WORK

Cian divides his time between performing, producing, arranging for studio and concert work, co-writing with established and emerging artists and composing for Film & TV.

Cian Boylan is one of Ireland’s most versatile and accomplished music professionals, with a career spanning more than 25 years across live performance, record production, songwriting and music for film and television. A pianist, music producer, songwriter, composer, arranger, orchestrator and musical director, he is equally at home behind a piano, producing an artist in the studio or directing a band and orchestra on a major stage. He is known for his calm, collaborative and approachable working style, combining wide-ranging musical knowledge with a strong instinct for helping artists and creative teams realise their ideas. Cian also owns and runs Camden Recording Studios in Dublin, one of Ireland’s leading independent recording facilities and the base for much of his recording, production and screen work.

As a pianist, Cian has built an international career encompassing both jazz and session work. A critically acclaimed jazz performer, he has recorded several albums under his own name and appeared as a sideman on numerous others. He has performed throughout Europe, the US, Russia, China, Japan, South America and the Middle East, including appearances at Ronnie Scott’s in London, the Iridium in New York, the Blue Note and Duc des Lombards in Paris. His regular jazz collaborators have included Adam Nussbaum, Mark Egan, Dr Linley Hamilton, Dana Masters, Torsten Goods, Darren Beckett, Dave Redmond and Cormac Kenevey. He also leads the eight-piece New Orleans funk outfit Toot Sweet and the Shadow Man, described by Jazzwise as “the perfect festival band”.

As a music producer, Cian works with both established and emerging artists, bringing together his skills as a musician, arranger and songwriter to shape projects from their earliest stages through to the finished recording. His production credits include Ronan Keating’s album Songs from Home, produced alongside Grammy Award-winning mix engineer Ruadhri Cushnan for Decca Records; Jerry Fish’s No. 1 album Dreaming of Daniel; Dana Masters’ NI Music Prize-nominated Real Good Mood; Cathy Davey’s soundtrack for the upcoming animated film Little Caribou; Bronagh Gallagher’s Gather Your Greatness, featuring Brian Eno and Maria McKee; Jeannette Byrne’s Women of the One Worldwith the 40-piece Liberty Orchestra; Matt Benson’s new album Sit Back Down; Dr Linley Hamilton’s four most recent albums, including Making Other Arrangements with the Camden Orchestra; and work with many other artists whose releases have helped build growing international audiences. His productions and collaborations have collectively generated millions of streams on Spotify. He also produced and arranged “Homeward Bound” for the chart-topping Street Lights project, featuring Bono, Snow Patrol, Villagers, Saint Sister, Bell X1, Cathy Davey, Loah and other leading Irish artists.

Cian is a highly experienced musical director for television productions, major concerts and large-scale live events. Since 2022, he has been musical director and producer for Three’s City Stages campaign, mentoring and developing emerging artists and creating their performances for Electric Picnic. Artists and mentors involved in the campaign have included Tinie Tempah, Imelda May, Self Esteem, Biig Piig and Cian Ducrot. From 2018 to 2021, he was musical director and orchestral arranger for the Féile concerts at Dublin’s 3Arena and Semple Stadium in Thurles, working with Sinéad O’Connor, the Irish Chamber Orchestra and an extensive line-up of Irish artists. The subsequent Féile live album also reached No. 1. He was also musical director and arranger for the launch of Three’s partnership with the Olympia Theatre and musical director for the FOX US and Virgin Media production The Big Deal, featuring Boy George, Vogue Williams and Aston Merrygold.

His film and television work spans music production, composition, arrangement and performance. Recent and forthcoming projects include working as music producer on the television series Grown Ups, The Rachel Incident and The Boys of Tommen, as well as a forthcoming feature film directed by Lenny Abrahamson. Cian was also producer and keyboardist for the FOX US series Name That Tune, featuring Randy Jackson and Jane Krakowski. His other screen credits include Normal People, Return to Montauk, The Lobster, The Last Right, the BAFTA Award-winning Ripper Street, Harley and the Davidsons and the RTÉ/BBC series Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope.

As a composer and published songwriter, Cian writes for artists, film, television and advertising. He co-wrote the title song for the feature film The Bright Side with Galia Arad, featuring Dana Masters on vocals, and composed additional music for L.O.L.A. alongside Neil Hannon. He continues to co-write and develop original material with both established and emerging recording artists.

Cian’s work as an arranger and orchestrator ranges from intimate string and horn arrangements to big bands and full symphony orchestras. He arranged and orchestrated Jessie Buckley’s performance of Sinéad O’Connor’s “Troy” with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and created various arrangements for SHINE, the Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride concert featuring Wallis Bird and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. He also arranged and musically directed Sinéad O’Connor’s acclaimed performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U” on The Late Late Show, which received more than two million YouTube views within its first three days.

His orchestral credits also include arrangements for the Irish Chamber Orchestra for the return of Trip to Tipp, featuring Hothouse Flowers, The Stunning, An Emotional Fish, The Frank and Walters, Something Happens and The Four of Us. He has worked with ensembles including the National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Irish Film Orchestra, Liberty Orchestra and Camden Orchestra.

Alongside his creative work, Cian is actively involved in supporting and developing Ireland’s independent music sector. He is a board member of AIM Ireland, the representative body for Ireland’s independent music industry. From 2024 to 2026, he has also served as music producer and judge for Hot Press’s A New Local Hero, helping to identify, mentor and develop some of Ireland’s most promising emerging artists.

Across his career, Cian has worked with an extensive range of Irish and international artists, including Sinéad O’Connor, Bono, Van Morrison, George Michael, Gregory Porter, Ronan Keating, Rufus Wainwright, David Gray, Snow Patrol, Imelda May, Cian Ducrot, Jessie Buckley, Jerry Fish, Brian Eno, Neil Hannon, Bell X1, Cathy Davey, Bronagh Gallagher, The Divine Comedy, Villagers, Hothouse Flowers and Saint Sister. This breadth of experience—and his ability to move naturally between artists, genres, studios, concert stages and screen productions—has made him one of the most trusted and adaptable music professionals working in Ireland today.