Anna Clyne

Anna Clyne (born 9 March 1980, in London) is an English composer resident in the USA.[1] She has worked in both acoustic music and electroacoustic music.[2][3]

Biography

Clyne began writing music as a child, completing her first composition at age 7. Her first composition to receive a public performance was at the Oxford Youth Prom when she was 11. She formally studied music at the University of Edinburgh, from which she graduated with a first-class Bachelor of Music degree with honours. She later studied at the Manhattan School of Music and earned a MA degree in music. Her teachers have included Marina Adamia, Marjan Mozetich and Julia Wolfe.[2][4]

Clyne was director of the New York Youth Symphony's "Making Score" program for young composers from 2008 to 2010. In October 2009, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) named Clyne and Mason Bates its co-composers in residence, as of the 2010–2011 season,[5] with an initial contract of 3 years. In January 2012, the CSO extended theirs contract as co-composers-in-residence through the 2013–2015 season.[6] Additional residencies for Clyne as composer-in-residence with various orchestras have included:

Clyne was appointed Associate Composer with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra from 2019–2022.[7]

Various arts institutions have commissioned and presented Clyne’s work, including the Barbican, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Los Angeles Philharmonic, MoMA, Philharmonie de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, San Francisco Ballet, and the Sydney Opera House.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In 2013, BBC Radio 3 commissioned Clyne to write the concert overture Masquerade for the Last Night of the Proms.[17][18] Clyne was nominated for the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for her double violin concerto, Prince of Clouds. Works for soloist and orchestra form an important part of her output, as is also evident from The Seamstress (2015), a single-movement violin concerto that incorporates a whispered recitation of the poem A Coat by Yeats,[18] and the five movement cello concerto Dance (2019), commissioned by Inbal Segev and recorded by her in 2020.

Clyne has done several cross-genre collaborations, and has also worked with Yo-Yo Ma, Pekka Kuusisto, Martin Fröst, and Jess Gillam.[19][20][21] Clyne has explored her interests in visual arts in several projects: five contemporary artworks inspired Abstractions (2016); Color Field (2020), takes inspiration from the artwork of Mark Rothko; and a film collaboration with Jyll Bradley, entitled Woman Holding a Balance (2021).[22][23][24] Several commercial albums of her music have been released.[25][26][27]

Clyne is married to the American sound engineer Jody Elff. The couple have collaborated on an electronic compositional tool, the Augmented Orchestra.[28] The couple reside in rural New York state.[29]

Compositions

Orchestra

  • <<rewind<< for orchestra (2005–2006)
  • Night Ferry for orchestra (2012)
  • Masquerade for orchestra (2013)
  • This Midnight Hour for orchestra (2015)
  • Abstractions for orchestra (2016)
  • RIFT for orchestra (2016)
  • Restless Oceans for orchestra (2018)
  • Color Field for orchestra (2020)
  • PIVOT for orchestra (2021)
  • This Moment for orchestra (2022)
  • Wild Geese for orchestra and live electronics (2023)

Chamber orchestra

  • Within Her Arms for string orchestra (2008–2009)
  • Rest These Hands for chamber orchestra (2014)
  • Sound and Fury for chamber orchestra (2019)
  • Fractured Time for sinfonietta (2020)
  • Shorthand for solo cello and string orchestra (2020)
  • Stride for string orchestra (2020)

Chamber music

  • Paint Box for amplified cello with guitar amp, music box and pre-recorded audio (2006)
  • Steelworks for flute, bass clarinet, percussion and tape (2006)
  • Beware Of for alto flute, harp, viola and tape (2007)
  • Next. Stop for ensemble and tape (2007)
  • Roulette for string quartet (2007)
  • 1987 for ensemble (2008)
  • The Violin – Complete works (7 short pieces for multi-tracked violins and optional video component by Josh Dorman) (2009)
  • The Violin – Blue Hour for string ensemble (2009)
  • The Violin – Lavender Rain for string ensemble (2009)
  • The Violin – October Rose for 2 violins (2009)
  • The Violin – Resting in the Green for 2 violins and tape or 5 violins (2009)
  • The Violin – Ship of Stars for 2 violins and tape or 6 violins (2009)
  • The Violin – Tea Leaves for 2 violins (with optional tape) (2009)
  • A Hymn to the Virgin (Companion piece to "Lady Flow'r") for string quintet and tape (1930 rev. 1934 arr. 2010)
  • Lady Flow'r (Companion piece to the arrangement of "Hymn to the Virgin") for string quintet and tape (2010)
  • Primula Vulgaris for string quartet (2010)
  • Shadow of the Words for string quartet (2010)
  • A Wonderful Day for amplified ensemble and pre-recorded audio (2013)
  • Just As They Are for amplified ensemble and pre-recorded audio (2015)
  • This lunar Beauty for soprano, mixed ensemble and pre-recorded audio (2015)
  • Breathing Statues for string quartet (2019)
  • Masquerade for wind ensemble (2019)
  • Shorthand for cello and string quintet (2020)
  • Overflow for wind ensemble (2020)
  • A Thousand Mornings for piano trio (2020)
  • Woman Holding a Balance for string quartet (2020)
  • Strange Loops for clarinet quintet (2021)
  • A Slash of Blue for chamber ensemble (2022)

Soloist and orchestra

  • Fits + Starts for amplified cello and tape (2003)
  • Choke for baritone saxophone (or bass clarinet) and tape (2004)
  • Rapture for clarinet and tape (2005)
  • On Track for piano and tape (2007)
  • Prince of Clouds for two violins and orchestra (2012)
  • Secret Garden for drum set and tape (2013)
  • Rest These Hands for violin and string orchestra (2014)
  • The Seamstress for violin and orchestra (2014–2015)
  • Three Sisters for mandolin and string orchestra (2017)
  • DANCE for cello and orchestra (2019)
  • Shorthand for cello and string orchestra (2020)
  • Glasslands for soprano saxophone and orchestra (2021)
  • Quarter Days for string quartet and orchestra (2021)
  • Time and Tides for violin and orchestra (2022)
  • Weathered for clarinet and orchestra (2022)
  • ATLAS for piano and orchestra (2023)

Solo and duet

  • Fits + Starts for amplified cello and tape (2003)
  • Choke for baritone saxophone (or bass clarinet) and tape (2004)
  • Rapture for clarinet and tape (2005)
  • On Track for piano and tape (2007)
  • Rest These Hands for violin (2009)
  • Rest These Hands for viola (2009)
  • Rest These Hands for cello (2009)
  • Secret Garden for drum set and tape (2013)
  • Snake & Ladder for soprano saxophone and live processing (2019)
  • Snake & Ladder for clarinet and live processing (2019)
  • Hopscotch for flute (2019)
  • Reveal for solo viola and optional pre-recorded track (2020)
  • Zero at the Bone for solo bass clarinet and tape (2021)
  • Perched for solo flute and tape (2021)
  • Red Nines for solo piano (2021)

Brass ensemble

Ensemble with voice

  • Blush for baritone, laptop and chamber ensemble (2007)
  • As Sudden Shut for 3 female voices and ensemble (2012)
  • The Lost Thought for 3 female voices and ensemble (2013)
  • Postponeless Creature for 3 female voices and ensemble (2014)
  • This Lunar Beauty for soprano, mixed ensemble and pre-recorded audio (2015)
  • Between the rooms for soprano and string quintet (2022)
  • The Gorgeous Nothings for amplified voices and orchestra (texts by Emily Dickinson, 2024)[30]

Choral works

  • Pocket Book VIII for 8 voices (2015)
  • Pocket Book LXV for 8 voices (2015)
  • Body Compass for children's chorus and string quintet (2017)
  • The Heart of Night for choir (2020)
  • In Thy Beauty for soprano, SATB chorus and orchestra (2021)
  • The Years for SATB chorus and orchestra (2021)

Discography

  • I Am Not (New Amsterdam, 2010)
  • The Exploding Piano (CD Baby, 2010)
  • ACO Playing it Unsafe (ACO, 2011)
  • Arcana VI by John Zorn (Tzadik, 2012)
  • Blue Moth (Tzadik, 2012)
  • Two × Four (Cedille, 2014)
  • BOAC Field Recordings (Cantaloupe, 2015)
  • The Violin (National Sawdust Tracks, 2017)
  • The World is (Y)ours (Arcantus, 2019)
  • E PLURIBUS UNUM (Navona, 2020)
  • Touch Harmonious (In A Circle, 2020)
  • DANCE (AVIE, 2020)
  • Mythologies (AVIE, 2020)
  • Mythologies on Vinyl (AVIE, 2020)
  • The Kreutzer Project (AVIE, 2022)

References

  1. ^ "Anna Clyne: Her Life and Music". Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim (17 April 2015). "Anna Clyne, a Composer Who Creates With Images". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  3. ^ "New Music Tuesday composer Anna Clyne string quartet Woman Holding A Balance A Short Film". The Violin Channel. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  4. ^ Anya Wassenberg (21 May 2024). "Composer Anna Clyne Talks About Music & The Canadian Premiere of Glasslands By NAC Orchestra". Ludwig Van. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  5. ^ Steve Smith (16 December 2009). "The New Faces Among the Older Guard". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  6. ^ "CSO Music Director Extends Terms of Mead Composers-in-Residence Mason Bates and Anna Clyne for Two Years" (PDF) (Press release). Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Composer Anna Clyne to Hold Residency with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra This Season". Broadway World. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Sesongens Komponist". Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  9. ^ Anderson, Colin (13 April 2022). "New Artistic Leadership Team for the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra". Colin's Column. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  10. ^ Maddocks, Fiona (14 May 2022). "Leipzig Gewandhaus Andris Nelsons Rudolf Buchbinder Strauss Project part Barbican London Review Scottish Chamber Orchestra SCO Andrew Manze Anna Clyne The Years City Halls Glasgow". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Beethoven and Clyne OSL Chamber Music Series 8pm". Carnegie Hall. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  12. ^ "National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute Free Concert Series". Live Music Project. 24 July 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  13. ^ "LA Phil Walt Disney Concert Hall 2022 2023". Classical California KUSC. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Anna Clyne Orchestre National dile de France 2". Diaphonique. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  15. ^ "The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2022–23". Concertgebouworkest. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  16. ^ "SF Ballet Announces Details Of Next90 A New Works Festival Featuring Nine World Premieres 2022". Broadwayworld. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Prom 75: Last Night of the Proms". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  18. ^ a b AVIE AV2434
  19. ^ "An Interview with Anna Clyne". Scottish Chamber Orchestra. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Anna Clyne Weathered concerto for clarinetist Martin Frost". Boosey and Hawkes. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Pekka Kuusisto and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra premiere works by Anna Clyne". Seen and Hear International. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Anna Clyne Abstractions". Boosey & Hawkes. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Anna Clyne Color Field". Boosey & Hawkes. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Catalogue". Boosey & Hawkes. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  25. ^ Andrew Clements (15 March 2012). "Anna Clyne: Blue Moth – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  26. ^ Richard Whitehouse (5 March 2021). "Contemporary Composer: Anna Clyne". Gramophone. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  27. ^ Andrew Clements (18 June 2020). "Clyne: Dance; Elgar Cello Concerto review – calm, motoric energy and gorgeous fusions". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  28. ^ Michael Zwiebach (9 August 2023). "Anna Clyne Brings Electronics and the Orchestra Into Close Harmony". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  29. ^ Amber Mundinger-Glaeser (Summer 2021). "Meet the Neighbors – Anna Clyne & Jody Elff". The Gardiner Gazette. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  30. ^ Erica Jeal (31 July 2024). "Prom 15: The Swingles/BBCPhil/Collon review – a bicycle wheel, birds and beatboxing". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2024.