Grainne Hope

Gráinne Hope achieved her BA Music Degree at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama before travelling to study cello with Ann Martindale Williams at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh in the USA. In high demand by professional ensembles in Ireland, Gráinne regularly performs with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, Wexford Opera Festival Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra. Gráinne has performed with Camerata Ireland on International tours to America, Finland, China and Russia. She has performed on radio and television with renowned classical performers as Jose Carreras, Sarah Chang, Katherine Jenkins and numerous popular artists including The Three Priests, Colm Wilkinson, Bill Bailey, Ronan Tynan, Sharon Shannon and Liam O Flynn. In 2016 Sony Classical released the soundtrack to the Hollywood movie ‘The Letters’ featuring Gráinne on solo cello.

Gráinne is creator and artistic director of ‘Kids’ Classics’ which is a non-profit organisation that designs, manages and delivers professional music projects and programmes in healthcare settings around Ireland. She has experience in delivering music interventions into health settings including Neo-natal, Paediatric, Oncology, Geriatric, Psychiatric, Dementia and Alzheimer’s units. In 2012 she designed and delivered Ireland’s first Paediatric Hospital music residency in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and in 2015 was also a member of the steering committee who oversaw an independent evaluation of Kids’ Classics live music activities in a children’s hospital.

Gráinne qualified as a trainer of Musicians in Healthcare as one of a team of three Irish musicians chosen to be part of a pioneering European programme with Music Network, Ireland, Musique et Santé, France, Turku University, Finland and the Royal Northern College of Music, UK in Training Trainers for Music in Healthcare Settings.

Gráinne was awarded Wellcome Trust Fellowship to participate in the Clore Leadership Fellowship programme aimed at developing and strengthening leadership across the cultural and creative sectors in 2018 and an Atlantic Fellowship at the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity in 2020.

As an education facilitator she works with the Education Community and Outreach programme of the National Concert Hall. She has delivered Music in Healthcare presentations at TCD, UCD, DCU, and DKIT Schools of Nursing and Midwifery, was invited opening Keynote Speaker at TCD’s Healthcare Interdisciplinary Conference 2016 and is delivering the Royal Irish Academy of Music’s undergraduate module ‘The Working Life of a Musician: Community and Healthcare Music.

Gráinne continues to work with Local Arts Authorities in providing Music in Healthcare training and apprenticeships for local musicians. She has facilitated workshops for The Ark, Music Network, the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland and Ardee Baroque Festival. She also tutors strings in YOPs Youth Orchestras in Dublin and teaches strings to primary school students in Whitefriar Street Strings Project (Deis 1 School).