James O'Callaghan
Montréal
James O’Callaghan (b. 1988) is a composer and sound artist based in Montréal praised for his “mastery of materials and musical form” (Electromania, Radio France) and “highly refined sense of colour.” (Vancouver Sun) His music intersects acoustic and electroacoustic media, employing field recordings, amplified found objects, computer-assisted transcription of environmental sounds, and unique performance conditions.
Recently, he was commissioned to produce a new acousmatic work for the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (INA-GRM) in a co-production with Le Vivier; completed as part of a residency at the GRM studios in Paris and premiered in 2015. In 2014, his work Isomorphia for orchestra and electronics won the SOCAN Foundation John Weinzweig Grand Prize and was nominated for a JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the year. The work was the result of a commission and residency with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. In 2011, he was selected for the inaugural Canadian League of Composers / Canadian Music Centre Composer Mentoring Project. He is a founding member and co-director of the Montréal Contemporary Music Lab, and an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre.
His works have been performed across North America, in Europe, New Zealand and Japan, featured in festivals worldwide (MANTIS, Manchester; SF Tape Music Festival, San Francisco; AKOUSMA, Montréal; Cluster, Winnipeg; MANCA, Nice; NYCEMF, New York City; Sonic Boom, Vancouver), and have been awarded first prizes in competitions from the SOCAN Foundation, Canadian Electroacoustic Community, and Musicworks magazine. His musical research has also been presented internationally and published (Organised Sound).
Originally from Vancouver, he received a Master of Music degree in composition from McGill University in 2014, studying with Philippe Leroux, where he also taught an introductory course in Electroacoustic composition. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts honours degree from Simon Fraser University in 2011, studying with Barry Truax, David MacIntyre, Rodney Sharman and Arne Eigenfeldt. He has also studied and taken workshops with Michel Gonneville, Kaija Saariaho, Lasse Thoresen, and R. Murray Schafer.
(Profile photo © Leif Norman)
James O'Callaghan’s tracks
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