Nigel Clarke is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and musician

Musician

A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

. 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

Royal Academy of Music

The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...

 with composer Paul Patterson

Paul Patterson

Paul Patterson is a British composer and Manson Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music.Patterson studied trombone and composition at the Royal Academy of Music. He returned there to become Head of Composition and Contemporary Music until 1997, when he became Manson Professor of...

. While at the Royal Academy, he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Excellence. Nigel 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

Royal Northern College of Music

The Royal Northern College of Music is a music school in Manchester, England. It is located on Oxford Road in Chorlton on Medlock, at the western edge of the campus of the University of Manchester and is one of four conservatories associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music...

 and Associate Composer to the world famous Black Dyke Mills Band and Associate Composer to the Band of the Grenadier Guards. He has also been guest professor at the Xinjiang Arts Institute

Xinjiang Arts Institute

Xinjiang Arts Institute is an arts college in Xinjiang. It is ranked at 521st in China, having a score of 15.00.- 50th Anniversary :On Sep. 26th, Xinjiang Arts Institute held a conference to celebrate its 50th anniversary of establishment at Xinjiang People's Hall...

 in China and Associate Composer to the Royal Military School of Music

Royal Military School of Music

The Royal Military School of Music in Twickenham, west London, trains musicians for the British Army's twenty-nine bands. It is part of the Corps of Army Music...

, Kneller Hall

Kneller Hall

Kneller Hall is a stately home in the Twickenham area of west London, and takes its name from Sir Godfrey Kneller, court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I...

. More recently he has become Associate Composer to Brass Band Buizingen

Brass Band Buizingen

Brass Band Buizingen are based in the town of Halle outside of Brussels in Belgium and was founded in 1975.Brass Band Buizingen became a traditional brass band after the switch from fanfare band. In 1997 their achievements were recognised with their nomination as Cultural Ambassador of Flanders...

 in Belgium.

In 1997, Clarke visited the U.S. as part of the United States’ International Visitor Leadership Program

International Visitor Leadership Program

The International Visitor Leadership Program is a professional exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State Office of International Visitors in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The purpose of the program is to help build mutual understanding between citizens of the U.S....

, and the `President's Own' US Marine

United States Marine Band

The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the United States...

 Band performed one of his pieces, "Samurai," conducted by Colonel Timothy Foley. The Winnipeg Fress Press described the piece as a throbbing, raucous work influenced by Japanese drumming

Taiko

means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...

. In 2008 the award of Doctor of Musical Arts was conferred upon him by Salford University.

Works by Nigel Clarke

Chamber music

• Echo & Narcissus - solo flute (1985)
• Spectroscope - solo cello (1987)
• Lindisfarne Stone - violin & Piano (1989)
• Flashpoint - solo viola (1990)
• Premonitions - solo trumpet (1990)
• Chinese Puzzles - flute & piano (1992)
• Pernambuco - solo violin (1993)
• On the Wings of the Wind - classical accordion (1993)
• The Hemlock Stone - solo clarinet (1997)
• The Devil and the Hemlock Stone - Clarinet and sound design (1999)
• Loulan - solo violin (2002)
• Equiano - clarinet quintet (2008)

Keyboard

• Solstice - solo piano (1991)

String orchestra

• Parnassus (1986)
• Winter Music (1991)
• The Miraculous Violin - violin concerto (2000)

Brass band

• Atlantic Toccata (1993)
• The City in the Sea - Euphonium Concerto - (1995)
• The Pendle Witches (1996)
• Mechanical Ballet (1997)
• Gwennan Gorn (1997)
• Breaking the Century (1999)
• Swift Severn's Flood (2009)
• Earthrise (2010)
• Tilbury Point - transcription (2010)
• New Work [title to be announced] (2011)

Symphonic wind orchestra/concert band

• Samurai (1995)
• City in the Sea - Euphonium Concerto (1997)
• Breaking the Century (1999)
• Battles & Chants - clarinet concerto (2001)
• Mata Hari (2002)
• Tilbury Point (2003)
• King Solomon's Mines (2003)
• Gagarin (2004)
• Forgotten Heroes (2005)
• Black Fire - violin concerto (2006)
• Fanfares & Celebrations (2007)
• Fields of Remembrance (2008)
• Heritage Suite (What Hope Saw) (2009)
• Their Finest Hour (2010)

Educational

• Featuring Rhythm - treble & bass clef brass instruments (1989)
• Sketches from Don Quixote Trombone (or tuba) and piano (1992)

Book contributions

• Miles, Tim and Westcombe, John. Music & Dyslexia: Opening News Doors.
• Miles, Tim; Ditchfield, Diane; and Westcombe, John.Music & Dyslexia: A Positive Approach.

External links

• Nigel Clarke's website