Samuel Kane

From County Armagh, Sam grew up with a love for classical and traditional music. He won the NI Young Musician of the Year award before moving to Manchester where he studied violin with Cecily Ward at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he was awarded the RNCM Norman George violin prize. Sam led the Ulster Youth Orchestra, and has played with the Ulster Orchestra and Manchester Camerata. 

As a soloist Sam performed Bruch’s 1st violin concerto with the Manchester Beethoven Orchestra as well as playing recitals for Festivals such as Clandeboye, Charles Wood, Enys, Blackwater Valley Opera, Belfast International Music Festival, and Harp Ireland alongside Rosie Murphy. Sam has worked in masterclass with violinists James Enhes, Yair Kless, Elina Vähälä, Yossi Zivoni and Bettina Mussumeli during his time at RNCM, and has also received composition lessons from Caroline Shaw. 

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Passionate about composing and performing new music, Sam was supported by the PRS early career commission scheme to compose a piece for the Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble for their 2022/23 season. 

Sam has performed at the Wigmore Hall, London and his compositions have been broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster and Classic FM, winning Classic FM’s ‘Big Platinum Performance’ prize. He is currently a final year MMus student at the RNCM, where he is supported by the Irish Heritage Homman Potterton Bursary and a Help Musicians Postgraduate Award.

Rosie Murphy

Rosie Murphy is a harpist and composer currently studying classical music and sonology in The Hague Royal Conservatory. She has also received a diploma of higher music from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Rosie has performed recitals of her own music in Arás an Uachtarain, No. 10 Downing Street, The Lyric Theatre Belfast, The London Irish Centre and the Sonic Arts Research Centre. She was selected as Music Network’s 2022 Emerging Musician-in-Residence in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and in 2021, she composed a work inspired by Irish mythology for 21 Artists for the 21st century. 

This summer Rosie made her debut as a soloist, playing Handel’s Harp Concerto with the Irish Youth Baroque Orchestra, which was performed in St. Annes Church and recorded in The National Concert Hall. She was principal harp with the Ulster Youth Orchestra in 2021/22 and in 2023, was principal harp in the Esker Festival Orchestra. Rosie has a keen interest in performing contemporary music and newly composed works, recently performing a work by Phillipe Hersant which was subsequently broadcast on Dutch radio. Rosie premiered new works in the composition festival in the Hague in May 2023 and is an awardee of the 2022 Music Capital Scheme. She is delighted to be a Featured Young Artist for The Hard Rain Soloist ensemble for 2023/2024!