Grace O’Duffy is an Irish-American composer and choral music educator, studying at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. O’Duffy entered the world of composition through a mentorship program with the Dublin Youth Choir during the pandemic lockdown. In 2021, she won the Irish National Feis Ceoil Choral Composition Competition, and worked with Chamber Choir Ireland on two choral pieces, including “Little Alleluia,” now published by Hal Leonard. She has since collaborated with a variety of ensembles on commission works across Tennessee, Michigan, Connecticut, and more. Her newest work, “Song of Tomorrow,” commissioned for the 20th Anniversary of the Belfast Philharmonic Youth Choir, will be performed by the Belfast Philharmonic Youth Choirs, Dublin Youth Choirs, and Belfast Philharmonic Orchestra in May.

In addition to being a full time student, O’Duffy teaches choir and piano at the W.O. Smith Music School, a non-profit after-school music program in Nashville. She is due to graduate from the Vanderbilt Peabody College with a master’s in choral music education in 2027.