Rich O’Meara (born 1957) is a marimbist, percussionist, composer, and improviser based in Bethel, Connecticut. His compositions for marimba have been performed and recorded internationally. He presented a master class and concert of his works at the Eighth International Festival of Percussion in Argentina.
As a founding member of Silent Orchestra, O’Meara collaborates with Carlos Garza to create and perform new scores for classic silent films. The duo appeared at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2001; its scores for Nosferatu and Salome have been released on DVD, and the album Poe: A Dream Within a Dream was released in 2021.
O’Meara’s works include Wooden Music for two marimbas—his first published composition—Restless for solo marimba, Tsubaki Dance for marimba and drum set, and HANDS for percussion quintet. Commissioned by Søren Monrad, HANDS was premiered by Odense Percussion in Denmark in 2021 and published by Edition Svitzer in 2022. His solo album Red Chard features music for solo marimba, chamber percussion, electronics, and improvisation.