Ann Cleare facts for kids

Ann Cleare, born in 1983 in County Offaly, is a talented Irish composer. She creates new and exciting music. Ann is also an assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin, where she teaches music. In 2019, she won a big award called the Ernst von Siemens Composers' Prize. She shared this special award with two other composers.

Her Musical Journey

Ann Cleare studied music at University College Cork. There, she earned a master's degree. She then continued her studies in Paris at a famous music research center called IRCAM. Later, she earned her PhD in composition from Harvard University. She learned from well-known composers like Chaya Czernowin.

On Magnetic Fields

One of Ann Cleare's interesting pieces is called on magnetic fields. She created it between 2011 and 2012. A music festival asked her to write this piece. It was first performed by a group called Collegium Novum Zürich. In this music, the performers are split into three groups. Two violin soloists act like "electric currents." They help guide how the musicians play together. Ann Cleare later made a version for two violins and a loudspeaker. She said the solo violins are like "wiry voices." They "charge" the music around them. This creates an "electric cloud" for the violins to play from.

Eöl

In 2015, the MATA Festival asked Ann Cleare to write a new piece. She wrote Eöl for small percussion instruments. These instruments are surrounded by a small group of other musicians. The percussion instruments are made of different metals. This helps them make many unique sounds. Ann Cleare explained that "eolian" means something moved by the wind. She said the accordion in the piece acts like a "porous" medium. It helps other instruments interact. The title also refers to Eöl, an elf from J. R. R. Tolkien's stories. This elf was skilled at weaving metals into magical armor. Ann Cleare said her music creates a similar "sonic weaving."

Special Concerts

On March 1, 2018, a group called the International Contemporary Ensemble held a special concert. This concert featured only Ann Cleare's music. It took place at Miller Theater in New York. They performed several of her works. These included teeth of light, tongue of waves and Dorchadas.

Awards and Recognitions

Ann Cleare has received many awards for her music.

• 2006: College Scholar from University College Cork. This was for her excellent academic studies.
• 2010: She was a finalist for the Gaudeamus Prize in Holland.
• 2012: She won the Derek C. Bok Excellence in Teaching Award from Harvard University.
• 2012: NPR, a radio station in New York, named her one of the top composers under 40.
• 2013: She received the Staubach Honorarium from the Darmstadt Music Courses in Germany.
• 2019: She won the Ernst von Siemens Composer Prize.
• 2019: She received an Honorary Doctorate from the National University of Ireland.

Concerts Featuring Her Music

• March 2018: Miller Theatre, Columbia University, with The International Contemporary Ensemble.
• October 2019: Musikfabrik, Cologne, Germany.
• November 2019: Riot Ensemble, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, UK. This concert was also broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Important Music Projects

• April 2015: She received a commission from the MATA Festival. She was one of only three composers chosen from over 950 applications.
• April 2020: Her work was chosen for the International Society for Contemporary Music festival in New Zealand.

Selected Musical Works

Ann Cleare has composed many different types of music.

Orchestra Music

• eyam v (woven) (2015–17)
• phôsphors (...of ether) (2012/13)
• Claustrophobia – Four Movements for String Orchestra (2005–2006)

Opera Music

• One Here Now: A Sonic Theatre (2017/18)
• rinn, a chamber opera (2014–16)

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments.

• teeth of light, tongue of waves (2017/18)
• fiáin (2017)
• eöl (2014/15)
• on magnetic fields (2011–2012)
• Dorchadas (2007)

Solo Instrumental Music

This music is written for just one instrument.

• where cobalt waves live for solo piano (2017)
• eyam i (it takes an ocean not to) for B♭ clarinet solo (2009–13)