BIOGRAPHY

Jennifer O'Connor is a composer and teacher of theory of music to university entrance level.   She was born in Mudgee, NSW, Australia. Her early musical training was undertaken at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where she was awarded an AMusA (Performance) by the Conservatorium.   She moved to Western Australia on marrying, and there completed BMus in performance and MMus in composition at the University of Western Australia (UWA), with the Masters being conducted under the supervision of renowned Australian composer Roger Smalley, based on five compositions and a research thesis: An Analysis of  “Black Snow”, an Orchestral Work by Michael Smetanin. During her undergraduate degree, Jennifer undertook informal studies in composition at the University of California (Berkeley) with prominent American composer Andrew Imbrie (1921 – 2002).    

In Perth, Jennifer taught piano and music theory at private secondary schools before serving for nine years as Head of Music, Mercedes College in Perth.  She is a member of the Musicological Society of Australia, a member of the Fellowship of Australian Composers and an Associate Member of the Australian Music Centre through which some of her compositions are available.