Anna Clyne facts for kids

Anna Clyne (born 9 March 1980, in London) is an English composer who lives in the USA. She writes many different kinds of music, including both acoustic music (played on traditional instruments) and electroacoustic music (which uses electronic sounds).

About Anna Clyne

Anna Clyne started writing music when she was very young, finishing her first song at age 7. When she was 11, one of her pieces was played in public for the first time at the Oxford Youth Prom. She studied music formally at the University of Edinburgh and later at the Manhattan School of Music. Her teachers included Marina Adamia, Marjan Mozetich, and Julia Wolfe.

From 2008 to 2010, Anna Clyne helped young composers through the New York Youth Symphony's "Making Score" program. In 2009, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) chose her and Mason Bates to be their composers-in-residence. This means they worked closely with the orchestra to create new music. Their time with the CSO was extended until the 2013–2015 season.

Anna Clyne has also been a composer-in-residence with many other orchestras around the world. These include:

• Orchestre national d'Île-de-France (2014–2016)
• Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (2015–2016)
• Berkeley Symphony Orchestra (2017–2019)
• Philharmonia Orchestra (2022–2023)
• Trondheim Symphony Orchestra (2022–2023)
• Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (2023–2024)

From 2019 to 2022, she was also an Associate Composer with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Many famous places and groups have asked Anna Clyne to write music for them. These include the Barbican Centre, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Sydney Opera House. In 2013, BBC Radio 3 asked her to write a special piece called Masquerade for the Last Night of the Proms, a very famous concert.

In 2015, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for her piece Prince of Clouds, which is a concerto for two violins. She often writes concertos, which are pieces for a solo instrument and an orchestra. Other important concertos she has written include The Seamstress (2015) for violin, and Dance (2019) for cello. The Seamstress even includes a whispered poem by Yeats.

Anna Clyne enjoys working with different types of art. She has collaborated with famous musicians like Yo-Yo Ma and Pekka Kuusisto. She also gets ideas from visual art. For example, her piece Abstractions (2016) was inspired by five artworks. Color Field (2020) was inspired by the paintings of Mark Rothko. She also made a film with Jyll Bradley called Woman Holding a Balance (2021).

Anna Clyne is married to Jody Elff, who is a sound engineer. They have worked together on a special electronic music tool called The Augmented Orchestra. They live in rural New York state.

Anna Clyne's Music

Anna Clyne writes music for many different groups of instruments. Here are some of the main types of compositions she has created:

Orchestra Music

She has written many pieces for a full orchestra. These are large-scale works that use all the instruments of an orchestra. Some of her orchestral pieces include:

• <<rewind<< (2005–2006)
• Night Ferry (2012)
• Masquerade (2013)
• Color Field (2020)

Chamber Orchestra Music

These pieces are for a smaller group of orchestral instruments, often a string orchestra or a sinfonietta.

• Within Her Arms for string orchestra (2008–2009)
• Shorthand for solo cello and string orchestra (2020)

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments, usually one player per part. Anna Clyne has written many pieces for different combinations of instruments.

• Roulette for string quartet (2007)
• The Violin (a series of short pieces for violins, 2009)
• Woman Holding a Balance for string quartet (2020)

Soloist and Orchestra Music

These are concertos or similar pieces where one main instrument plays along with an orchestra.

• Prince of Clouds for two violins and orchestra (2012)
• The Seamstress for violin and orchestra (2014–2015)
• DANCE for cello and orchestra (2019)

Solo and Duet Music

These pieces are for one or two instruments.

• Rapture for clarinet and tape (2005)
• Hopscotch for flute (2019)

Music with Voices

Anna Clyne has also written music that includes singers, either with instruments or for choirs.

• This Lunar Beauty for soprano, mixed ensemble and pre-recorded audio (2015)
• The Gorgeous Nothings for amplified voices and orchestra (2024)

Choral Works

These are pieces written specifically for a choir to sing.

• Body Compass for children's chorus and string quintet (2017)
• The Heart of Night for choir (2020)

Discography

Anna Clyne's music has been released on many albums. Some of these include:

• I Am Not (2010)
• Two × Four (2014)
• The Violin (2017)
• DANCE (2020)
• Mythologies (2020)

See Also

• List of composers by nationality