Young Irish composer Emma O’Halloran has been announced as the winner of the 2012 Jerome Hynes Composition Competition, and will have a new chamber composition, Cages, performed at the New Music Dublin Festival in March. 
The Jerome Hynes Award, hosted by the National Concert Hall, is designed to give a young composer the opportunity to work collaboratively with professional musicians in the creation of a new work for chamber ensemble. O’Halloran – who holds a BMus as well as a Masters in Music Composition from NUI Maynooth – is known for her combination of electronic and acoustic instruments, such as the recently premiered work for the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and Dublin Laptop Orchestra, Whisper City (below). The new commission, Cages, for voice, piano, horn and electronics, continues to explore this interest, and will be premiered on the first night of the New Music Dublin festival at the National Concert Hall.
Emma said ‘I was absolutely thrilled to be selected as the winner. Collaboration is essential to my practice, and this award offers me the unique opportunity to work with professional musicians on this new work, in the months leading up to the premiere. It’s also a great honour to have the piece performed in the New Music Dublin Festival, which will feature music by some of my favourite composers.’
The concert takes place on Friday, 1 March at 6.45pm, to be followed by a panel discussion previewing the Festival.
Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland 