Guest Artist Bio
John O’Hara
Conductor John O’Hara was born in Liverpool, England, in 1962, where his father, an architect and musician, was a founding member of Candlewick Green. The family relocated to North Wales in the early 1970s, where John joined the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. He played in several bands with his father before moving to the Royal Northern College of Music.
After five years of graduate and postgraduate studies, he joined Rambert Dance Company in London as a percussionist, touring extensively for five years. He later accepted the post as composer and musical director for the Bristol Old Vic. While working in theater, O’Hara learned the basics on bass guitar, flute, trumpet and trombone, until eventually discovering the accordion.
Around 2003, he met Ian Anderson and joined the Rubbing Elbows tour, playing piano and accordion and subsequently recording on Rupi’s Dance. Since then O’Hara has toured with the band and scored, conducted and performed at Anderson’s orchestral concerts.
In 2004 he was commissioned to compose a children's opera by the Welsh National Opera, which in turn led to two more commissions. O’Hara has also composed a variety of music for television and produced two albums, one a smooth jazz record for the United States and one featuring his theater music.
O’Hara holds teaching positions at Bath and Bristol Universities and is a guest tutor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Earlier this year, he helped arranged and conducted music for the stage production of The Who’s classic album Quadrophenia.