Lions Club International organise a yearly European Musical Competition for young musicians who are required to be sponsored by local Lions clubs. The competition consists of district and national rounds ending with a European final.
There is a different instrument chosen each year and recently have been the flute and Violin while this year it is the turn of the OBOE
In 2009 Fairlop Lions were delighted to sponsor Aisling Maguire.
Aisling was studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Gordon Hunt, David Walter and Helena Gaunt. Aisling has performed in master classes with Celia Nicklin, Ruth Bollister, Tess Miller and Ramon Ortega. In 2004 she was the winner of BBC Radio London’s Young Musician Competition, going on to play in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade and London New Years Day Parade. In more recent years, Aisling performed an oboe recital at the Wales Millennium Centre, Tesco Stage. In 2008 she was runner-up in the Louis Watt competition, and in 2009 were the North London Music Festival Recital Winner and Premier Challenge Cup Winner. Aisling is also a passionate chamber musician, and regularly plays in a variety of ensembles, including three wind quintets and a wind trio, covering a wide range of musical genres.
Aisling is a keen orchestral player and has been a member of the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, North London Orchestra, Docklands Sinfonia, London Repetoire Orchestra, University of London Symphony Orchestra and Southgate Chamber Orchestra. She has also attended many residential courses including National Youth Wind Orchestra, National Children’s Wind Orchestra and National Children’s Orchestra. In 2008-2009 Aisling was principal oboe of the London Schools’ Symphony Orchestra and is currently principal oboe in Sinfonia D’Amici. As an orchestral player Aisling has performed in many prestigious venues including Barbican Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Cadogan Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham.
Aisling won our district and national finals and performed admirably in the European final . While she did not win the final, she thoroughly enjoyed her experience that the Lions Club of Fairlop had given her and which also enabled her to make new friends within the UK and Europe.
Below are some images of her triumph at the district final.
