Jamie O'Callaghan - composer - performer- biography


	1. You present yourself as a composer/performer. Do you consider yourself more of a composer or is it performing that makes you tick? I love composing. That comes natural. I was a performer from a young age, playing in the music ensembles that came to my mother's guest house. I still see that as an integral part of myself too, athough there have not been enough opportunities to get out there in recent years. 2. You were born in the UK. But your name sounds Irish. Can you tell me something about your roots? The Celtic part of me didn't really come out until later in life. Although I'm of Welsh and Irish parents, it was something that was played down when I was young as England was having so much troubles with the IRA and Irish people were really much considered a 'lower cast'. Now I've never been allowed to forget/negate my Celtic roots, even here in The Netherlands! It is truly the source of my being/inspiration. 3. Does your Celtic heritage influence your music. Yes, greatly. Through the poetry, history and philosophy, not always directly, but it's the love of the ambiguous. The Celtic mind usually draws no lines between the spiritual, the unknown and mother nature. Welsh and Irish composers have been a big influence on me: Alun Hoddinott, William Alywn, Sir Arnold Bax, William Mathias, and I admire the Gallic natures of Debussy and Messiaen. 4. You did you not follow the common path in obtaining a music degree. Can you tell a bit more about your educational journey. Well I was going to have my own 'new wave' band in the late 1970's, I just loved the early credo of punk you know: Do it yourself and create your own music art' etc. It gave me some respect for my own aesthetics. Although I was a good student at school, I did not see the importance of formal education. I educated myself in the libraries and by watching I suppose 'too much' Open University. At one point I knew I had to go back to school! I really wanted to take music seriously and become a serious composer/performer. So this meant 3 years of night school so I could go to university and study for a degree. [page 2]\|[back]

1. You present yourself as a composer/performer. Do you consider yourself more of a composer or is it performing that makes you tick?

I love composing. That comes natural. I was a performer from a young age, playing in the music ensembles that came to my mother's guest house. I still see that as an integral part of myself too, athough there have not been enough opportunities to get out there in recent years.

2. You were born in the UK. But your name sounds Irish. Can you tell me something about your roots?

The Celtic part of me didn't really come out until later in life. Although I'm of Welsh and Irish parents, it was something that was played down when I was young as England was having so much troubles with the IRA and Irish people were really much considered a 'lower cast'. Now I've never been allowed to forget/negate my Celtic roots, even here in The Netherlands! It is truly the source of my being/inspiration.

3. Does your Celtic heritage influence your music.

Yes, greatly. Through the poetry, history and philosophy, not always directly, but it's the love of the ambiguous. The Celtic mind usually draws no lines between the spiritual, the unknown and mother nature. Welsh and Irish composers have been a big influence on me: Alun Hoddinott, William Alywn, Sir Arnold Bax, William Mathias, and I admire the Gallic natures of Debussy and Messiaen.

4. You did you not follow the common path in obtaining a music degree. Can you tell a bit more about your educational journey.

Well I was going to have my own 'new wave' band in the late 1970's, I just loved the early credo of punk you know: Do it yourself and create your own music art' etc. It gave me some respect for my own aesthetics. Although I was a good student at school, I did not see the importance of formal education. I educated myself in the libraries and by watching I suppose 'too much' Open University. At one point I knew I had to go back to school! I really wanted to take music seriously and become a serious composer/performer. So this meant 3 years of night school so I could go to university and study for a degree.

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