Set deep in the Himalayas, fifty kilometers from the Tibetan border and two hundred fifty kilometers from the Indian border, Lo Monthang is Nepal’s ‘hidden kingdom’, home to ancient Buddhist paintings, breathtaking views, and sheer cliffs. It is a long way from the hustle and bustle of the vendors on Market Street, but it is where Philadelphia-based composer Andrea Clearfield finds herself studying the unique culture and music of this region. Clearfield’s field trips have inspired a long, continuous thread in her recent music in such choral, vocal, instrumental works as Khandroma, Rabsong Shar (The Eastern Room of the Palace), and Kawa Ma Gyur. In the following weeks, Clearfield’s “Tibetan” works will be presented around the United States as well as in Southeast Asia. Clearfield’s Tibetan Cantata Tse Go La: At The Threshold of This Life will be performed with the Atlanta Young Singers, conducted by their artistic director, Paige Mathis. In addition to the featured performance, Clearfield will be in residence in Atlanta to work with middle and high school students, sharing thoughts on her music and her Tibetan experiences. The same weekend, Lung-Ta: The Wind Horse, another of her Tibetan works, will be performed by the Omaha Chamber Music Society. Coming this April, Clearfield will be Visiting Composer at the Yale-National University of Singapore as part of the “Meaningful Endings/Purposeful Aging: Art, Science and Innovation” Symposium, where her Tse Go La Suite will be presented. Additional performances of Clearfield’s Tibetan-themed works will also be performed in San Francisco, CA and in Poughkeepsie, NY the same month.
Clearfield’s other upcoming highlights include the world premieres of Tides of Breath, one of the featured works at the 2018 International Low Flutes Festival in Washington, D.C. area; Now Close the Windows , version for treble choir and piano with the Michigan State University Women’s Chamber Ensemble, directed by Sandra Snow (sheet music now published by Boosey & Hawkes), and a new piano work for Network for New Music honoring the legacy of founding Artistic Director Linda Reichert in Philadelphia, PA.
Performance materials of Tse Go La are available through See-A-Dot. For more information, visit the composer’s website.