Colman Pearce (born 22 September 1938) is an Irish

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

and

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

. Born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, Pearce was educated at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

and studied conducting in

Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hil ...

and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He became a conductor for the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in the late 1960s as well as being musical director for the

1971 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 1971 was the 16th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following the country's victory at the with the song "All Kinds of Everything" by Dana. Organised by the European Br ...

and then conducting the 1972,

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

Irish entries. He became a principal conductor for the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in 1981 until retiring in 1983. He was principal guest conductor of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra from 1984 to 1987. From 1987 to 1999 he was principal conductor and music director of the

Mississippi Symphony Orchestra The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, from 1944 to 1989 the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, is the oldest Symphony Orchestra in the State of Mississippi.Westley F. Busbee, Jr Mississippi: A History - 2014 - Page 250 "Beginning in Jackson in 1944, sym ...

and, in his final year, 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 is also principal guest conductor of the

Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra The Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) is an orchestra based in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1997 and operates under the auspices of the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra Association, a corporation limited by guarantee and Irish charity, The ...

References

External links

* http://colmanpearce.net 1938 births Alumni of University College Dublin Irish conductors (music) Living people Musicians from Dublin (city) RTÉ Performing Groups 21st-century conductors (music) Eurovision Song Contest conductors {{Ireland-bio-stub