BIO

Jonah M. Gallagher (b. '93) is a composer of concert music born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. He received his Master's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with Mason Bates. He has additionally studied with Robert Denham, Alex Lu, and Mike Watts. Receiving both national and international recognition, his music has been performed domestically in Detroit, L.A., Oakland, San Francisco, Miami, and Chicago, as well as internationally in Seoul, South Korea and Vienna, Austria. The Oakland Symphony, under the direction of Michael Morgan, premiered his piece for string orchestra, Vocare. Morgan says about Gallagher’s music, “I find him a really compelling new voice capable of writing music of great virtuosity contrasting with a great American lyricism.”

His music has received several awards including the runner up in the Frank Robert Abell award for his string quartet, Wandering Companionless: Pale for Weariness and winner of the “Other Competition” at the Frost School of Music for the same piece. Gallagher’s music creates a musical narrative, communicating beauty and humanity in each piece. In addition to writing music, Jonah has a passion for woodworking, especially the crafting of hand carved tobacco pipes. He currently lives in Belmont, California with his wife Hannah and daughter Fiona.

Photo credit: Anna Kietzman http://ohhsoloved.wix.com/photo