Cristina Ryan: Irish violinist and actress weaves music and theatre on the Costa del Sol

Enjoying a successful career in the world of music and acting at a relatively early age is something that many youngsters dream of, but rarely achieve. However, Costa del Sol-based musician Cristina Ryan is not one of them, because not only has she appeared in a popular Irish television series, she has also played with The London Symphony Orchestra, and performed alongside Elton John in London.

Born in Dublin in 1988, Ryan was introduced to the performing arts at a young age. She trained as a ballet dancer and also took part in several 'acting for film' courses at the Gaiety School of Acting, as well as studying classical violin and piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Growing up in a musical family, the youngster was influenced by her mother, also a pianist. She completed a Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and then returned to Ireland to do a Masters in Music Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

The 38-year-old musician has since played under the baton of several established conductors with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Irish Symphony Orchestra and the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

"Music was the foundation of my well-rounded, creative career. My mum got me into piano when I was around four years of age. Music came very easy to me, but don't get me wrong, there were a lot of long hours practising," she tells SUR in English.

During her mid-20s, Ryan decided to pursue her love of acting and trained at the Irish Film Academy. She had previously been involved in several amateur stage musical productions in Ireland.

"Acting was always a love. My musical career was quite intense, so I had never had the chance to explore acting. However, I met the team who were making the TV series, The Northsiders, and I secured the role of Celine," the Dubliner explains.

Other projects soon followed, including the comedy drama Thank You Come Again, a day-in-the-life type story with a mosaic of seemingly unrelated characters centred around an adult shop.

Ryan suddenly found herself juggling her acting with her concerts, which have taken her from Ireland to Britain, Europe and America.

One of the highlights of her music career came in September 2009, when she played violin in a concert alongside Elton John in the Royal Albert Hall as part of a fundraising event for the Royal Academy of Music.

"I played on stage with Elton John to raise funds for the academy, which he also attended. I was asked if I would be interested in performing in a show based on his hits, to which, of course, I agreed," she says.

The classically trained musician came to the Costa del Sol in 2020, a time when she was reassessing what she wanted to do, and she settled in El Faro, Mijas.

"I felt I needed a fresh place to explore and see what might happen. I have very close friends living on the coast and I often visited. This area presented me with a shiny new temptation, so I took the leap and made the move," she says.

It didn't take her long to discover the coast's close-knit music community, and she was soon offering her services at charity events organised by it.

"The local music community is amazing. There is so much talent and opportunity on the Costa del Sol. The music scene here is quite special, so from an artist's point of view, it is very appealing and very rewarding," she explains.

Ryan is looking to perform at some of the bigger venues in Malaga and also at some of the large-scale music festivals during the summer. At present, she is preparing for two performances of her The Magic of the Movies concert at the Salón Varietés Theatre next weekend.

"I can't praise the theatre enough in terms of the work they do and the service they provide for the community. I performed there last year, and so I am lucky to be invited back again this year," she concludes.