Ellen O’Mahony
November 2023 - present
The current musical director of Playlist, Ellen is a singer, choral director and music teacher with a BA in Music and English from Maynooth University. Ellen also performs as part of the alt-pop duo ELKIN, with notable achievements including performances at major showcases like Whelan’s Ones to Watch, and a number of releases including their breakout EP Bad Habits and the 2023 release Alright Darling. Under Ellen's musical direction, Playlist is embracing the full range of our repertoire, with fresh arrangements of current pop hits, Irish classics, musical theatre, and the return of beloved favourites from our back catalogue. Tracks we’re currently performing with Ellen include an epic mashup of Chappell Roan’s Good Luck Babe/Pink Pony Club, and the track What is This Feeling from the musical Wicked.
Julie Shanley
September 2022 - October 2023
The second musical director of Playlist, Julie is a singer, pianist, choral director and music teacher with a BA in Music from Trinity College Dublin. Julie’s performance experience includes choral work with Elbow, Celtic Woman and the contemporary music ensemble Tonnta. In addition to performance, composition and arrangement work, Julie has directed a number of vocal ensembles including Playlist, the Frascati Singers and the vibrant Supertones Children’s Choir. In her time with Playlist, she brought a new range of music to our repertoire including a rock element with covers of tracks by The Foo Fighters and Blur, and a beautiful cover of The Parting Glass, as performed by The Wailin’ Jenny’s.
Theodora Byrne
September 2018 - August 2022
The first musical director of Playlist, Theodora is a session vocalist, keyboard player, arranger, musical director and choir director with a BA (Hons) in Commercial Modern Music from BIMM Dublin. Theodora has performed both nationally and internationally with a range of acts including James Vincent McMorrow, Saint Sister, The Coronas, Sorcha Richardson and Irish Women in Harmony. In addition to performance, Theodora creates bespoke choral and vocal arrangements for many musical projects. In 2020, she established the Theodora Byrne Ensemble, a mixed-voice contemporary choir, collaborating with a range of Irish artists such as Lisa Hannigan, Bell X1 and more. During her four year tenure with Playlist, Theodora was pivotal in helping Playlist find our unique sound creating arrangements of tracks from musical theatre and a diverse range of artists including Beyonce, Coldplay, Fleetwood Mac, Adele, Foreigner, Heart, Chaka Khan and many more.
