Baldwin Wallace University's own composer-in-residence, Clint Needham '04, is one of six composers chosen to appear at "The Intimacy of Creativity 2015" (IC2015) in Hong Kong, under the artistic direction of internationally acclaimed composer, conductor, pianist and MacArthur Genius Grant-winner, Bright Sheng. As an IC2015 Composer Fellow, the BW Conservatory of Music professor and alumnus will share his talents and ideas about the creative process with students at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology April 20 - May 3.
Needham and the others in this elite group will present their own chamber music compositions to performers from all around the world and make revisions based on the collaborative process of performance. The revised compositions will then debut during the preview and world premiere concerts around Hong Kong. Needham, who was chosen from an applicant pool representing 40 countries, will present compositions inspired by Jack Kerouac's "stylized and beautiful portrayal" of the nomadic lifestyle characterized in the novel On the Road.
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The C2015 fellowship is just the latest recognition for Needham. He recently won the 2014 Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize from Ithaca College, served as the Music Alive Composer-in-Residence with the Albany Symphony and is back in Albany this season as the Andrew W. Mellon Composer/Educator-in-Residence. The current Albany residency culminates with a May 16 world premiere performance of, “We are all from somewhere else,” at the American Music Festival- Migrations.
The Albany piece focuses on the three stages of migration and borrows from the experiences of Needham's BW Conservatory colleagues who hail from distant places all over the world. “I wondered, ‘How did we all get to Berea?,’" he said. "I actually recorded my colleagues' voices and integrated the electronic spoken word as part of this piece.”
Finally, on March 21, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, with guest Verb Ballets, will present a world premiere of a Needham work that is the result of a prestigious 2014 Creative Workforce Fellow of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Fellow BW faculty member Sara Whale choreographed the piece for Verb Ballets. The event takes place at 7:30 p.m. at BW's Gamble Auditorium.
Finally, on March 21, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, with guest Verb Ballets, will present a world premiere of a Needham work that is the result of a prestigious 2014 Creative Workforce Fellow of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Fellow BW faculty member Sara Whale choreographed the piece for Verb Ballets. The event takes place at 7:30 p.m. at BW's Gamble Auditorium.
As if all that isn’t enough, stay tuned. BW's rising star composer has even more exciting projects on the horizon.
