Paul Clift

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Paul Clift (b. 1978 in Melbourne) is a composer of instrumental and mixed music. Since 2016, he is based in Basel, Switzerland. His music often attempts to make concrete associations with a variety of concepts such as modernist literature, collective memory and historical musical traditions, notably through the integration of archival recordings in his works. His compositional outlook is marked by formative studies with Franck Bedrossian, George Benjamin, Jean-Luc Hervé, Fred Lerdahl, Philippe Leroux, Fabien Lévy and Tristan Murail. 
 
His music has been programmed at festivals including ISCM World Music Days (Tallinn), Agora and Festival Ensemble(s) (both in Paris), Weimarer Frühjahrstage für zeitgenössische Musik, ReMusik (St. Petersburg), MATA (New York), Rainy Days (Luxembourg), Musikfestival Bern, Close Encounters (Georgia), Unerhörte Musik (Berlin), Klangraum (Stuttgart), AFEKT (Berlin/Tallinn), Sounding Now (Singapore), Music and Art: Sound Correspondences (Spain), SMC (Athens) and the World Exposition in Milan, among others, and has been performed by ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, Ensemble l'Itinéraire, JACK and Mivos Quartets, L’Instant Donné, Contrechamps, ICE, Ensemble l'Imaginaire, Proton, Neofonía, Novel Ensemble Modern, Adapter, Vortex, Argento, Cairn, Trio Sæitenwind, Sentieri Selvaggi and Vertixe Sonora. In 2019, his large-scale scenic work “Portal Fantasies,” composed in collaboration with cultural historian Barbara Piatti, was premiered in the Zeiträume Festival in Basel. 
 
Paul Clift obtained a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Columbia University, New York, a Masters of Music at King's College, London, and participated in the two years of the IRCAM Cursus, culminating in the premiere of “With my limbs in the dark” for chamber ensemble, electronics and augmented dancer, composed in collaboration with choreographer Alban Richard. He also attended masterclasses including Royaumont Voix Nouvelles, Centre Acanthes, Domaine Forget, IMPULS, June in Buffalo, MATRIX, Internationale Sommerakademie der MDW and the Darmstadt Ferienkursen. In 2016, Paul was in residence at Villa Sträuli in Switzerland. 
 
In addition to composing, Paul Clift is active as a researcher. He has undertaken research residencies, notably at the Paul Sacher Foundation (2014) and IRCAM (2014-15). He has appeared as a guest lecturer at NYU, UCSD, New England Conservatory, University of New Mexico, Filosofska Fakulteta (Ljubljana), University of Basel and the University of Aix-en-Provence. He is also the Artistic Director of neuverBand, a new-music chamber ensemble based in Basel. His scores are published by Schweizer Musikedition and are also available online at www.babelscores.com. 
Website:
Ordered by year. Most recent works appears first

Instruments and Electronics


Automation of the personalization process for two oboes, video & electronics (2023)
Astatine for saxophone, accordion, cello & real-time electronics (stereo- or quadro- phonic) (2019)
Shadow Art II for flute, voice and electronics (2018)

Chamber Ensemble (5 - 9 instruments)


Collective imaginary for flute, clarinet, trombone, percussion, accordion, violin, viola, cello, electronics & video (2022)
Tombeau de Clément Ader for chamber ensemble & live-electronics (2020)
Qui dove mezzo son... for flute solo & chamber ensemble (2014)
On the Celestial Hierarchy for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola & cello (2014)
Colours are like memories of other colours for string octet with sound-file playback (2014)

Chamber Group ( 2 - 4 instruments )


The grammar of shadows for electric guitar, piano, harp & cello (2021)
The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there for alto flute, alto saxophone & piano (2019)
RGBA for saxophone quartet (2019)
V Prostranem Morju Sanj Hommage to Jakob Jež for flute, violin, piano & one additional performer (2018)
The sea isn't rising, the ground is sinking for Soprano, saxophone, piano, percussion & electronics (2017)
Elan Vital for flute, clarinet, saxophone & piano (2017)
Duet/anagram for two tenor saxophones and electronics (2015)
Third Station, 1960 for bass flute, accordion & trombone (2014)
Le détour permet le retour Five movements for string quartet, live-electronics & video (2012)
How do you express X for flute, viola & harp (2011)

Orchestral Music


La Géométrie d'après Descartes pour grand orchestre (2020)

Saxophone Quartet


RGBA for saxophone quartet (2019)

Ensemble (Instruments or Voices) and Real Time Electronics


Astatine for saxophone, accordion, cello & real-time electronics (stereo- or quadro- phonic) (2019)
Shadow Art II for flute, voice and electronics (2018)

Solo Instrument


Radotements avec citation for solo trombone (2016)
Presence absence degree for accordion and electronics (2015)
Feuille Volante for solo alto flute (2012)
1950C for restrung classical guitar (2011)
Action Painting for solo piano (2006)

Mixed Ensemble


On the Celestial Hierarchy for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola & cello (2014)

String Quartet


Le détour permet le retour Five movements for string quartet, live-electronics & video (2012)

Ensemble (10 - 19 instruments)


Infinite Regress for ten musicians (2011)
1950C for restrung classical guitar (2011)
Action Painting for solo piano (2006)
Astatine for saxophone, accordion, cello & real-time electronics (stereo- or quadro- phonic) (2019)
Automation of the personalization process for two oboes, video & electronics (2023)
Collective imaginary for flute, clarinet, trombone, percussion, accordion, violin, viola, cello, electronics & video (2022)
Colours are like memories of other colours for string octet with sound-file playback (2014)
Duet/anagram for two tenor saxophones and electronics (2015)
Elan Vital for flute, clarinet, saxophone & piano (2017)
Feuille Volante for solo alto flute (2012)
How do you express X for flute, viola & harp (2011)
Infinite Regress for ten musicians (2011)
La Géométrie d'après Descartes pour grand orchestre (2020)
Le détour permet le retour Five movements for string quartet, live-electronics & video (2012)
On the Celestial Hierarchy for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola & cello (2014)
Presence absence degree for accordion and electronics (2015)
Qui dove mezzo son... for flute solo & chamber ensemble (2014)
Radotements avec citation for solo trombone (2016)
RGBA for saxophone quartet (2019)
Shadow Art II for flute, voice and electronics (2018)
The grammar of shadows for electric guitar, piano, harp & cello (2021)
The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there for alto flute, alto saxophone & piano (2019)
The sea isn't rising, the ground is sinking for Soprano, saxophone, piano, percussion & electronics (2017)
Third Station, 1960 for bass flute, accordion & trombone (2014)
Tombeau de Clément Ader for chamber ensemble & live-electronics (2020)
V Prostranem Morju Sanj Hommage to Jakob Jež for flute, violin, piano & one additional performer (2018)