James O’Callaghan’s works are out there! They have been performed in concert in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA…

James O’Callaghan has received awards at the following contests:

Ars Electronica Forum Wallis, Leuk (Switzerland): 2017, 2018, 2020
Concours biennal de composition acousmatique Métamorphoses, Ohain (Belgium): 2018
Concours international de la musique électroacoustique SIME, Lille (Nord, France): 2018
Concurso de Composición Electroacústica Destellos, Mar del Plata (Argentina): 2016, 2018, 2019
Exhibitronic, Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin, France): 2017
Friends of Canadian Music Award, Canada: 2014
Iannis Xenakis International Electroacoustic Composition Competition, Greece: 2019
ISCM Young Composer Award: 2017
Jeu de temps / Times Play (JTTP), Canada: 2013
Juno Awards, Canada: 2014
MA/IN Matera Intermedia Competition, Matera (Italy): 2018
Musica Nova International Competition of Electroacoustic Music, Prague (Czech Republic): 2015, 2017, 2020
Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest, Toronto (Ontario, Canada): 2014
Prix CIME: 2017
Prix Museond de la créativité en musique mixte, Montréal (Québec): 2026
Prix Opus, Québec: 2020
Robert Fleming Prize, Ottawa (Ontario, Canada): 2015
SOCAN Awards, Canada: 2018
SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers, Canada: 2013, 2014

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 8^e 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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