A TALENTED young percussionist from County Fermanagh has been awarded a grant from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to help develop his musical talents.

The award of £10,000 was made to Kieran Leonard, from Enniskillen, who has been making a big noise on the international music scene as a freelance percussionist, timpanist, drummer and Irish music specialist.

The funding will be used to help him purchase his own timpani – a specialist set of kettle drums with a distinctive dome-like base.

Educated at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, in London, Kieran is well known on both the Irish and UK orchestral scene, working regularly with English National Opera and the Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as the Ulster Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Royal Northern Sinfonia.

His wide and varied performance career, to date, has seen him make his West End debut, deputising on the musical, Chess, at the London Coliseum, as well as the percussion and drum chair on Bridges of Madison County (2019) and The Boyfriend (2019/20) at the Menier Chocolate Factory, London, 2019.

As one of the world’s leading exponents of the Bodhrán, his film credits include soundtrack work on episodes two and three of the animation series, ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, and the feature film, ‘Victoria and Abdul’.

He has also toured Europe and America as a member of the Grammy-nominated Celtic Woman, and performed onstage alongside Stockton’s Wing, Four Men and A Dog, Goitse, Tara Breen Band, Knockmore Ceili Band, and Emma Sweeney.

The grant given by the Arts Council to Kieran is just one of 69 awards made, worth a total investment of £494,000.

Thanks to capital investment from the Department for Communities, the scheme – set up to increase the quality of music making in Northern Ireland – offers grants to a range of professional and non-professional musicians and groups.

Among those who will benefit are schools groups, community choirs, marching and brass bands, and individual professional musicians.

Commenting on his award, Kieran said: “I’m absolutely stunned to be a recipient of this award on behalf of the Arts Council Northern Ireland. The funding will be put towards the purchase of a complete set of pedal timpani.

“This will really open doors for me”

“As a freelancer, access to these instruments is incredibly difficult, and generally, is only available when working with a professional orchestra. Having 24/7 access to timpani will really open doors for me in terms of competing for full-time jobs and auditions throughout the UK and abroad.

“The Covid pandemic has had a significant impact on everyone that works within the arts sector. I, like the rest of my colleagues, have really struggled at times.

“I had just started a 15-week tour of the USA with Celtic Woman, and then it was time to come home, with the arts sector across the UK and Ireland decimated. At that point, all live performances were cancelled, and my ability to earn a living went with it.”

He continued: “I am back home in Enniskillen now, surrounded by an incredibly supportive family who have helped me so much.

“While everything has been really quiet, I count myself so fortunate to have been able to undertake some work with our own Ulster Orchestra in recent months. I’m incredibly grateful to Sam, Mark and the Ulster Orchestra for giving me the opportunity to do that,” said Kieran.

He continued: “I cannot thank the Arts Council of Northern Ireland enough for supporting me, and countless other artists, throughout this pandemic. It is an absolute honour and a privilege to be one of the recipients. My hope is now for the door to every concert hall and theatre throughout the world to open, so audiences can participate in, and take joy from our art form.”

Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: “Northern Ireland has a fine history of musicianship, one which is celebrated all over the world.

“We are very pleased this year to have been able to award grants to a number professional individual musicians as part of our Musical Instruments Programme.

“Kieran is a hugely talented percussionist and to be able to purchase his own timpani will open up all sorts of future opportunities for him, allowing him to further develop his skills as both a player and performer.”

Communities Minister, Deirdre Hargey also welcomed the programme, saying: “This programme makes a significant contribution to the quality of music and musicianship here. It supports our professionals and our talented youth and recognises the vital role that amateur bands and players have in our rich musical heritage.

“The importance of music and the wider arts sector is appreciated now perhaps more than ever and I am delighted to continue to support this very practical measure.”