Paul Feehan is a versatile musician, working as a pianist, accompanist, conductor, teacher, composer and arranger.
Paul was born in Wigan and studied piano initially at Huddersfield University, where he received the Peabody Homes Prize for all-round attainment, and the Kruzynski Prize for Piano. He went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music with David Lloyd. Whilst at the RNCM, he passed the Postgraduate Diploma for Advanced Studies in Musical Performance and the Professional Performer’s Diploma. Prizes awarded included: The Saville-Holmes Lieder Prize for Accompaniment, The John Ireland Prize for Accompaniment, The RJ Forbes Price (twice). He participated on numerous occasions in the prestigious Principal’s Senior Recital series.
After leaving the RNCM, Paul continued his studies with Martin Roscoe and Ryzard Bakst. He has performed throughout the country and abroad (France, Spain, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Ireland) as soloist, accompanist, conductor and concerto soloist. He has accompanied many distinguished soloists including cellists Alexander Baillie, Tim Lowe, Natalie Clein (BBC & European Young Musician of the Year) and Anna Douglass (winner of the Brass Class at the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2010).
In December 2012, Paul was the recipient of a national composition award, where the judges were John Rutter, Stephen Cleobury (Director of King’s College Choir, Cambridge) and David Hurley (of the King’s Singers), for his a-cappella SATB composition ‘Sir Christèmas’. He worked regularly with Yorkshire Youth Choir, where his compositions and arrangements are regularly used, and in 2013 with TIm Lowe co-founded the York Chamber Music Festival, which has attracted some of the country’s most prestigious performers including Martin Roscoe and Jennifer Pike. In 2014, to commemorate the centenary of the start of World War I, Paul composed a requiem entitled ‘Deeds of Angels’, which was very well received. Last year, Paul performed as accompanist to Maria Marshall, cellist, in the Harrogate International Music Festival.
Paul has been Director of Music at Bootham School in York since 2001.