Jane O'Leary (born 13 October 1946) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

-born Irish musician and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

who has been living in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

since 1972.

Biography

Jane O'Leary (née Strong) was born in

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. She graduated ''summa com laude'' from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

and studied with

Milton Babbitt Milton Byron Babbitt (May 10, 1916 – January 29, 2011) was an American composer, music theorist, mathematician, and teacher. He was a Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship recipient, recognized for his serial and electronic music. Biography ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where she received a Ph.D. in composition. She lectured at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

for a year and moved to Ireland in 1972. O'Leary's music has been performed internationally at concert venues including, in the U.S., the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

Chicago Cultural Center The Chicago Cultural Center, opened in 1897, is a Chicago Landmark building operated by Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Cultural Center houses the city's official reception venue, where the Mayor of Chicago, M ...

and

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. She is the founder (in 1976), artistic director and pianist of the ensemble Concorde, which regularly performs contemporary music. In 1981, she was one of the founders of the organisation 'Music for Galway' and served as its chairperson from 1984 to 1992. Other honorary positions included membership of the board of directors of the

National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...

, Dublin (1986–1996), member of the Irish Arts Council (1998–2003), chairperson of the Contemporary Music Centre, Dublin, and others. Since 1981 she has been a member of

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association or academy of artists, each of whom must have produced a distinguished body of work of genuine originality. It was created in 1981 by the country's Arts Council on the initiati ...

, Ireland's academy for creative artists. Since 2006, O'Leary teaches composition at the

Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT, ) was a major third-level institution in Dublin, Ireland. On 1 January 2019 DIT was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the Technological University Dublin, as TU Dublin City Campus. The insti ...

Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin. She received the Marten Toonder Award in 1994 and received an honorary doctorate from

NUI Galway The University of Galway () is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College, Galway". It was known as "University College, Galway" (UCG) () from 1908 to 1997 and as ...

in 2007.

Selected compositions

Orchestral * ''From the flatirons'' (1985) * ''The petals fall'' (1987) * ''Sky of revelation'' (1989) * ''Mirros Imaginings'' (1991) * ''Islands of Discovery'' (1991) * ''Here, There (and Everywhere)'' (2002) * ''Strings alive'' (2007) Chamber music * ''Quartet'' (1969) for clarinet, bass clarinet, violin, cello * ''Concortet'' (1979) for flute, violin, cello, harpsichord * String Quartet (1983) * Variations (1984) for flute and piano * Piano Trio (1992) * ''Silenzio della terra'' (1993) for flute and percussion arimba & tom-toms* Duo (1994) for violin and cello * ''Mystic Play of Shadows'' (1995) for string quartet * ''Into the Wordless'' (1998) for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano * ''Why the Hill Sings'' (2004) for viola and piano * ''In the Stillness of Time'' (2004) for string quartet * Piano Quintet (2005) * ''Sunshowers'' (2007) for alto flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion * ''riverrun'' (2008) for saxophone quartet * ''in a flurry of whispering'' (2011) for alto flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano * ''the echo of all that's happened'' (2014) for alto flute, clarinet & string quartet * ''The Passing Sound of Forever'' (2015) for string quartet * ''as if one'' (2016) for viola and cello Solo instrumental * ''Piano Piece I'' (1974) * ''Piano Piece II'' (1980) * ''Reflections'' (1986) for piano * ''Forgotten Worlds'' (1987) for piano * ''Cartoline dalla Sicilia'' (1987) for piano * ''When the Bells Have Stopped Ringing'' (1989) for piano * Four Pieces for Guitar (1993) * ''Within/Without'' (2000) for clarinet * ''Awakening'' (2002) for percussion * ''Breathing Spaces'' (2010) for piano * ''No. 19'', versions for violin (2012) and viola (2013) * ''Five Bagatelles'' (2013) for piano * ''A Palette of Preludes'' (2015) for piano Vocal * ''Poem from a Three-Year Old'' (1976) for soprano, flute, clarinet * ''Three Voices: Lightning, Peace, Grass'' (1977) for soprano, oboe, piano * ''Filled Wine Cup'' (1982) for mixed choir * ''A Woman's Beauty'' (1991) for speaker, flute, percussion, dancer * ''Dream Songs'' (1996). Two versions, a) for female choir and piano; b) for female choir and small orchestra * ''Soundshapes'' (2006) for voice, alto flute, clarinet, violin * ''Clara'' (2013) for speaker, clarinet, bass-clarinet

Recordings

* ''Silenzio della Terra'', performed by Concorde, on: ''Contemporary Music from Ireland Vol. 1'', Contemporary Music Centre CMC CD01 (CD, 1995). * ''Silenzio della Terra'', ''Duo'', performed by Concorde, on: ''Celtic Connections'', Capstone Records CPS-8640 (CD, 1997). * ''Four Pieces for Guitar'', performed by John Feeley, on: ''e-motion'', Black Box Music BBM 1002 (CD, 2008). * ''Cartoline dalla Sicilia'', performed by Catherine Nardiello (piano), on: ''Women Composers Vol. I'', Catherine Nardiello CN-115 (CD, 2000). * ''Within/Without'', performed by Paul Roe (clarinet), on: ''Containers'' (Galway Arts Festival 2000) (CD, 2000). * ''Mystic Play of Shadows'', performed by Quartetto Paul Klee, on: Niccolò NIC 1047 (CD, 2001). * ''Piano Quartet''; ''a piacere ...''; ''Why the Hill Sings''; ''In the Stillness of Time''; ''something there''; ''Mystic Play of Shadows'', performed by ConTempo Quartet,

Vanbrugh Quartet The Vanbrugh, often styled The Vanbrugh and Friends and previously the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, is an Irish classical musical group. The resident string quartet to Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's national broadcasting service, until 2013, a ...

, Jane O'Leary (piano), members of Concorde, on: ''In the Stillness of Time: Music of Jane O'Leary'', Capstone Records CPS-8789 (CD, 2007) * ''Forgotten Worlds'', performed by Isabelle O'Connell (piano), on: ''Reservoir'', Diatribe Solo Series DIACDSOL 001 (CD, 2010). * ''a piacere ...'', performed by Paul Roe (clarinet), on: ''Between'', Diatribe Solo Series DIACDSOL 002 (CD, 2010). * ''Duo'', performed by Laura Chislett Jones (flute) and John Feeley (guitar), on: ''Islands. Contemporary Irish Solo & Instrumental Works for Guitar'', Overture Music (no label code) (CD, 2010). * ''Reflections II'', performed by Concorde, on: ''Reflections'', Navona Records NV 5835 (CD, 2010). * ''Forgotten Worlds'', performed by Hugh Tinney, on
RTÉ lyric fm CD 153
(CD, 2016). * ''A Way Through''; ''No. 19''; ''Murmurs and Echoes''; ''A Winter Sketchbook''; ''... from hand to hand ...''; ''The Passing Sound of Forever'', performed by Andreja Malir (hp), Concorde, RTÉ ConTempo Quartet, on: Navona Records NV 6068 (CD, 2017).

Bibliography

* Axel Klein: ''Die Musik Irlands im 20. Jahrhundert'' (Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag, 1996) * Benjamin Dwyer: "An Interview with Jane O'Leary", in: B. Dwyer: ''Different Voices. Irish Music and Music in Ireland'' (Hofheim: Wolke Verlag, 2014), p. 112–132.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oleary, Jane 1946 births 20th-century American composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American women composers 21st-century American composers 21st-century classical composers 21st-century American women composers American classical composers American women classical composers Aosdána members Composers for piano Irish classical composers Irish women classical composers Living people Musicians from County Galway Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut Princeton University alumni Vassar College alumni