Seán Clancy
Seán Clancy is an experimental musician from Dublin. His music has been described as ‘Equal part sacred and seductive’ (Tempo); 'An affecting reminder of minimalism’s capacity to feel deeply personal and purposeful’ (The Quietus); and ‘Beautifully simple yet elusive’ (The New York Times). His work deals with translation, examining minimal compositional strategies over extended periods of time, and devised collaboration.
Recent pieces include Where the Paths End (2023), a 30 minute piece for ensemble, electronics, and location recordings commission by Zubin Kanga’s UKRI Cyborg Soloists project for Plus Minus Ensemble with three accompanying soundwalks around Edinburgh, Birmingham, and London; Amaechi (2022) (with Michael Wolters), a 2022 Commonwealth Games commission for singers, percussionists, electronics, basketball players, and projected text; Nowhere Better Than This Place (with Andy Ingamells) (2023/2019) for visual musique concrète, electronics, projected text, and video (reprised at Dublin Fringe Festival 2023; and Inventions & Canons, an immensely intimate album for acoustic instruments, electronics, and location recordings documenting life surrounding the year 2021.
Seán has been commissioned and performed by many leading ensembles and artists from around the world. He has worked closely several times with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Quatuor Bozzini, Crash Ensemble, Plus Minus Ensemble, ConTempo Quartet, Fidelio Trio, Ensemble Krock, and Workers Union Ensemble. He also performs regularly in a duo with Andy Ingamells.
His work has featured at a festivals such as UNESCO Week of Sound (2023), Copenhagen MINU Festival (2023), Royal Academy of Music Bicentenary (2022), Kirkos Biosphere festival (2020), New Music Dublin Festival (2017), Composing the Island Festival (2016), New York MATA Festival (2016), Beijing Modern Music Festival (2016), RTÉ NSO Music of Our Time (2016), David Lang’s ‘What?… Wow Festival of Music’ (2015), RTÉ NSO Horizons Series (2014), and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (2013).
He has received support from organisations such as PRSF, Britten Pears Arts, Vaughan Williams Foundation, Sound & Music, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Arts Council of Ireland, IMRO, and Culture Ireland. He has also been composer in association with Workers Union Ensemble (2015/16), an artist in residence at the Moog Soundlab (2015 & 2018), composer in residence at EMS Elektronmusikstudion Stockholm (2014), and BCMG/SAM Composer in Residence (2010-2012).
Seán has been broadcast on amongst others: BBC Radio 3 (UK), Dublin Digital Radio (Ireland), RTÉ Lyric FM (Ireland), WFMT Chicago (USA), and WNYC (USA). His music has been released by Birmingham Record Company under distribution of NMC, Countersunk, Crash Records, Katie Kim, Tusk, and his own label - Short Loan Collection.
Seán is an Assistant Professor and Ad Astra Fellow at University College Dublin. He completed a PhD at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2012 and was a Senior Lecturer there until 2023. He holds degrees from King’s College London, University College Dublin, and the Ecole Nationale de Musique. Principle teachers have included Joe Cutler, Philippe Leroux, and Howard Skempton (alongside informal studies with Gerald Barry and David Lang). He is represented by the CMC, Ireland.
Seán Clancy is an experimental musician from Dublin. His music has been described as ‘Equal part sacred and seductive’ (Tempo); 'An affecting reminder of minimalism’s capacity to feel deeply personal and purposeful’ (The Quietus); and ‘Beautifully simple yet elusive’ (The New York Times). His work deals with translation, examining minimal compositional strategies over extended periods of time, and devised collaboration.
Recent pieces include Where the Paths End (2023), a 30 minute piece for ensemble, electronics, and location recordings commission by Zubin Kanga’s UKRI Cyborg Soloists project for Plus Minus Ensemble with three accompanying soundwalks around Edinburgh, Birmingham, and London; Amaechi (2022) (with Michael Wolters), a 2022 Commonwealth Games commission for singers, percussionists, electronics, basketball players, and projected text; Nowhere Better Than This Place (with Andy Ingamells) (2023/2019) for visual musique concrète, electronics, projected text, and video (reprised at Dublin Fringe Festival 2023; and Inventions & Canons, an immensely intimate album for acoustic instruments, electronics, and location recordings documenting life surrounding the year 2021.
Seán has been commissioned and performed by many leading ensembles and artists from around the world. He has worked closely several times with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Quatuor Bozzini, Crash Ensemble, Plus Minus Ensemble, ConTempo Quartet, Fidelio Trio, Ensemble Krock, and Workers Union Ensemble. He also performs regularly in a duo with Andy Ingamells.
His work has featured at a festivals such as UNESCO Week of Sound (2023), Copenhagen MINU Festival (2023), Royal Academy of Music Bicentenary (2022), Kirkos Biosphere festival (2020), New Music Dublin Festival (2017), Composing the Island Festival (2016), New York MATA Festival (2016), Beijing Modern Music Festival (2016), RTÉ NSO Music of Our Time (2016), David Lang’s ‘What?… Wow Festival of Music’ (2015), RTÉ NSO Horizons Series (2014), and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (2013).
He has received support from organisations such as PRSF, Britten Pears Arts, Vaughan Williams Foundation, Sound & Music, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Arts Council of Ireland, IMRO, and Culture Ireland. He has also been composer in association with Workers Union Ensemble (2015/16), an artist in residence at the Moog Soundlab (2015 & 2018), composer in residence at EMS Elektronmusikstudion Stockholm (2014), and BCMG/SAM Composer in Residence (2010-2012).
Seán has been broadcast on amongst others: BBC Radio 3 (UK), Dublin Digital Radio (Ireland), RTÉ Lyric FM (Ireland), WFMT Chicago (USA), and WNYC (USA). His music has been released by Birmingham Record Company under distribution of NMC, Countersunk, Crash Records, Katie Kim, Tusk, and his own label - Short Loan Collection.
Seán is an Assistant Professor and Ad Astra Fellow at University College Dublin. He completed a PhD at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2012 and was a Senior Lecturer there until 2023. He holds degrees from King’s College London, University College Dublin, and the Ecole Nationale de Musique. Principle teachers have included Joe Cutler, Philippe Leroux, and Howard Skempton (alongside informal studies with Gerald Barry and David Lang). He is represented by the CMC, Ireland.
Recordings by this composer
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