Valentine Laporte

Flautist Valentine Laporte is currently in her fourth and final year at TU Dublin Conservatoire studying with Ciarán O’Connell. She began her musical journey at the Toulouse Conservatoire in France. She received a Bachelor in Engineering in France which led to her participation in a research project on Flute acoustics in 2019. Valentine arrived in Ireland in 2020 and since then she regularly performs as both a soloist and in chamber music ensembles, she is also a dedicated teacher. Valentine has won the award of Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year 2022, leading to opportunities like the performance of Ibert’s Flute Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra in June 2023 and several recitals in Ireland. She also won 1st prize in both concerto and recital internal competitions in TU Dublin. She will start a masters in Flute performance in Musikene in San Sebastián, Spain with Bruno Claverie next September.

Jamie Gogan

Jamie Gogan is a guitarist based in Dublin. He graduated with First-Class Honours in Bachelor of Music Performance from TU Dublin Conservatoire in 2023, studying under the guidance of Dr. Marco Ramelli. He shares his love for the guitar through teaching, performing and organising concerts. In 2020 he founded the Listoke concert series, an annual series of summer concerts that promote both folk and classical music in Drogheda. He will begin a masters in guitar performance in Musikene in San Sebastián, Spain with Marco Socías next September.

Duo Sola
Together, Jamie and Valentine create Duo Sola, exploring the popular repertoire for flute and guitar as well as transcriptions and new music. They met in TU Dublin conservatoire in 2022 while studying for their undergraduate degrees. Their performance is a celebration of music, bringing together their diverse backgrounds and shared love for creating a memorable musical experience. They are both currently part of the artistic Residency Erranti in Milan. Within the residency they have created an ongoing project that focuses on the fusion of Spanish and Irish folk music within the context of the classical guitar. Over the last year they have performed in Dublin Instituto Cervantes, several times for the TU Dublin Lunchtime concert series, in Centro Asteria in Milan, Italy and Barco Teatro in Padova, Italy. In 2024, they won first prize at the Chamber music TU Dublin internal competition. Jamie and Valentine will both be studying in Musikene in San Sebastian, Spain next year.