Musical Work
Wilson was a largely self-taught composer. He experimented with many musical styles but did not particularly adhere to any of them. He had an interest in some less typical instruments, and wrote substantial works for the free-bass accordion, the cor anglais, and an electrically modified flute.
Wilson's creative output was large and varied: seven operas, three symphonies, twelve concertos, several ballets, about two hundred songs, and a large number of other choral and instrumental works. His works have been performed and broadcast throughout Ireland, the UK, and Scandinavia.
Wilson was professor of composition at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. For many years he was also the course director of the annual Ennis/IMRO Composition Summer School. Wilson was a founder-member of Aosdána, an association of people in Ireland who have achieved distinction in the arts.
In 1999 Wilson became an Irish citizen. He died just six years later in Dublin, on 6 August 2005. He was working on an eighth opera at the time of his death.
Read more about this topic: James Wilson (composer)
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