Michael Chang is a Chinese-American composer, musician, and performer based in Galway. Classically trained from a young age, he moved from Seattle to Ireland in 1998, and immersed himself in Galway’s vibrant traditional Irish music scene, where he now hosts several trad sessions per week, and has performed on over 35 Irish albums to date.
In 2009, he began collaborating with Branar Téatar do Pháistí, where he has worked as a composer, musical director, and performer on ten productions. He composed the score for Branar’s Sruth na Teanga, an immersive theatre experience about the evolution of the Irish language. This show was part of the Galway 2020 European City of Culture programme, and was remounted at the Galway International Arts Festival in 2021. He also co-wrote and performed their show Rockin’ Rhymes, and produced two albums of the recorded songs. In 2002, he composed the soundtrack for You’ll See, a retelling of James Joyce’s Ullyses to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the book’s publication. You’ll See will be featured this summer as part of the official programme in the 2023 Galway International Arts Festival. Most recently, Michael was musical director and composer of Branar’s newest production about the Irish Civil War, The Table, which opened in February 2023. After a successful week in Galway’s Town Hall Theatre, The Table had a three-week run on the Abbey Theatre’s Peacock Stage in Dublin.
Michael was the Musical Director of Galway Community Circus’ spectacle event, LifeLine, which took place in July 2022 as part of the Galway International Arts Festival. This celebration of circus arts saw over 150 funambulists perform on high wires over the River Corrib and Claddagh Basin, and an audience of over 20,000 spectators attended the event and heard the world premiere of Michael’s composition commissioned especially for this spectacle.
Michael has also spent the past several years collaborating with Creative Sensory Educator Phillida Eves, devising and performing shows specifically to empower and engage neurodiverse children. Development for their most recent show, Hear Our Voice, included collaborations with Tim Webb (artistic director of Oily Cart), members of the Rijeka Puppet Theatre, and The Abbey Theatre’s 5x5 initiative. Hear Our Voice was featured in Baboró International Arts Festival for Children for the past two years, and continues to tour schools for children with additional needs throughout Ireland. Michael is currently developing new work for neurodiverse children with Phillida and the creative team at Rosán Sensory Adventures in The Wonder Project, funded by the Late Late Toy Show Fund.
Michael is a recipient of Galway International Arts Festival’s inaugural ELEVATE bursary, and is currently developing his own production Cuimhne Uisce, an immersive and interactive video-mapping show featuring his original compositions performed by an ensemble of live musicians.
