Nigel Clarke (composer)
Nigel Clarke is a British composer and musician. He is a former head of composition and contemporary music at the London College of Music and Media.
Clarke began his career as a military bandsman, then studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music with composer Paul Patterson. 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 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 been Visiting Composer to Middle Tennessee State University Bands.
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. The Winnipeg Free Press described the piece as a throbbing, raucous work influenced by Japanese drumming.
In 2015 he collaborated with Danish writer Malene Sheppard Skærved on his first symphony for Speaker and Symphonic Wind Orchestra. Using music and words, ‘A Richer Dust’ explores what it means to live with violence and extremism, the constant companions of human history. The intertwined text and music, ideas and images, weave together voices ranging from those of historically significant figures through to the voiceless, ordinary people living in extraordinary times. "A Richer Dust" was commissioned by Dr Reed Thomas and the Middle Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble. It was premiered on 14 April 2015 by Dr Reed Thomas, H. Stephen Smith and the MTSU Wind Ensemble in the T. Earl Music Hall, Wright Music Building, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA. The European Premiere was given by the Regimental Band of the Irish Guards on 6 November in the Guards Chapel, London, under the baton of the composer with WO1 Andrew Porter as Speaker.
A number of Clarke's works have been recorded on the Naxos Record label, most recently with the Grimethorpe Colliery Band.
Early life
After failing the 11 plus, Clarke attended St. John's Secondary Modern School, Margate, UK. In 1979 he joined the Staff Band of the Royal Army Medical under the direction of Major Peter Parkes and attended the Royal Military School of Music the same year. In 1982 Clarke started his studies as a composition student at the Royal Academy of Music and also joined the Band of the Irish Guards which he served with until 1986.Discography
Samurai ; Loulan ; The Miraculous Violin ; Pernambuco ; Premonitions. Recorded 2007. Naxos 8.570429Dial H for Hitchcock; Swift Severn's Flood; Mysteries of the Horizon; Earthrise. Performed by The Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by Nigel Clarke, Sandy Smith & David Thornton Recorded. Cornet Soloist: Harmen Vanhoorne. Recorded in 2019/20 at the Foundry Recording Studio, Sheffield. Naxos 8.574097- Nigel Clarke Music for Strings - Parnassus; The Scarlet Flower; Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Humber, Thames, Dover Wight; Pulp & Rags; Epitaph for Edith Cavell. Performed by Longbow, Peter Sheppard Skaerved. Sebastien Rousseau & Melene Sheppard Skaerved. Recorded in 2014/15 in All Saints Church, Tooting, London SW17. Toccata Classics TOCC 0325Outrageous Fortune . Performed by Middle Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble conductor: Reed Thomas, Brett Baker, Natalie Grady. Recorded in 2016 in the Hinton Hall, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, USA. Toccata Classics TOCN 003Lindisfarne Stone - Peter Sheppard Skaerved / Tamami Honma. Echo & Narcissus - Janne Thomsen. Spectroscope - Neil Heyde. Solstice - Philip Mead. Pernambuco - Peter Sheppard Skaerved. Premonitions - James Watson. Chinese Puzzles - Janne Thomsen, Tamami Honma. Recorded in 1998 in the Conway Hall, London, UK. Metier MSV CD92024Earthrise; Heritage Suite; Their Finest Hour. Performed by Middle Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble conductor: Reed Thomas. Recorded in 2012 in the Wright Music Hall, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, USA. Naxos 8.573184Equiano for Clarinet Quintet. Performed by Linda Merrick and the Navarra Quartet. Recorded in 2008 at Lord Rhodes Room, Middle Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK. Naxos 9.570122Mysteries of the Horizon; A Richer Dust . Performed by Middle Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble conductor: Reed Thomas / Cornet Soloist: Harmen Vanhoorne.. Recorded in 2015 at the Wright Music Hall, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, USA. Toccata Classics TOCC 0412Solstice - Philip Mead. Graham Caskie. Recorded in 1993 in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, UK. Metier MSV CD92004When Worlds Collide; Swift Severn's Flood; The City in the Sea ; Tilbury Point; Mysteries of the Horizon. Performed by Brass Band Buizingen conducted by Luc Vertommen, Soloists: Harmen Vanhoorne & Glenn Van Looy, Speaker: Frank Renton with Poetry by Martin Westlake. Recorded in 2012/2013 in Belgium. Mirasound 88931-2
Accolades
- 1987: The Queen’s Commendation for Excellence The Royal Academy of Music highest distinction.
- 2006: Co-Nominee World Soundtrack Awards ‘Discovery Of The Year′ - The Thief Lord
- 2013: Winner British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors `British Composer Awards’ Mysteries of the Horizon
- 2016: Nominee British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors `British Composer Awards’ ''A Richer Dust''
Works by Nigel Clarke
;Chamber music- Echo & Narcissus – solo flute
- Spectroscope – solo cello
- Lindisfarne Stone – violin & Piano
- Flashpoint – solo viola
- Premonitions – solo trumpet
- Chinese Puzzles – flute & piano
- Pernambuco – solo violin
- On the Wings of the Wind – classical accordion
- The Hemlock Stone – solo clarinet
- The Devil and the Hemlock Stone – Clarinet and sound design
- Loulan – solo violin
- Equiano – clarinet quintet
- Where A Scarlet Flower Will Blossom – solo trumpet
- An Epitaph for Edith Cavell – solo violin
- The Exotic Dream of the Wonderful Monsieur Magritte - Trumpet & Sound Design
- Solstice – solo piano
- Parnassus
- Winter Music
- The Miraculous Violin – violin concerto
- Dogger Fisher German Bight Humber Thames Dover Wight –
- Pulp Rag –
- The Scarlet Flower – Concertino for Flugel Horn & Strings –
- Atlantic Toccata
- The City in the Sea - Euphonium Concerto –
- The Pendle Witches
- Mechanical Ballet
- Gwennan Gorn
- Breaking the Century
- Swift Severn's Flood
- Earthrise
- Tilbury Point –
- When Worlds Collide A Space Symphony
- Mysteries of the Horizon - Cornet Concerto –
- Forgotten Heroes – "March"
- Dial `H' for Hitchcock –
- Kia kaha – Euphonium Solo
- Wild Winds Coldly Blow – Tenor Horn Solo
- Samurai
- City in the Sea – Euphonium Concerto
- Breaking the Century
- Battles & Chants - clarinet concerto
- Mata Hari
- Tilbury Point
- King Solomon's Mines
- Gagarin
- Forgotten Heroes
- Black Fire – violin concerto
- Fanfares & Celebrations
- Fields of Remembrance
- Heritage Suite '
- Their Finest Hour
- Earthrise
- The Flavour of Tears "Trumpet & Band "
- Storm Surge
- Old World Overture
- A Richer Dust ' Text: Malene Sheppard Skaerved
- Mysteries of the Horizon - Trumpet/Cornet Concerto for Wind Orchestra –
- Outrageous Fortune - Trombone, Actor' & Wind Orchestra
- Christina's Memory Garden - Soprano, Trumpet, Storytellers & Symphonic Wind Orchestra Text: Malene Sheppard Skaerved
- Dial `H' for Hitchcock
- La Fleur en Papier Doré
- The Black Madonna & The Blue Forest
- Featuring Rhythm – treble & bass clef brass instruments
- Sketches from Don Quixote Trombone and piano
- Jinnah
- The Little Vampire
- The Little Polar Bear
- Rocket Post
- Baseline
- Will
- 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.