Galway native Eímear Noone, the first-ever woman to conduct the orchestra at an Oscars ceremony, has said she is "bowled over" by the support she has received ahead of Sunday's event.
Noone will conduct excerpts from the five nominated scores at the 92nd Academy Awards tomorrow night.
She has composed extensively for film and videogames and is responsible for some of the most enduring soundscapes on 'World of Warcraft'.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast today, she said she was nervous about conducting the 42-piece Oscar orchestra at the Dolby Theatre.
However, she believes the role is bigger than her.
She said: "I just feel like this position is bigger than me, I feel that I'm just the body that’s filling the role but that there's something wonderful afoot.
"The goodwill from home has been bowling me over and I feel like I'm bringing that with me.
"Nerves serve to bring you to life and make sure you're paying attention."
She added: "You live with them on a daily basis as performers but when something is bigger than yourself, it's good to acknowledge that and take my own ego out of it, take the good and the bad that comes with that and say this is a bright shining moment and there's a lot of people who have invested in it and it's not about me anymore."
Noone said her interest in music began in national school where her teacher insisted that she would go and study music.
She says that she learned from ordinary events like playing music at mass and in school shows.
Noone was informed that she would be conducting at the Oscars during a late-night phone call at her home in Portmarnock.
She said: "I somehow made it on to the shortlist and made it on to the other side.
"It's kind of this thing of lightning striking after 20 years.
Noone said the experience so far has been "really positive", describing the rehearsals as "vibrant and uplifting".
However, she said she can't give too much away ahead of Sunday's awards as the producers don't want participants to give away too many hints.
She added: "What I can tell you is that the rehearsals were magic."
The Academy Awards will be broadcast on RTÉ 2 on Monday at 9.35pm.
