BIOGRAPHY
Karin was born in Vienna
She acquired a Flute Diploma with distinction at the Academy of Music and Arts, Vienna (Prof. W. Schulz) and at the Academy of Music Freiburg, Germany (Prof. R. Aitken)
Master classes with Peter Lukas Graf and Robert Aitken perfected her playing.
She was winner of the competitions Jugend musiziert, Musica Juventutis, Forum junger Künstler, Talentinum and Live Music Now (Yehudi Menuhin Foundation)
Karin appeared as soloist with the following orchestras: Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Mozart Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra Hradec Kralove, Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Filharmonique de Besancon, London Gala Orchestra, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Capella Istropolitana, Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra, Lublin Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak Radio Orchestra, Bratislava Symphony Orchestra and the Thames Chamber Orchestra.
Karin is touring worldwide with chamber music recitals: she appeared in the main concert halls in Austria (Konzerthaus, Musikverein Golden Hall, Brucknerhaus Linz, Carinthian Summer Festival,...), Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary (Szeged Intern. Music Festival, ...), England (London Chamber Music Festival, ...), Ireland (Festival Music in Great Irish Houses,....), Iran (National Concert Hall, Int. Fajdr-Music Festival,...), USA, South Africa, Holland, Switzerland, France and Italy, Concerts on the Hapag Lloyd cruise yacht MS Europa, Nepal and India.
Karin works also as a tutor (e.g.Sandor Vegh Symposium for woodwinds), chamber music workshops in Ireland, Northern Ireland, China, Iran, Croatia and South Africa.
She held a contract for the Stage Orchestra in the Vienna State Opera
and was freelancing in London as Principal Flute and Piccolo in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, London Gala Orchestra, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables,....
Since 2006, Karin is composing her own music.
On her new new inspirational album EARTHMAGIC for flute, harp and orchestra, she performs on a wooden flute, piccolo, Irish tinwhistle and Native American flute. She also uses celtic instruments (e.g. uillean pipes) and tribal instruments (e.g. didgeridoo).
Her compositions are very varied in many styles, but always beautiful to the ear.
She was asked by several festivals to write competition pieces for several instruments and is taking part in the John Barry Film Music Competition this year.
Her new CD Earthmagic is played in all Irish radio stations and on Classic Fm in the UK.
She is currently working on recording her 2nd CD “Seamagic” and finishing composing her 3rd and 4th CDs “Skymagic” and ”Firemagic”.
Karin recorded 5 CDs:
"The Gardens of Birr Castle Demesne" (Flute & Harp)
"Soul Alignment" (Improvisations Flute & Synthesizer)
"Music of Great Irish Houses" (Flute & Harp)
"Castle Music" (Flute & Harp)
“Earthmagic” (Flute, Harp & Orchestra)
All her CDs are on I-Tunes.
Karin is supporting carefully selected charities and got an award from United Nations.
She appeared on many TV and Radio broadcastings in Austria, France, UK, Hungary, Ireland, South Africa and Czech Republic
Karin is the Artistic Director of the Vienna Film Orchestra and has done a Hollywood Film Production together with the biggest music agent Air Edel, London.
www.myspace.com/karinleitner
www.youtube.com/karinleitner
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Cormac De Barra comes from a family of traditional Irish musicians and singers. He first studied Irish harp with his grandmother in Dublin and went on to study concert harp in the USA with Leone Paulson, a Julliard graduate and student and friend of the world-famous harpist, Carlos Salzedo. At age 17 he spent six months performing at the Irish exhibition at Expo 90 in Osaka, Japan. From there he carried on to Seville, Spain where he performed in the Irish Pavilion at Expo 92. Highlights of those trips include a recital for Emperor Akihito of Japan in his residential Palace in Tokyo and a performance for Queen Sofia of Spain.
As a soloist Cormac has given concerts and workshops as well as numerous radio/television appearances across Europe and in the USA. He also performs regularly with harpist, Anne-Marie O'Farrell. As Ireland's foremost harp duo, they have been playing together for over a decade now. Their presentations reflect the marriage of Ireland's oral musical heritage and the classical tradition. Highlights of their Irish performances include an appearance at the ESB Beó Festival in the National Concert Hall and the Ninth World Harp Congress in Dublin. International performances include recitals at the European Harp Symposium in Amsterdam and Lyon and the inaugural concert of the Irish Cultural Centre, Paris.
As well as performing Cormac presented the traditional Irish music series, Flosc, on TG4, Ireland's Gaelic language TV channel. Flosc was awarded Best Music Series by Irish Music Magazine in 2002.
Cormac has been collaborating with singer and actress Hazel O'Connor since 1998. They first went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Hazel's autobiographical show, Beyond Breaking Glass. They have toured extensively as a harp and vocal duo across the UK, Holland, Germany and Australia as well as performing in New York and Los Angeles. Cormac made his acting debut in 2002 starring alongside Hazel at the Edinburgh Fringe in a show called O'Carolan's Dream where he played the 17 th century harper, Turlough O'Carolan.
He is currently touring and recording with Moya Brennan, the voice of the world-famous group, Clannad and with Barcó, a family trio of Cormac and his brothers Fionán and Éamonn on guitar and flute.
He has appeared on numerous recordings and his first solo CD 'Barcó' was released in 2003 to much critical acclaim. His most recent recording is a collection of harp duos with Anne-Marie O'Farrell called 'Double Strung' and “Music in Great Irish Houses” with Karin Leitner.
He also gives Irish-classical chamber music recitals with the Austrian Flautist Karin Leitner.
He has his own Gaelic TV show.
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