Colman Pearce

Dublin-born Colman Pearce took an Honours Music degree at University College Dublin and won many awards as a pianist before studying conducting in Hilversum and Vienna. He was Principal Conductor of the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra during the years 1981 to 1983. In the years 1984 to 1987, he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra in Spain, and from 1987 to 1999 Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, where, in his final year, he was the recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in the State of Mississippi. He was also made a Freeman of the City of New Orleans. Colman Pearce’s repertoire is large, embracing not only the main works in the symphonic field, but also many operas and oratorios. He has directed many important Irish, American and world premiÚre performances. His guest appearances as conductor have brought him to many cities in three continents, and won him golden opinions from press, public and orchestras. As a composer, his song cycle Summerfest was commissioned by RTÉ and given its premiÚre with the composer at the piano in 1993. His work Robinson the Cat was first performed in the United States with great success in 1998. Recent compositions, all given their first performances in the United States, include Anagram, King Cormac at Tara, Alienado, Contemplations, and The Little Room. For Naxos and Marco Polo Colman Pearce has recorded CDs of music by Stanford, Victory, Boydell, Buckley, Corcoran, Deane, Bodley and Wilson, with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. More recent releases include Balada’s two short operas Hangman, Hangman, and Town of Greed for Naxos (8.557090), and a recording conducted by Colman Pearce of Balada’s orchestral music (8.557049) played by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.

July 2004