Rhona Clarke facts for kids

Rhona Clarke (born January 21, 1958) is a talented Irish composer and teacher. She creates many different kinds of music, including pieces for orchestras, choirs, and smaller groups of instruments. She also explores electronic music, using technology to make unique sounds.

About Rhona Clarke

Rhona Clarke grew up in Dublin, Ireland, in a family that loved music. She started singing in a women's choir when she was 14. She was also a very good piano student at the College of Music in Dublin.

She studied music at University College Dublin and later taught in schools around Dublin. In 1985, she went to a special summer school. There, she learned about the music of famous composers like Luciano Berio and Witold Lutoslawski. Their music really inspired her.

Some of Rhona's early works won awards. Her "Six Short Piano Pieces" won a prize in 1982. Her choir piece, "Suantraí Ghráinne," won the Seán Ó Riada Memorial Trophy in 1984. For her piece "Sisyphus" (1985), she received the Varming Prize. This award is given only every four years to a young Irish composer.

In 1991, Rhona wrote her first piece for a full orchestra. She earned her Ph.D. (a high-level university degree) from Queen's University Belfast in 1992. Today, she teaches music at St. Patrick's College, which is part of Dublin City University.

Her Music and Collaborations

Many groups and organizations have asked Rhona Clarke to write music for them. These include RTÉ (Ireland's national broadcaster) and the National Concert Hall. Her music has been played and broadcast all over Ireland and in other countries too.

In 2014, RTÉ featured her as a special composer in their Horizon Series. For this event, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra asked her to write an orchestral piece called "SHIFT."

Since 2009, Rhona has also worked with visual artist Marie Hanlon. They create short experimental films with music and live music with visual projections. They also have joint art exhibitions. One example was their "DIC TAT" exhibition in Dublin in 2014.

Rhona Clarke is a member of Aosdána. This is a special group in Ireland that supports creative artists.

Rhona Clarke's Musical Style

Rhona Clarke writes many types of music. These include pieces for choirs, small groups of instruments (chamber music), full orchestras, and electronic music.

Her early choir piece, "Suantraí Ghráinne," was calm and beautiful. It made people curious when it was first performed in 1984. Early chamber works like "Sisyphus" and "Purple Dust" often use a few notes spread out widely. Sometimes, parts of her music allow performers to choose some notes themselves (called aleatoric music). Other parts are written very strictly.

In "Gloria Deo" (1988), she mixed old musical styles from the Renaissance period with more modern, free-sounding music.

Since the early 1990s, Rhona has been exploring electronic music. This is music made using technology. In 1992, she won an award for her electronic music for a film called "Whaling Afloat and Ashore."

Her orchestral piece "SHIFT" (2013) shows her interest in electronic sounds. In this piece, she uses special playing techniques for instruments. For example, strings might make harmonic sounds, and percussion instruments might be bowed. The music changes slowly and intensely at first, then becomes sudden and harsh later on.

Selected Works

Recordings

You can listen to Rhona Clarke's music on many recordings (CDs or digital albums). Here are some of them:

• The Old Men Admiring Themselves in the Water and Autobiography, from Five Songs (1998), performed by Judith Mok (soprano) and Dearbhla Collins (piano), on: Hugh Lane November Series 1998, Association of Irish Composers AIC 001 (promotional CD, 1999).
• The Old Men Admiring Themselves in the Water, from Five Songs (1998), performed by Judith Mok (soprano) and Dearbhla Collins (piano), on: Contemporary Music from Ireland Vol. 3, Contemporary Music Centre CMC CD03 (CD, 2001).
• Reflection on the Sixth Station of the Cross (2001), performed by members of the Tiroler Ensemble für Neue Musik, on: Contemporary Music from Ireland Vol. 6, Contemporary Music Centre CMC CD06 (CD, 2006).
• Tread Softly (2005), performed by Maria McGarry (piano), on: Hiccup: RTÉ Lyric fm Commissions 2002–2008, RTÉ lyric fm CD123 (CD, 2009).
• Four Pieces for Solo Flute (2006), performed by William Dowdall, on: Breathe: New Notes for Flute from Ireland and New Zealand 1978-2010, Atoll Records acd 111 (CD, 2010). Available from Contemporary Music Centre, Dublin.
• Piano Trio No. 2, performed by Fidelio Trio, on: Dancing in Daylight: Contemporary Piano Trios from Ireland, Metier MSV 28556 (CD, 2015).
• smiling like that ..., performed by Aylish Kerrigan (mezzo) with tape, on: Métier MSV 28558 (CD, 2016).
• Purple Dust, performed by Concorde, on: RTÉ lyric fm CD 153 (CD, 2016).
• Piano Trio No. 3; Gleann dá loch; Piano Trio. No. 2; Con coro; Piano Trio No. 4 (A Different Game); In umbra, performed by Fidelio Trio, on: Métier MSV 28561 (CD, 2016).
• Sempertinam: Choral Music by Rhona Clarke, performed by State Choir Latvija, Māris Sirmais (cond.), on Métier MSV 28614 (CD, 2022). Contains: A Song for St Cecilia's Day; Rorate caeli; Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep; Two Marian Anthems; The Kiss; Three Carols on Medieval Texts; The Old Woman; Ave atque vale; O vis aeternitatis; Requiem.