Duo Anima are Andreea Banciu (viola) and Aileen Cahill (piano). With the aim of showcasing the beautiful, but less well-known, viola repertoire, they have performed and toured extensively. Programmes have included works by German and Austrian composers (Schubert, Brahms, Robert and Clara Schumann, Mendelssohn) and Russian composers (Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Glinka, and Rubinstein). More recently, the Duo has focused on performing works by female composers of all nationalities (Jane O’Leary, Rebecca Clarke, Deirdre McKay, Clara Schumann, Ina Boyle, among many others).
Andreea Banciu is the violist and co-founder of ConTempo Quartet, Galway Ensemble-in-Residence since 2003, and RTÉ Quartet-in-Residence from 2014 to 2019. Having completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Music, Bucharest, Romania, she continued her education by pursuing a Masters in Viola at Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia, Madrid. ConTempo Quartet were awarded a Fellowship to study with Amadeus Quartet from 1999-2002 at the Royal Academy of Music, London. During this time, she studied Viola with renowned teachers such as Bruno Giuranna, David Takeno, Piero Farulli and Valeriu Pitulac. Since being appointed as Ensemble-in-Residence in Galway, Andreea has completed a Masters in Viola at the World Academy of Music, University of Limerick, and Cork School of Music.
As part of ConTempo Quartet, Andreea has won 14 International Prizes in Chamber Music Competitions, most notably in London, Munich, Berlin, Prague, Graz, Hamburg, and Rome. With ConTempo Quartet, she has toured extensively and recorded the Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Bartok & Shostakovich String Quartet Cycles. The Quartet’s discography includes lesser-known works by Irish composers, such as quartets by Swan Hennessy and Ina Boyle, as well as more popular music. Their recordings can be found on the Universal, Sony, Quartz, Deutsche Schallplatten and NMC labels.
On 10th June 2016, Andreea was conferred a Doctor of Music, honoris causa, by the National University of Ireland, Galway, in recognition of her contribution to the Arts. Currently, she is a Lecturer in Viola at TU Dublin Conservatoire and at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
Originally from Sligo, pianist Aileen Cahill is best known for her extensive collaborative work across instrumental and vocal genres. Praised as an ‘energetic’ musician (Irish Times, 2016), she is passionate about creative curation and collaboration, and seeks to bring joy and imagination to each performance. A Masters graduate in Solo Piano (Dr. John O’Conor, Royal Irish Academy of Music) and Piano Accompaniment (Catherina Lemoni-O’Doherty, TU Dublin Conservatoire), Aileen has been awarded many prizes and bursaries for solo piano, piano concerto, instrumental and vocal chamber music, as well as for further research. In 2025, she completed her Doctoral studies in Piano Performance at TU Dublin Conservatoire, where she was a Research Scholar.
In concert, she has appeared with Budweis Philharmonic Orchestra (Switzerland), Viarmes Chamber Orchestra (France), Greystones Symphony Orchestra, Irish Youth Wind Ensemble. She is a frequent conductor-soloist with Sligo Baroque Orchestra, with whom she has performed six Mozart piano concerti, as well as more contemporary pieces, such as recent commission from composer Emma Purcell for concertino, This Too Shall Pass. Premiered in November 2025 to great acclaim, this has already been programmed again for 2026.
Previously repetiteur at Dundalk I.T., Maynooth University, Lecturer in Piano and Piano Accompaniment at TU Dublin Conservatoire, she is now a member of the Library and Archive staff at the Contemporary Music Centre.
DUO ANIMA 