Desmond Earley is an honours graduate in Music of University College Dublin, where he took the BA and B.Mus respectively. An award-recipient, he has studied organ and piano with Peter Sweeney, Charles Pearson and Eoin Garrett.
Desmond is currently taking the D.Mus in historical performance on the harpsichord at the Royal Irish Academy of Music under Dr. David Adams. He recently completed a period of study at the University for Music and the Performing Arts, Vienna with Prof. Gordon Murray.
Desmond has played harpsichord with ensembles such as the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Ensemble eX, The Earley Musik Ensemble and is currently the harpsichordist of the European Union Chamber Orchestra, touring all EU countries regularly.
He has worked with a number of choirs in Dublin as a conductor and a répétiteur, and was harpsichord répétiteur in to a production of Handel’s opera Alcina in Vienna (Spring 2008). He has worked with musicians such as Konrad Junghaenel, Christopher Hogwood, and with the late Dr. Bernadette Greevy as Chorus-Master of the Anna Livia International Opera Festival (2008).
Desmond has been Artistic Director of UCD Choral Scholars since its foundation in 1998.
As an arranger Desmond has worked on projects for The Gate Theatre, on orchestral arrangements for the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, on choral arrangements of popular songs for UCD Choral Scholars, and on arrangements for popular artists from Jack L., to Jerry Fish.
In the Autumn Desmond will tour Italy and Turkey with the European Union Chamber Orchestra.
