Posted on: 08 July 2005
Pianist John O’Conor is among six recipients to receive an honorary degree at Trinity College Dublin today (8 July). Through his recitals, concert appearances, and critically acclaimed recordings, O’Conor has earned a reputation as a masterful interpreter of the Classic and early Romantic piano repertoires.
Today’s graduation ceremony was the last one at which the Public Orator, Dr. JV Luce, participated. Dr. Luce, an eminent author and Classics Scholar, has been giving the orations in Latin at Honorary Degree Ceremonies for the past 35 years,
The other recipients of honorary degrees are:
Michael Bogdanov Litt.D (Doctor in Letters) distinguished theatre, film and television director, who has served as artistic director of the English Shakespeare Company since 1986. He is a graduate of the University of Dublin, performed in Players in the 1960s and began his professional career as a producer / director in RTE.
Professor Alan Heeger Sc.D. (Doctor in Science) Physicist and Nobel Prize winner. He is currently Professor of Physics and Materials at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he has been instrumental in establishing an internationally leading Advanced Materials Centre.
Cecilia Jarlskog Sc.D. (Doctor in Science) distinguished theoretical physicist from Lund University who has made important contributions in the domain of symmetries, neutrino physics and grand unification. She has visited Ireland on a number of occasions; in the year 2000 she helped to put the case for Ireland becoming a member of CERN.
John O’Conor Mus.D. (Doctor in Music) Director and Professor of Piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, John O’Conor has shown a deep commitment to the development of young pianists and is a co-founder of the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition.
Professor Tim Shallice Sc.D. (Doctor in Science) Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, he is a leading international figure in cognitive neuroscience, with a particular expertise in neuropsychology. He is one of the few psychologists to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
William D Walsh LL.D (Doctor in Laws) onetime Assistant Attorney General for the Southern District of New York, William Walsh went on to a highly successful career in business, becoming director of more than 20 corporations. He has shown himself a lifelong friend of the disadvantaged and underprivileged, and his philanthropic work includes the establishment and endowment of a hospital for children in Bolivia.
