Maris and Bryce O’Tierney share more than just DNA. These identical twins from Anchorage, Alaska are both juniors in Bienen with a penchant for music.
With her voice and talents on the piano and guitar, Maris has a broad musical repertoire. Bryce focuses her energy on the violin, which she took up at age six.
“Our mom says we sang before we talked,” Bryce says, laughing. "But maybe it’s a myth.”
All myths aside, the sisters displayed talent at a very young age. “Bryce and I would just sit ... and sing to each other as toddlers,” Maris recounts.
As they tell stories of playing their instruments outside during the summers in their hometown, it’s clear that music represents something central to their beings. “Growing up with nature, you learn how to share space in a different way, and that ties into music as well,” Maris says. They say the northern state was probably the most fitting home for them, as the majestic scenery “was humbling ... and really inspiring.”
They encourage each other to tell stories of their childhood and their many musical duets. “There’s something more empowering in collaborating with another person,” Maris explains. “And, you know, challenging. And that’s how music evolves—in that sharing space.”
The two have previously collaborated at A&O’s Philfest, the Irish American Heritage Center and the Underground Wonder Bar in Chicago. “I like to think of music as this very patient sort of space that you can be in together,” says Bryce, who’s studying poetry in NU's Creative Writing Program.
While most of us are still trying to figure out what we’re doing with our lives, Maris has already released three studio albums—with lots of help from Bryce, who’s al- ways in the studio with Maris when she’s recording. Bryce is also credited as a co-writer on the album, for which she employed her poetic talents (she is the poetry editor of Northwestern's PROMPT magazine).
As for future ambitions, both agreed that being close to each other and pursuing their interest in music is non-negotiable. The ultimate dream is to form a band together. “You don’t have to be alone as a musician,” Bryce says. “There’s so much joy in playing with other people.”
In the immediate future, Bryce says she hopes to go to Ireland on a grant for the summer and learn more about her Irish heritage. Looking further down the road, she’s open to a lot of different life paths, including possibly going to graduate school for violin performance in Holland or pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in poetry. Maris, meanwhile, is more interested in pursuing interests in political science and art history—although she wants to work on “a live musical collaboration in a gallery space for visual artists.”
The sisters agree that regardless of what the future holds, music will continue to play an important role in their lives.
“Music is something we do," Maris says. "I can’t imagine myself not doing it.”