Michael Holohan (born 27 March 1956) is an Irish composer.

Biography

Michael Holohan was born in Drumcondra, Dublin. He was educated at O'Connell's Schools,

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

(BA, 1978) and Queen's University in Belfast. He studied composition with Jane O'Leary, Eric Sweeney and

Seóirse Bodley Seóirse Bodley (first name pronounced ; born 4 April 1933) is an Irish composer and former associate professor of music at University College Dublin (UCD). He was the first composer to become a Saoi of Aosdána, in 2008. Bodley is widely regarde ...

. He also attended masterclasses by

Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonicall ...

Iannis Xenakis Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (also spelled for professional purposes as Yannis or Iannis Xenakis; el, Γιάννης "Ιωάννης" Κλέαρχου Ξενάκης, ; 29 May 1922 – 4 February 2001) was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde c ...

, Pierre Boulez,

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled '' Sequenza''), and for his pioneering work ...

, and

Helmut Lachenmann Helmut Friedrich Lachenmann (born 27 November 1935) is a German composer of contemporary classical music. His work has been associated with "instrumental musique concrète". Life and works Lachenmann was born in Stuttgart and after the end of ...

in France. Holohan was chairman of the Association of Irish Composers (AIC), 1987–9, and was later appointed chairman of the Droichead Arts Centre in Drogheda, where he lives since the mid-1980s.Smith (2013), as above, p. 495. Holohan was elected to

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current member ...

, an Irish association of artists, in 1999. He is also a member and former Chair of the Toscaireacht of Aosdána.

Music

Holohan has composed for solo instrument, ensemble, orchestra, stage, choir and voice. He has also collaborated with a number of poets including Nobel prize-winners

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

and

Tomas Tranströmer Tomas Gösta Tranströmer (; 15 April 1931 – 26 March 2015) was a Swedish poet, psychologist and translator. His poems captured the long Swedish winters, the rhythm of the seasons and the palpable, atmospheric beauty of nature. Tranströmer's ...

, Ivan Lalic and

Paul Durcan Paul Durcan (born 16 October 1944) is a contemporary Irish poet. Early life Durcan was born and grew up in Dublin and in Turlough, County Mayo. His father, John, was a barrister and circuit court judge; father and son had a difficult and forma ...

. He has lived in Drogheda since 1983. His compositions have been performed and broadcast both at home and internationally. Career highlights in Drogheda include the performances of ''Cromwell'' at the "Drogheda 800" celebrations (RTECO, Lourdes Church, 1994); ''The Mass of Fire'', Augustinian 700 anniversary (RTÉ TV live broadcast, 1995); ''No Sanctuary'' with Nobel Laureate and poet Seamus Heaney (Augustinian Church, 1997); ''Remembrance Sunday Service'', at Drogheda Unification 600 (RTE TV live broadcast, St Peter's Church of Ireland) and two major concerts with The Boyne Valley Chamber Orchestra at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in 2018 and 2019.

Selected works

Orchestral

*''Cromwell'' (1994) *''Leaves of Glass'' (1995) *''Building Bridges'' (1995)

Ensemble

*''Triangulum'' (1977) *''Macehead'' (1992) *''A Snail in my Prime'' (2000) - with text by Paul Durcan

Choir

*''An Stoirm'', ''Bagairt na Marbh'' & ''Sos'' (1981-4) - with texts by Seán Ó Riordáin *''Anahorish'' & ''Oracle'' (1988) - with texts by Seamus Heaney *''Mass of Fire'' (1995) *''Quis est Deus?'' (2001) *''In the Empty Hills'' (2009) - with text by Wang Wei

Voice

*''Kubla Khan'' (1974) - awarded RTÉ Young Composer of the Year 1974 *''Thomas McDonagh'' (1987) - with text by Francis Ledwidge *''The Given Note'' (1989) - with text by Seamus Heaney *''The Potter's Field'' (1990) - with text by Ivan Lalic

Solo

*''By a River'' (1985), for piano *''Aoise'' (1988), for piano *''The Road to Lough Swilly'' (2001), for

uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from thei ...

*''Monaincha'' (2002), for piano

Stage

*''Running Beast'' (2007) - with text by

Donal O'Kelly Donal O'Kelly (born 1958) is an Irish playwright and actor. Early life O'Kelly was born in Dublin in 1958. He worked in the Irish Civil Service as a computer programmer, before quitting to become active in theatre and politics. Career O'Kelly' ...

*''Where a Single Footprint Lasts a Thousand Years'' (2009) - with text by

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of ...

and

Bill Manhire William Manhire (born 27 December 1946) is a New Zealand poet, short story writer, emeritus professor, and New Zealand's inaugural New Zealand Poet Laureate, Poet Laureate (1997–1998). He founded New Zealand's first creative writing course at ...

Electro-Acoustic

*''The Source'' (1990) *''July 23rd Dawn'' (1990)

Select discography

*''A River of Memories'' (1999) - co-produced by Breida Delaney *''Fields of Blue and White'' (2010) - pianist, Thérèse Fahy * ''The Road to Lough Swilly'' (2019) - Mick O' Brien, uilleann pipes and The Boyne Valley Chamber Orchestra

References

External links

Michael Holohan
at the Contemporary Music Centre
Michael Holohan
at Aosdána {{DEFAULTSORT:Holohan, Michael 1956 births 20th-century classical composers 20th-century male musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century male musicians Irish classical composers Irish male classical composers Living people Musicians from Dublin (city) People educated at O'Connell School People from Drumcondra, Dublin