Nigel Clarke

Nigel Clarke (born 1960) is a British composer and musician. He is a former head of composition and contemporary music at the London College of Music and Media.[1]

Clarke began his career as a military bandsman, then studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music with composer Paul Patterson.[2] While at the Royal Academy, he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Excellence. He was previously Young Composer in Residence at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Composition and Contemporary Music Tutor at the Royal Academy of Music, London, Head of Composition at the London College of Music and Media, a visiting tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music and Associate Composer to the world famous Black Dyke Mills Band , Associate Composer to the Band of the Grenadier Guards, Composer-in-Residence to the Marinierskapel der Koninklijke Marine (Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy) and Associate Composer to Brass Band Buizingen in Belgium. He has also been guest professor at the Xinjiang Arts Institute in China and Associate Composer to the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall. More recently he has become Visiting Composer to Middle Tennessee State University Bands and International Composer in Association to the world famous Grimethorpe Collery Band in the UK.

In 1997, Clarke visited the United States as part of the country's International Visitor Leadership Program, and the President's Own Marine Band performed one of his pieces, "Samurai", conducted by Colonel Timothy Foley.[2] The Winnipeg Fress Press described the piece as a throbbing, raucous work influenced by Japanese drumming.[3] In 2008 the award of Doctor of Musical Arts was conferred upon him by Salford University. Clarke was co-nominated in 2006 World Soundtrack Awards in the `Discovery of the Year' category. Clarke is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Works by Nigel Clarke

Chamber music
  • Echo & Narcissus – solo flute (1985)
  • Spectroscope – solo cello (1987)
  • Lindisfarne Stone – violin & Piano (1989)
  • Flashpoint – solo viola (1990)
  • Premonitions – solo trumpet (1990)
  • Chinese Puzzles – flute & piano (1992)
  • Pernambuco – solo violin (1993)
  • On the Wings of the Wind – classical accordion (1993)
  • The Hemlock Stone – solo clarinet (1997)
  • The Devil and the Hemlock Stone – Clarinet and sound design (1999)
  • Loulan – solo violin (2002)
  • Equiano – clarinet quintet (2008)
  • Where A Scarlet Flower Will Blossom – solo trumpet (2014)
  • An Epitaph for Edith Cavell – solo violin (2014)


Keyboard
  • Solstice – solo piano (1991)
String orchestra
  • Parnassus (1986)
  • Winter Music (1991)
  • The Miraculous Violin – violin concerto (2000)
  • Dogger Fisher German Bight Humber Thames Dover Wight – (2013)
  • Pulp Rag – (2014)
  • The Scarlet Flower – Concertino for Flugel Horn & Strings – (2014)


Brass band
  • Atlantic Toccata (1993)
  • The City in the Sea - Euphonium Concerto – (1994)
  • The Pendle Witches (1996)
  • Mechanical Ballet (1997)
  • Gwennan Gorn (1997)
  • Breaking the Century (1999)
  • Swift Severn's Flood (2009)
  • Earthrise (2010)
  • Tilbury Point – [transcription by Nigel Clarke] (2010)
  • When Worlds Collide A Space Symphony (2012)
  • Mysteries of the Horizon - Cornet Concerto – (2012)
  • Forgotten Heroes – "March" [transcription by Luc Vertommen] (2013)


Symphonic Wind Orchestra/Concert Band
  • Samurai (1995)
  • City in the Sea – Euphonium Concerto [transcription] (1997)
  • Breaking the Century [transcription] (1999)
  • Battles & Chants - clarinet concerto (2001)
  • Mata Hari (2002)
  • Tilbury Point (2003)
  • King Solomon's Mines (2003)
  • Gagarin (2004)
  • Forgotten Heroes (2005)
  • Black Fire – violin concerto (2006)
  • Fanfares & Celebrations (2007)
  • Fields of Remembrance (2008)
  • Heritage Suite (What Hope Saw) (2009)
  • Their Finest Hour (2010)
  • Earthrise [transcription by Nigel Clarke] (2012)
  • The Flavour of Tears "Trumpet & Band (2nd movement of 'Mysteries of the Horizon')" [transcription by Nigel Clarke] (2013)
  • Storm Surge (2013)
  • Old World Overture (2014)
  • A Richer Dust (Symphony No.1 for Speaker & Wind Orchestra) (2014/2015)
  • Mysteries of the Horizon - Trumpet/Cornet Concerto – [transcription by Nigel Clarke] (2015)


Educational
  • Featuring Rhythm – treble & bass clef brass instruments (1989)
  • Sketches from Don Quixote Trombone (or tuba) and piano (1992)


Original Motion Picture Scores (Co-written with Michael Csanyi Wills)

  • Jinnah (1998)
  • The Little Vampire (2000)
  • The Little Polar Bear (2001)
  • Rocket Post (2004)
  • Baseline (2010)
  • Will (2014)
Book contributions
  • Verlag, Linda Merrick. "Collaboration between Composers and Performers"
  • Miles, Tim and Westcombe, John. Music & Dyslexia: Opening News Doors.
  • Miles, Tim; Ditchfield, Diane; and Westcombe, John.Music & Dyslexia: A Positive Approach.

References

  1. ↑ Bone, Lloyd E.; Paull, Eric R.; Morris, Winston. Guide to the Euphonium Repertoire. Indiana University Press, 2007, p. 452.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clarke, Nigel. Biography, Nigel-clarke.co.uk, accessed 5 April 2010.
  3. ↑ Nemerofsky, Gwenda. Unexpected percussion discussion bang on, Winnipeg Free Press, 2 May 2009.

External links