Interview with Emma O'Halloran (audio feature)
US-based Irish composer Emma O’Halloran talks to CMC about her recent Beth Morrison Projects: Next Generation award.
This award will enable the composer to write a full-length opera which will be developed, premiered and toured by Beth Morrison Projects.
BMP: Next Generation is an initiative to discover the next generation of music-theatre and opera-theatre compositional voice. Emma was selected from 72 emerging composers following the performance of a 30-minute vocal work with the other finalist in the award, Michael Lanci, at National Sawdust in March 2018.
In an interview recorded in March 2019, Emma spoke to CMC’s Jonathan Grimes about the award, composing for opera, gender representation in new music, and future works she’s writing.
Emma O’Halloran’s work Constellations features in the opening showcase event of this year’s Classical:NEXT annual industry gathering for classical and art music in Rotterdam. The work is presented by Brooklyn venue, National Sawdust.
Music featured in the interview
Constellations (2015)
Madeline Healey and the Refugee Orchestra Project, conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya
Mary Motorhead (2018)
Naomi Louisa O’Connell (voice), Ensemble Contemporaneous, conductor David Bloom