraig Rynne, Donal Lunny, Martin Hayes, The RTE National Symphony Orchestra, The RTE Concert Orchestra, The Cork Opera House Orchestra, The New Irish Jazz Orchestra, as well as being a member of the forward-thinking Irish traditional group NOTIFY. In 2015, Cormac released Cottage Evolution, his debut LP as bandleader, to widespread critical acclaim. Cormac lectures in piano, keyboard, arranging and composition at the CIT Cork School of Music, and is director of the Cork School of Music Jazz Big Band.