JODIE O’REGAN
There is a pilgrim’s restlessness in me
sometimes roaring like a rain-heavy waterfall
sometimes silent like the secret shroud of a morning mist
that has kept me seeking, unsettled.
That has steered me outside
away from dusty brown days
in conservatorium and concert hall.
Outside to wild nights
of wine and music and campfires
pulling from the stars
the ancient modes of prayer and folksong.
Spun on breath and thrown back into the night
with a defiant reckless intensity
beyond fear or logic.
This is the music I have sought.
The music of who we are.
From the earth, from the sky,
and deep dark bodies of water.
The rhythm and songs of our days.
of lovemaking, rocking babies and washing sheets,
of heartbreak, kneading bread and crying in the night,
of fire and stars and Jupiter.
And everything else.
FULL BIO
Jodie O’Regan is an Australian vocal composer and librettist who lives and writes in a 150-year-old church in Burra, a small country town on the edge of the South Australian desert. Her work is performed in Australia and around the world.
Her instincts have been honed over a lifetime of working with singers. Initially training and performing as a contralto, she left an opera degree to pursue children’s theatre, sing in a punk/opera fusion band, and perform as an acoustic singer/songwriter. Drawn to singing with others, she began directing and composing for vocal ensembles, and with her husband, baritone Emlyn O’Regan, arranged and performed Celtic and roots folk songs for two voices.
In recent years Jodie has worked with a number of singers to develop bespoke art songs, cycles, chamber operas and sacred works; created scores for theatre companies and children’s opera; and undertaken a number of residencies. As a librettist, she has written for both choral and solo works.
O’Regan’s extensive pedagogical work includes teaching community choirs and adult beginners. Her expertise in adapting Kodály literacy techniques for community choirs was recognised with an Australian Kodály Scholarship. Her music-in-community practice includes the Lullaby Project Australia, where she was named Artist of the Year in 2023.
Since moving to Burra in 2022, she has established her home and studio in the former Redruth Methodist church, produced the Farty Bard Festival, regional Lullaby Projects, and curated a program of house concerts with visiting artists.
She is currently developing Leviathan, a major multi-movement, multi-media work inspired by South Australia’s whaling history, supported by Chamber Music Adelaide, CreateSA, the SA Museum, and leading singers and ensembles.
O’Regan holds qualifications in Anthropology, Professional Communication, and Music. She has published books on singing, a poetry chapbook, and recently completed her first play.
SHORT BIO
Jodie O’Regan is a librettist and composer who lives and writes in a 150 year old church on the edge of the South Australian desert. She creates intricate chamber works that center singers as storytellers.
Drawing on a lifetime of singing and working with singers, Jodie advocates for composition practices that caretake the well-being of singers and their voices.
Jodie has composed art songs, song cycles, chamber operas, oratorio and other sacred work, choral work and published a range of pedagogical material. She works as a teaching-artist through Australia's award winning music in community program Lullaby Project Australia.