Eileen was born in Bristol, UK, and started playing recorder and cello at the age of seven. Music was always central to everything, even at that age. She was soon principal cellist of local school and youth orchestras, and was fortunate to find the Bristol Youth Recorder Group at an early age. After A levels, she went on to study for a music degree at Cardiff University, where she had cello lessons with George Isaac, an inspiring teacher and wonderful player.
After her first music degree, Eileen studied the recorder and early music practice in the Netherlands from 1976, with Ku Ebbinge, Ricardo Kanji, Frans Bruggen and Wim ten Have. She lived and worked there until 1988, when she moved to Aberystwyth, Wales. There she taught at the University, as well as teaching in local Carmarthenshire schools.
She lived, performed and taught in Wales and then Iceland where she was principal cellist of the North Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, as well as recorder and cello teacher. Whilst in Iceland, she also set up a Baroque ensemble with other local musicians, and gave national workshops on Baroque style.
Currently Eileen lives in Scotland, where she occasionally performs with the Baroque group, Banquet of Musick, and the recorder ensemble Flauti Animati Scotica. She also conducts the Scottish Recorder Orchestra.She also conducts the Scottish Recorder Orchestra, as well as many other groups, including a new orchestra, Recorders Incorporated. In recent years, composing has grown to be an important part of her activities. See the Compositions page.
Eileen teaches on recorder and viol courses around Europe. These include the Easter Early Music course, the Recorder and Viol course in Ireland, and the Recorder Summer School, of which she is a director. These involve coaching adults, conducting groups, and performing with colleagues.
For a brief period, Eileen worked with computers, and became a Linux cluster specialist. If you are interested, she co-authored a book on this subject.
