Bio

Having tasked himself with creating a synthesis between politics, history, and a diverse array of musical genres and styles, Boston based composer and performer Aaron Clarke strives to bridge these worlds as seamlessly as possible.

A composer of works ranging from music for symphony orchestra to solo pieces, his music has been premiered by the Horszowski Trio, Radius Ensemble, and the luminary new music group loadbang. Clarke also regularly writes for his latest collaborative project AHHA, an experimental jazz-rock quartet in which he is one of the guitarists.

As an electric guitarist, he is a co-founder of the Barbour Clarke Duo, which has been said to have “ambitions [that] are limitless and…[is] always searching for new textures and elements to make jazz as intriguing as ever” by VillageSoup. While playing in BCD, Clarke was a co-winner of the Bay Chamber “Young Stars of Maine” Nathan E. Corning Jazz Prize in 2013. His performance is featured in the pre-recorded guitar track for Daniel Sonenberg’s composition Machine Shop (2015), which accompanies a live marimba part. Clarke was also heavily involved in the multi-media production Molded by the Flow, a collaboration between the music, theatre, and art departments at the University of Southern Maine spearheaded by composer Paul Dresher and performer/director Rinde Eckert. Additionally, Clarke is active as a pit musician for musicals, having participated in productions such as Spring Awakening, Catch Me If You Can, Reefer Madness, and Avenue Q.

With an interest in being actively involved in multiple aspects of musical creation, Clarke has found himself both behind the mixing board and in front of the microphone in the studio. He studied recording techniques under renowned mastering engineer Adam Ayan of Gateway Studios. After his study with Ayan, Clarke went on to compose and record A More Perfect Union, an album of music with saxophonist/composer Barry Saunders, as the culmination of two years studying under Saunders in improvisation and alternative compositional styles. Clarke performed on an album of free music, both original and covered, in a non-idiomatic ensemble led by trumpeter/pianist Chris Klaxton, again serving as mix engineer. In 2017, Aaron released Brutality, an EP of jazz-based compositions. Clarke’s group AHHA released their debut EP in 2020, as well as their debut full-length album, The Event Has Been Cancelled, in August 2022.

In his role as an educator, Aaron began tutoring theory students at both the undergraduate and graduate level while in university. Today, Clarke maintains a growing private studio, where he teaches guitar, theory, and composition to students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds.

As a copyist, Aaron served as Dan Sonenberg’s principal opera assistant, proofreading and formatting in preparations for several productions of Sonenberg’s opera The Summer King. Clarke regularly does work orchestrating and arranging music for ensembles of various size.

An administrator, Clarke is the Assistant Director for Longy’s Divergent Studio, and has worked as a promotion and branding consultant for individual artists and bands. He currently works at Longy School of Music as the Manager for Academic Operations, where he assists the Deans with scheduling and logistics, and is the Accompanying Coordinator.

Clarke was the recipient of Longy School of Music’s Patricia Sherman Award in 2020, as well as the St. Botolph Club Foundation’s 2020 Emerging Artist Award for his one-act opera Ambition Counteracting Ambition, about the friendship and rivalry between Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

A voracious reader, aspiring cook, and fervent politico, Clarke finds himself these days revising his opera Ambition Counteracting Ambition for an anticipated premiere in late Summer 2023.

Throughout his educational career, he has been privileged to study with Dan Sonenberg, John Morrison, Barry Saunders, Eric Hofbauer, and Chris Klaxton. Clarke graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a BM in Music Composition and a minor in Political Science, and from Longy School of Music with a MM in Music Composition.