Improvisation workshop lead.

As an improviser Bianca Gannon performs piano + percussion at the same time – solo and as bandleader of the Bianca Gannon Ensemble. Ethereal pulsating difference-tones permeate pianistic grooves punctuated by gongs. Bianca has been engaged in a mutual exchange with Indonesia for over a decade. She has lived, worked and played across the archipelago, conducting DIY field research and collaborating with custodians of endangered food-centric instruments. In revealing parallels between seemingly disparate elements, Bianca is inspired by that which connects us.

Upcoming performances of Bianca's BAN BAM Award-winning composition “We’re All Just Walking Each Other Home”, which The Goo (Going Out Out Guide) described as a “globe-trotting odyssey”, include at Manchester Jazz Festival and at EFG London Jazz Festival. Selected by Improvised Music Company as a 30/30 Artist - one of Ireland’s outstanding improvisers, and by Moving on Music as the Irish Showcasing Artist for the 2023 Jazz Promotion Network Conference in Birmingham’s Eastside Jazz Club, Bianca has toured her solo improv act across Australia, North America Ireland. Her debut improv album with // without garnered a four star review in the Sydney Morning Herald and was selected by Rhythms Magazine as "Best Instrumental Album 2020".

A CMC Associate Composer, her composition awards include King House Piano Commission, Pythia Prize, Arts Council Music Bursary Award, and the Percy Grainger Award. 2020 Artist in Residence with the City of Greater Dandenong, Bianca's work has been presented internationally by leading ensembles including Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, loadbang, Ensemble Offspring, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), the Australian Art Orchestra, and Rubiks Collective. Upcoming premieres and performances include with ConTempo Quartet.

“Mind-blowing” – ABC Classic FM

“Lived up to the evening’s luminary thread” – ClassikON

“A powerful, multi-layered and organic narrative that quite beautifully underlined the commonality of seemingly disparate musical cultures” – All About Jazz

Improvisation and Wellness workshop lead.

When Farah was eighteen months old her family relocated to Ireland, leaving their home in Libya behind. Despite the geographical distance, her ancestral connections to Libya’s historically fraught political landscape lingered over her adolescent years in Ireland. Farah’s grandfather was a court martial judge until 1969, while her mother served as the first female Minister for Health for the provisional government after the Libyan Revolution in 2011, during which time Farah was doing her Leaving Cert in Ireland. Her paternal grandmother spent years of her youth in Italian concentration camps during the Italian occupation of Libya. These drastically different positions demonstrate a remarkable contrast between power and defeat in her lineage. These extraordinary ties to Libya often caused internal conflict and confusion in how she should embrace her heritage.

Through songwriting, Farah explored the effects of her unconventional upbringing. Themes of displacement in the period post-Libyan Revolution coexist with songs navigating the challenges of adulthood. These issues are eloquently articulated across FATIMA, the culmination of close to a decade's worth of songwriting. On her debut album, the North African-Irish artist’s powerful cadence is a commanding force amongst the instantly captivating cinematic soundscapes. Reflecting on her debut, Farah describes this introduction as a “coming of age record”, one across which she hears herself “unfolding in the songs”.

Farah attended BIMM Institute Dublin, graduating in 2016. There, she honed her craft and began writing material that would feature on her inaugural release. ‘Silk’, the album’s opening track, was written when Farah was only 19 years-old; two years after the Libyan Revolution. The recording of that song, in particular, marked a monumental milestone for her artistic expression. It was the first time she weaved traditional Arabic melodies into the overall tapestry of her music. With FATIMA, Farah Elle has melded her combined North African and Irish heritage to create a sound that is thoroughly contemporary and completely her own.

To date, Farah played numerous prestigious venues and festivals in Ireland including Vicar Street, The Sugar Club, Electric Picnic, and All Together Now. In November 2021, Farah collaborated with renowned Irish folk musician Liam Ó Maonlaí for a performance commissioned specially for the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.

Outside of performing concerts, Farah dedicates time to sharing her knowledge as a full-time Artist by facilitating music & wellness workshops. She works with people of all ages and backgrounds about the empowering qualities of creative expression and our capacity to heal through music & movement. She gives one-on-one sessions as well as group classes.