Holly Naughton is currently an MA Ethnomusicology student at the Irish World Academy (IWA) of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick (UL) in Ireland, having previously graduated with first class honours from their BA Voice programme. During her BA Voice studies, she completed an internship with RootStrings Artist Management, presented her thesis on singers’ perceptions of the impact of the menstrual cycle on the voice at the All-Ireland Conference of Undergraduate Research, and served as the Public Relations Officer for Dance UL, UL’s Dance Society. Highlights from her time in UL include:
- Uisce Salach - A Softday Multimedia Sound Art project - performed live by the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Softday Citizen Scientist Ensemble, Uisce Salach Choir, and students from the IWA
- Sounding Sionna – a celebration of UL’s 50th anniversary in music
- Performances of ‘Beatha an Scoláire’, a piece by Patrick Cassidy (co-commissioned by RTELyric FM and UL) featuring Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, the IWA Choir, and the Irish Chamber Orchestra
- Paddy’s Day Fling at the University Concert Hall in aid of Limerick Search and Rescue
- Launch of ‘As I Roved Out One Morning, a sea shanty composed by Hannah Faheyand performed by the Softday Deep Water Singers from the IWA - part of Sounds of the Unthinkable, a multimedia production commissioned by Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh
- Contributing vocals to Natasa Paulberg’s soundtrack for Ériu Dance Company's production of Lorca's ‘The House of Bernardó Alba’
- Being awarded the Gold, Bronze, and COVID-19 President’s Volunteer Awards for her work as a student ambassador, her committee work with Dance UL, and multiple fundraising efforts
Holly’s first love is musical theatre, but other interests include vocal pedagogy and the use of music therapy for perinatal wellbeing and people living with dementia.
Holly is committed to ongoing CPD in her practice and has completed a wide range of courses in areas including: voice disorders, singing and allergies, the developing voice, singing as pregnancy and post-partum exercise, vocal health, teaching belt vocals, the effects of sex steroid hormones on voice, community music for people living with dementia, Estill training on belt and mixed voice, empathy and its relevance in voice work, cross-training musical theatre singers, polyvagal theory, and vocal pedagogy. She is a StagePass holder, certified by the Irish Association of Stage Technicians, and most recently, Holly was delighted to be certified as a Trauma-Informed Voice Professional by the Voice Study Centre, after completing the ITOL - Institute of Training and Occupational Learning-accredited certificate with Dr. Elisa Monti.
She originally found her love of performing at the age of 5 at Spotlight Stage School, going on to train under Louise Harrison at the Mid-West Vocal Academy, completing the Royal Irish Academy of Music Grade 8 (Hons) in Musical Theatre and Popular Singing, and later attending the Trinity Laban Conservatoire Musical Theatre Summer School in London.
Holly has performed in numerous productions with Limerick Musical Society, the Cecilian Musical Society, Limerick Panto Society, Limerick Jazz, the UL50 Choir, Sionna Chamber Choir, and the Irish Youth Choir. She has sung to fundraise for causes such as humanitarian relief in Ukraine (2022), Limerick Search and Rescue (2019), and to launch National Volunteering Week (2021).
She assists backstage with multiple stage schools in the Limerick region and has taught both singing and dance to children through her work with StarCamp Summer Camps and her voluntary work with Sing Ireland’s SingSpace programme.
Holly first became aware of the Voice Study Centre’s online courses during the COVID-19 lockdowns and has increasingly grown to appreciate their wide range of topics and, in particular, the flexibility of their remote offerings (especially the availability of playback recordings) – which makes it much easier to incorporate CPD into a schedule already packed with college, work, and rehearsals.