Hannah A Barnes is a Montréal-based composer, conductor, and performer. Her compositional interests include perception of time, volatile and interlocking structures, extremes of characteristics, and crafting unique sound worlds for performers and listeners alike to inhabit, among others. She completed a Master’s degree with distinction in composition at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois (MM ’21, BM ’19) with additional studies in conducting. Creative collaboration is central to her artistic practice. She has worked closely with soloists including oboist Kyle Bruckmann, guitarist Jesse Langen, hornist Tarre Nelson, bassist Nate Beaver, percussionist Alexander Garde, and pianist Ian Pace to develop new works. She has conducted her own work and premieres of works by other composers with Ensemble Dal Niente in the DePaul and Dal Niente Summer Residency for New Music. She has participated in summer festivals including the DePaul and Dal Niente Summer Residency for New Music, the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice (SICPP), SPLICE Institute, the Darmstadt Summer Courses, and the Yarn/Wire Institute. Hannah’s music has been presented at venues including the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York City, Eastman School of Music, City University London, and catacombs in Chicago. Her electric guitar piece, "Negative Capability," was presented in a two-player re-reading (as "Negative Capability II") at the 2022 Omaha Under the Radar Festival in Omaha, Nebraska in collaboration with Jesse Langen. She was a recipient of an Honourable Mention in the 2021 Morton Gould Young Composer's Award competition for her work “five images.” Hannah is also the director of the rhythm is image new music initiative, in which she performs and conducts, with an emphasis on experimental performance practices. In fall 2023, Hannah began her doctoral studies at McGill University in Montréal, Québec, where she also teaches as lecturer.
