Hifilutin is a Cork-based flute quartet who draw on the full flute family, from piccolo through to contrabass flute. Their programmes pair original works for flute quartet with polished arrangements of classical and popular favourites, and they're committed to championing new composition that explores the full colour range of the ensemble, collaborating closely with composers along the way.

The quartet released their debut EP, Blowing in the Breeze, in November 2024 on the CSM Sounds label, with airplay on Lyric FM. Their programme of works by female composers won praise at the 2023 Finding a Voice festival in Clonmel and was performed again at the 3rd International Low Flutes Festival in Washington, USA, in April 2024. They have also appeared at Triskel Arts Centre's Summertime Concert Series, the Hugh Lane Gallery's IMMA courtyard series, and the Buttermarket in Kenmare.

As active community musicians, Hifilutin has performed in hospital settings and libraries through the HSE's Healthcare Hoolies series (2024–2026), and brought music to outdoor audiences across Cork County through the CoCo Pops series, along with appearances at Ballygarvan Christmas Market and Culture Night at the Crawford Art Gallery. 

In partnership with West Cork Music, they've also delivered schools workshops and concerts, introducing young audiences to live music through screen and stage favourites alongside original repertoire.

Formed in 2006 and active through the 2006/07 concert season in Cork and Killarney, Hifilutin re-formed in late 2018 after a hiatus of over a decade, and have been performing steadily ever since — aside from a pause forced by cancellations in 2020.

Eilís O'Sullivan

Irish flautist Eilís O'Sullivan graduated from the Cork School of Music and continued her studies as a scholarship student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, earning a B.A. (Hons) and M.Mus with Distinction, along with distinctions including the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, London. She is much in demand as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, having performed at St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Adrian Boult Hall, the NCH Dublin and for the Prince of Wales at Holyrood Palace, with guest concerto engagements in Seattle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. A committed chamber musician, her recent performances include works by Debussy and Beethoven, recitals with Hifilutin Flute Quartet, and appearances with the Orpheus Trio, alongside orchestral freelance work with the RSNO, SCO, BBC Wales, NSOI and RTÉCO. Eilís currently lectures at the MTU Cork School of Music.

Aoife O'Donovan

A Cork native, Aoife O'Donovan has been part of the city's music scene since her teenage years, studying flute with Conor O'Connell through Cork ETB School of Music before graduating with a First Class Honours MA in flute and baroque flute performance from MTU Cork School of Music in 2010. She is a member of the Irish Symphonic Wind Orchestra, Cork Concert Orchestra and Hifilutin Flute Quartet, and has been an active community musician with MIC – Music in Community since 2017, performing in healthcare settings including Marymount University Hospice and Westgate Foundation. Aoife currently teaches at Cork ETB School of Music and MTU Cork School of Music, and was a multi-award-winning performer throughout her student years, with accolades including the Feis Maitiú Senior Woodwind and Duo competitions and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet Chamber Music competition.

Katrina Emtage

A native of Sydney, Australia, Katrina Emtage now lives in Cork, where she lectures in flute at MTU Cork School of Music and teaches at Cork ETB School of Music, holding an MA from the University of Music and Dramatic Art in Vienna and an LTCL from Trinity College London. A recognised Associate Artist composer with the Contemporary Music Centre Ireland and Australian Music Centre, her compositions are published by Tetractys Publications, with her quartet Summer Breeze winning the American Flute Association's 2023 newly published music award and Strolling on the Strand a finalist in 2024. She trained at the Sydney Conservatorium High School before a Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee scholarship took her to Vienna, where she lived and worked for 13 years, freelancing with ensembles including Klangforum Wien and performing at the Salzburg Festival and New York's Guggenheim Museum, as well as touring internationally with orchestras including the Vienna Mozart Orchestra and Strauss Festival Orchestra. Alongside teaching, composing and performing, Katrina enjoys traditional Irish music, sailing and yoga, and in 2017 returned to life on land after a three-year sailing circumnavigation of the world with her husband.

Maria Mulcahy

Cork-born flautist Maria Mulcahy enjoys a diverse musical career as a soloist, freelance orchestral player, chamber musician, lecturer, flute teacher, conductor and typesetter, holding first-class honours undergraduate and master's degrees in Flute Performance from the CIT Cork School of Music, where she took part in masterclasses with leading flautists including Sir James Galway and Rachel Brown. She lectures on the BMUS and BA in Musical Theatre courses at MTU Cork School of Music and teaches flute at Cork ETB School of Music, with solo engagements including a concerto performance with the Cork School of Music Wind Ensemble and recitals at the Crawford Art Gallery and Dublin's National Concert Hall. She currently plays with the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra, Irish Symphonic Wind Orchestra (as soloist in 2025), Cork Philharmonic Winds, Cork Concert Orchestra and Cork Fleischmann Symphony Orchestra, and has previously performed with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, while also performing regularly in community settings such as local nursing homes.

Blowing in the Wind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yha7SF_pvk&list=OLAK5uy_kXz6ccpYIvdy8eFCleOCE338dDfq0Cw1c