Barry O’Halpin is a composer and electric guitarist based in Dublin, and a member of Crash Ensemble and experimental rock trio Alarmist. His versatile creative practice spans through composition, performance and arrangement, in the overlap of contemporary classical, experimental rock, electronic and improvised genres.

“It wasn’t just tuning that went beyond “confines”. O’Halpin deploys the sonic possibilities of the electric guitar in ways that are pretty much alien to those of its familiar role in rock music.”  Michael Dungan, The Irish Times

From 2016-2021 he undertook a PhD in Music Composition at QUB with Dr Simon Mawhinney, during which he was also Composer-in-Residence with Crash Ensemble and Artist-in-Residence at Parity Studios UCD. His large-scale work Wingform, written for Crash Ensemble with Barry as electric guitar soloist, emerged from this period, commissioned with funds from the Arts Council of Ireland, with premieres at New Music Dublin 2021 (streaming) and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2022 (live audience). 

As a member of Crash, he has performed a wide range of contemporary repertoire by living composers as well as his own compositions. Highlights include world premieres of Donnacha Dennehy (The First Child opera), Ann Cleare (Terrarium for ensemble) and Bekah Simms (Cryptid for ensemble); the Irish premiere of Fausto Romitelli's Professor Bad Trip; festival performances at New Music Dublin, Kilkenny Arts, Sounds From a Safe Harbour (Ireland), Music Nova & Tampere Biennale (Finland) and GAIDA (Lithuania).

Solo performance highlights have included Other Voices Music Trail and the Kilkenny Secret Garden Music Series at Rothe House. He has performed in Irish National Opera productions of works Emma O'Halloran and Amanda Feery, and has been Guitar Fellow with Bang On A Can at Villa Musica, (Germany, 2016) and the Summer Music Festival (USA, 2017). As a member of experimental rock trio Alarmist, he released four records from 2011-2020 to critical acclaim and toured internationally.

He is a current participant in the Irish National Symphony Orchestra's Composer Lab project, writing a new score for premiere in 2025.  He is currently collaborating on new music with singer Michelle O'Rourke, a co-commission by Kaleidoscope Night for premiere in late 2024. He is a current recipient of an Arts Council Bursary toward the development of creative practice.

Other recent Arts Council-supported composition projects include: Chambergrist (30', percussion and guitar) developed in collaboration with percussionist Alex Petcu-Colan and  ceramic artist Elaine Harrington  and premiered at Cavan Arts Festival 2023; Heaving Moss (15', bass clarinet, electronics & percussion) commissioned and toured by Petcu and Deirdre O'Leary's duo Wildwood.

In July 2024 he created expansive new arrangements of singer-songwriter Rachael Lavelle's album Big Dreams for a special collaborative performance with Crash Ensemble at MusicTown festival 2024, The National Concert Hall. Similar arrangement collaborations have also included Diamanda Dramm (New Music Dublin, Kilkenny Arts Festival) and Adrian Crowley (Treaty Songs centenary event, NCH).