Cora Venus Lunny facts for kids

Cora Venus Lunny (born 1982) is a super talented musician from Ireland. She is known for playing the violin, writing her own music, singing, and even acting! Her dad is the famous Irish musician Dónal Lunny. Her mom, Julia Buthe, is a photographer from Germany.

Cora became a well-known classical musician when she was still a teenager. She performs on her own, with small groups, and plays new classical music. She also loves to improvise on her violin and compose her own songs. Cora has traveled all over Europe, America, and China. She played the violin as a solo artist with the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Cora's Early Life and Music

Cora grew up in Dublin, in a family full of music. She got her first violin when she was only three years old. Right away, she showed a natural talent and a real love for the instrument. She learned classical music using the Suzuki Method.

For a short time, she tried acting in movies. But music was always her main goal. From the age of thirteen, she studied very hard with violin teachers across Europe. Some of her teachers included Rimma Sushanskaya and Vladimir Spivakov.

When she was sixteen, Cora won the RTÉ Musician of the Future competition. She was the youngest person ever to win it! The Irish Times newspaper even chose her to be the new face of Ireland in their TV ads.

Cora's Musical Adventures

In 2001, Cora won an award at the Sarasate Violin International Competition in Pamplona, Spain. She even returned to the competition in 2007 as a judge!

In 2002, Cora played as a guest musician on Sinéad O'Connor's album, Sean-Nós Nua. This was her first time playing music that wasn't classical. It made her want to try new things and experiment with different types of music. She spent some time in Vienna with classical musicians. This made her realize she wanted to explore more musical styles.

Later in 2002, she had a jam session with Nigel Kennedy in Dingle. This led to an invitation to Berlin to play Polish folk music and Jimi Hendrix songs with his band. After that, she toured Taiwan, Japan, and New Zealand with Kennedy. She played Vivaldi's Double Concertos and pieces by Bartok.

Cora's musical journeys took her to places like Iceland and the Faeroe Islands. In 2004, she started writing music for films. Her first film score was for a short movie called Sangrail. In 2005, she played the viola for the first time in a big concert. She performed Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with Vladimir Spivakov and the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast. Also in 2005, she joined a music group called Fovea Hex.

Cora has also played as a guest musician on many other artists' albums. In 2011, she released her first album, 1943. Her second album, Terminus (Conscientiae), came out in 2014.

Cora's Work in Films

Cora has appeared in several Irish movies. These include Rawhead Rex (1986), Man About Dog (2004), and Speed Dating (2007). She was also in Bachelors Walk Christmas Special (2006) and Mr Crocodile in the Cupboard (2008).

Besides acting, Cora has also played music for movie soundtracks. She contributed to films and documentaries like Screw Cupid (2008), Truth About Kerry (2010), and Men of Arlington (2011). She also worked on Mud Pies & Kites: Death & Resurrection in Haiti (2012).

What Albums Has Cora Released?