Úna O'Riordan

Praised for her exquisite tone and musical phrasing, cellist Úna O’Riordan enjoys a versatile career as an orchestral and chamber musician, new music advocate, teacher and clinician. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Canada and Europe. She was appointed to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2007 and her previous posts include the Oregon Symphony, Principal Cellist of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra and Assistant Principal Cellist of the Sarasota Orchestra. An advocate for contemporary classical music, Úna is a member of the New Music Detroit (NMD) ensemble, with whom she released their 2018 debut recording “Smoke: The Music of Marc Mellits” on the Innova label. In recent years, she has performed in recital with diverse artists, such as legendary pianist Menahem Pressler, violinist Cho-Liang Lin, singer-songwriter Shara Nova, composer/percussionist Andy Akiho, Fifth House Ensemble and the Zodiac Trio.

As an educator, Úna joined the faculty of Oakland University School of Music, Theatre and Dance in 2019. She has taught and performed at the Zodiac Festival & Academy in Valdeblore, France, and the Fresh Inc Festival for contemporary music performance and composition in Racine, Wisconsin. Since 2013, she has taught and performed at the American Institute for Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, leading audition-training workshops and serving as principal cellist of the festival orchestra.

Úna is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she received a Bachelor of Music with Distinction and was named an Arts Leadership Scholar. She received her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. Her principal teachers include Hans Jorgen Jensen, Alan Harris and Pamela Frame. During her training, she participated in masterclasses with Yo-Yo Ma, Janos Starker and Paul Katz. She was a fellowship recipient at the Aspen and Meadowmount Schools of Music and participated in the Verbier Festival and New York String Seminar at Carnegie Hall.