Cathal Garvey studied violin and piano at the Cork School of Music, before reading Music at University College Cork. Following a Master's Degree in Conducting, he continued his violin studies at Moscow Conservatory.

Upon his return, he conducted musicals in Cork and Dublin, and then worked on over fifty productions as Chorus Master and Assistant Conductor for most of Ireland’s major opera companies, including Opera Ireland, Opera Theatre Company, Anna Livia Opera Festival, Opera South and Lyric Opera.

 

In Dublin, he regularly conducted the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Orchestra of St Cecilia, Dublin Symphony Orchestra, Irish Sinfonia, and the Dublin Baroque Players. Between 2001 and 2009 he was Principal Conductor of the Dublin Orchestral Players and Dun Laoghaire Choral Society.

 

Cathal moved to the UK in 2009 to work as Chorus Master and Assistant Conductor with Grange Park Opera. Since then, he has conducted London International Orchestra, Covent Garden Chamber Orchestra, Southern Sinfonia, Charivari Agréable, London Repertoire Orchestra,Winchester Symphony Orchestra, Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra, I Maestri, BYMT Staff Orchestra, London Medical Orchestra, and Lambeth Orchestra. He has also been Musical Director of Newbury Choral Society, Billingshurst Choral Society, and Wokingham Choral Society.

 

Cathal is founder and Director of the London Ulysses Orchestra, which he took on a six-city tour of China in 2017, including a performance in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

 

As a violinist, Cathal continues to play professionally in London. He is on the Conducting staff of the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded an Honorary ARAM by the Academy in 2019.

 

Cathal is delighted to be appointed as the next Conductor and Musical Director of Reading Symphony Orchestra, and is looking forward to an exciting creative future with them.