Tarik O'Regan

Tarik Hamilton O'Regan is a London-born composer based in San Francisco. Working across opera, dance, orchestral, choral, and chamber music, he is drawn to subjects at the intersection of history, literature, memory, and public life. His music has been described as "beautifully imagined, holding the audience rapt" (Financial Times) and "music of startling beauty" (The Observer). Recognized with two GRAMMY® nominations and two Ivors, his work is published exclusively by Novello, has been recorded on more than fifty albums, and is regularly performed throughout the world.

Recent projects include Testament, an opera with a libretto by Colm Tóibín for Irish National Opera; a concerto for oud and period orchestra written for Joseph Tawadros and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; and The Artificial Composer, a BBC Radio 3 documentary examining the relationship between artificial intelligence and musical creativity. In 2023 he was commissioned by His Majesty King Charles III to compose the Agnus Dei for the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey.

Earlier large-scale works include the opera Heart of Darkness for the Royal Opera House, the full-length ballet Mata Hari for Dutch National Ballet, and The Phoenix, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera. His work has also been performed by organizations including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Chamber Choir Ireland, Sydney Dance Company, and the BBC Proms. Gramophone has described him as "one of the leading composers of his generation."

Born in London in 1978, O'Regan grew up primarily in South London, while also spending part of his childhood in Morocco and Algeria. Following undergraduate study at Pembroke College, Oxford, and private study with Jeremy Dale Roberts, he worked as classical recording reviewer for The Observer before continuing his studies in composition at the University of Cambridge under Robin Holloway and Robert Saxton. He was subsequently appointed Composer-in-Residence at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

His academic and artistic appointments have included the Fulbright Chester Schirmer Fellowship at Columbia University, a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship at Harvard University, positions at Yale University and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, a fellowship in the creative arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, and a visiting artist appointment at Stanford University. He has also served on the composition faculty of Rutgers University, as Senior Advisor to the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University, and as Composer-in-Residence of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the first such appointment in the ensemble's history.

Alongside his work as a composer, O'Regan is an experienced broadcaster and writer whose work for BBC Radio has explored the ways cities, technology, and cultural change shape musical life. He has written and presented documentaries, and contributed essays and commentary on music, creativity, and contemporary culture. 

O'Regan is an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford, serves on the board of Yaddo, one of the oldest artists' communities in the United States, and is the recipient of the Coronation Medal, the Yaddo Artist Medal, inclusion in The Washington Post's 2022 list of artists "changing the classical landscape," and a Certificate of Honor from the City and County of San Francisco.

www.tarikoregan.com