Senior Lecturer, Course Coordinator (MA in Music and Technology)
Hugh McCarthy supervises research programme students and lectures in Music & Technology at MTU CSM, having designed and coordinated the Music & Technology taught master’s programme. As part of the taught programmes in CSM Hugh has supervised hundreds of music technology projects of huge variety. Hugh holds a MSc in Music Technology from University of Limerick, and an MA in Cello Performance and BMus from MTU Cork School of Music.
Hugh is currently working on the TEMPO-I Project (Technology Enhanced Music Performance, Open – Inclusive), which seeks to provide pathways to accredited inclusive music ensembles in higher education and is investigating music technology and music composition for music students with disabilities. He is also interested in cross-disciplinary collaboration between musicians and other academia and industry fields, including Gaming, Entrepreneurship, Event Management, Fine Art, Digital Media, and Teaching & Learning.
The interaction between artists and technology has fascinated Hugh for many years. While studying in Limerick, he devoted his energies to the exploration and design of alternative musical instruments, culminating in the creation of a stringless cello with expanded capabilities. At the Centro Sonologia Computazione in Padova, he investigated the links between human emotive triggers and music.
Hugh studied Cello Performance with Gerta Marwood and Christopher Marwood of the Vanburgh Quartet. He has been a member of several chamber groups and orchestras, touring the east coast of the States and many European countries with these groups. Hugh was a member of the Quay Quintet, winners of the RTÉ Millennium Musician-of-the-Future ensemble prize and has also enjoyed forays into the mysterious world of Tango music! Hugh continues to collaborate with artists and companies as both cellist and music technologist around Ireland. He has worked in broad ranging areas from solo cello performance, to backing cellist, to orchestral musician, from technical support and sound engineer / designer, to electronic performance artist.