The Ivor Novello award-winning Grammy-nominated British composer, resident here in the Hudson Valley, whose cello concerto of 2019 Dance, inspired by Rumi, swept her on to the playlists of radio stations around the world.
But there is so much more to her than that. Born in London 1980, she began composing as a child, making her debut age 11 at the Oxford Youth Prom. Studied at the University of Edinburgh, and then a big jump to the Manhattan School of Music and her first residency, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra extended from two years to five. And then it was that orchestras began queuing to sign her up – major orchestras like the Baltimore Symphony and Helsinki and BBC Phils. She’s been in continuous employment ever since.
And has been getting important commissions and performances since, coming from places like the Barbican and Concertgebouw and the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall. Her Grammy nomination comes from her double violin concerto, Prince of Clouds, and she was only 33 when she was commissioned for the Last Night of the Proms.
Now, here in New York, she collaborates with everybody who presents themselves from Jess Gillam to Yo Yo Ma, and has been working increasingly with her sound engineer husband, the Grammy-winning Jody Elff, to create the Augmented Orchestra. And she’s the curator of this series – it’s her Pivot that you hear at the start of these programs. (Listen for the full interview)
“I often turn to Buddhist philosophy in moments of questioning and Thich Nhat Hanh at Bluecliff Monastery has a beautiful little quote: “This moment is full of wonders”. It’s a great reminder to be present in life – always a really beautiful clear source of inspiration. And a day-to-day mantra is to work hard, as Thomas Edison had it, that’s it’s 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. It takes a lot of hard work to be a composer and to be an artist of any kind, really, but I wouldn’t do anything else”
Anna Clyne (1980 – )
MUSIC: Restless Oceans (2019)
Baltimore Symphony / Marin Alsop
With thanks to Anna Clyne, and Jody Elff for the voice recording
Presented by Anna Clyne
Written and produced by Charlotte Wilson for WMHT
