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James O’Callaghan

James O’Callaghan’s works are out there! They have been performed in concert in Banchory, Beijing, Belfast, Berlin, Bratislava, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Crest, Dresden, Geneva, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kehl, Kraków, Leuk, Lisbon, Matera, Montpellier, Montréal, Morelia, New York City, Paris, Prague, Quebec City, San Francisco, Séoul, St John’s, Stockholm, Strasbourg, Suzhou, Tempe, Thessaloniki, Toronto, Troy, Urbana, Utrecht, Vancouver, Vienna, Villeneuve d’Ascq, Waterloo and Winnipeg…

James O’Callaghan is a composer and sound artist based in Montréal [from 2011 to September ’22; currently in Berlin (Germany)] praised for his “mastery of materials and musical form” (Électromania, 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.

His work, spanning chamber, orchestral, live electronic and acousmatic idioms, audio installations, and site-specific performances, has been variously commissioned by the Groupe de recherches musicales (GRM), NYO Canada, Ensemble Paramirabo, Quasar, and Standing Wave, among others.

James O’Callaghan is the recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts’ Robert Fleming Prize (Canada, 2015), and his music has been awarded first prizes in the Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award (USA, 2016), the Musicworks’ electronic music competition (Canada, 2015), the SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers (Canada, 2013, ’14), including its 2014 John Weinzweig Grand Prize, and the Canadian Electroacoustic Community’s competition Jeu de temps / Times Play (JTTP, CEC, Canada, 2013). His music was nominated for the Gaudeamus Award (Netherlands, 2016) and the Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year (Canada, 2014), and was a finalist in the the 8e Prix collégien de musique contemporaine (Québec, 2016) and the Klang competition (France, 2015).

Originally from Vancouver, he received a Master of Music degree in composition from McGill University in 2014, studying with Philippe Leroux, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts honours degree from Simon Fraser University in 2011, studying with Barry Truax.

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James O’Callaghan

Burnaby (British Columbia, Canada), 1988

Residence: Berlin (Germany)

  • Composer
  • Sound artist

On the web

James O’Callaghan [Photo: Michael Slobodian, Montréal (Québec), September 25, 2011]
James O’Callaghan [Photo: Michael Slobodian, Montréal (Québec), September 25, 2011]

Calendar

Broadcasts

Date Work Programme
January 24, 2023 James O’Callaghan, Isomorphic (2011-14), 9:58 Undæ! Radio No 252 / Radio Circulo (Spain)
May 17, 2021 James O’Callaghan, Isomorphic (2011-14), 9:58 Acoustic Frontiers / CKCU 93.1 FM (Canada)
November 23, 2020 James O’Callaghan, Empties-Impetus (2014-15), 20:02 Radio Horizon 93.9 FM (South Africa)
October 22, 2020 James O’Callaghan, Isomorphic (2011-14), 9:58 Radio Horizon 93.9 FM (South Africa)
October 19, 2020 James O’Callaghan, Objects-Interiors (2013), 10:12 Radio Horizon 93.9 FM (South Africa)
June 24, 2019 James O’Callaghan, Labour / Force (2009), 9:04 Acoustic Frontiers / CKCU 93.1 FM (Canada)
June 24, 2019 James O’Callaghan, If (and only if) I am among (2017), 9:01 Acoustic Frontiers / CKCU 93.1 FM (Canada)
May 15, 2019 James O’Callaghan, Objects-Interiors (2013), 10:12 Influx — Montréal Special / The Word Radio (Belgium)
June 18, 2018 James O’Callaghan, If (and only if) I am among (2017), 9:01 Acoustic Frontiers / CKCU 93.1 FM (Canada)
January 30, 2018 James O’Callaghan, Objects-Interiors (2013), 10:12 La boîte noire / RTR — Radio Temps Rodez (France)
January 30, 2018 James O’Callaghan, For or from (2015), 7:00 Pulsar / CISM (Canada)
January 29, 2018 James O’Callaghan, In specific cities (2016), 14:00 Acoustic Frontiers / CKCU 93.1 FM (Canada)