Composer Anna Clyne on Finding Endless Inspiration Outside of Music
Anna Clyne
As busy as composer Anna Clyne is this season — fulfilling commissions for new works and serving as a resident artist with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, and the Symphony Orchestra of Castilla y León — music accounts for a fraction of her artistic inspiration.
That's because the Grammy-nominated British composer thrives on incorporating many creative disciplines outside of music into her work. Reviewing a roster of her recent engagements, you'll find critically acclaimed collaborations with visual artist Josh Dorman, filmmaker Jyll Bradley, and choreographers from London's Royal Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet Francisco Ballet.
Clyne's immersive approach to music-making offers audiences new entry points for experiencing new music and understanding classical music's relationship to other branches of the arts. "Success for me is about reaching audiences," she says on the latest episode of the Classical Post podcast. "My role as a composer is to create something as beautiful as I can and to share that. When people come back with a piece that's been very moving for them, I feel I've been successful in sharing something with the world. That's a very humbling feeling."
In this conversation, we discuss her ongoing partnership with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, how a Mark Rothko painting inspired her orchestral work Color Field, and the ways a lifelong love of literature is helping her to write an opera on the life of Emily Dickinson. Plus, Clyne discusses her wellness practices — from drawing and Japanese calligraphy to long walks with her adopted pup Penny — the joy of ending a long day with a Negroni, and her favorite place for classic steak frites in New York City.
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