Jane O’Leary has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the National University of Ireland, Galway in recognition of her contribution to music in Ireland.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Jane O’Leary, who says her music is ‘about shapes, sounds and textures, intermingling and creating their own resonant space’, has written more than 70 works that have been widely performed and broadcast in Ireland and internationally.

The honorarium was awarded to her at a public ceremony on 29 June when five other people (including Nicholas Carolan, director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive, and Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, who is more popularly known as the singer, Enya) were similarly honoured.

Now living in Galway, O’Leary founded the contemporary music ensemble Concorde in 1976 and regularly performs with them. In 1981 she co-founded Music for Galway, for which she is currently chairperson, and in the same year was an inaugural member of Aosdána. A member of the Arts Council from 1998-2003, she has also served as chairperson of CMC during a period of significant development for the Centre.

Posted: 29 June 2007