Deirdre Gribbin facts for kids

Deirdre Gribbin is a talented composer from Northern Ireland. She was born on May 14, 1967. She creates amazing music, from pieces for orchestras to music for movies and radio shows.

Deirdre Gribbin's Musical Journey

Early Life and Studies

Deirdre Gribbin was born in Belfast. She began her musical journey at Queen's University Belfast. At just 20 years old, she started composing her own music. She continued her studies in London at the Guildhall School of Music. She also learned from the famous composer Per Nørgård in Denmark.

First Big Success

Deirdre's first major achievement came with her piano piece, Per Speculum in Aenigmate. This piece won a special award at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. This award helped her become known as a promising new composer.

Famous Compositions

Deirdre Gribbin has written many different kinds of music. Some of her well-known works include:

• Jack B.: A piano quartet inspired by the paintings of Jack B. Yeats.
• How to Make the Water Sound: A piece for a piano trio.
• Hey Persephone!: Her first opera.
• Venus Blazing: A violin concerto.
• The Binding of The Years: A piece for piano and orchestra.

Her piece Celestial Pied Piper was even published as part of Faber's Millennium Series.

Music Inspired by Her Homeland

Deirdre has also written music that reflects the history and feelings of her home, Northern Ireland. These pieces include:

• Tribe: An ensemble piece.
• Unity of Being: An orchestral work performed by the Ulster Orchestra. This piece was played in New York after the events of 9/11.
• Goliath: A large percussion concerto. It was first performed at the Belfast Festival in 2006.

Music for Film and Radio

Deirdre Gribbin has also composed music for radio and movies. She wrote music for radio shows like The Possessed and Embers. She also created the music for the film My Kingdom, which starred Richard Harris. Her string quartet, Hearing your genes Evolve, was even featured in a film called The Dark Gene. This piece was inspired by DNA!

Awards and Recognition

Deirdre Gribbin has received many important awards for her music:

• In 2003, she won an award at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers for her orchestral work Empire States.
• She also won an Arts Foundation Award for her opera Hey Persephone!.
• From 2003 to 2005, she was the Artistic Director of the Society for the Promotion of New Music in London.
• In 2004, a writer for The Times newspaper called her "one of the most original thinkers in years."
• In 2019, she received a Major Individual Award from The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
• In 2020, she won a PRS Composers' Award.

Today, Deirdre Gribbin teaches composition at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich. She continues to inspire new musicians with her unique and powerful compositions.