Composer

Biography

Ewan Clark is a film composer, orchestrator and conductor from New Zealand, currently based in London. Since 2008 he has scored over twenty projects, including short films and documentaries by filmmakers based in UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand and India. Festival screenings of these include Cannes Film Festival 2012 (The Outsider), Marbella International Film Festival 2011 (Money Can’t Buy), Moondance International Film Festival 2010 (The Sunshine Girl) and CMS Vatavaran Environment and Wildlife Film Festival 2009 (SOS: Save Our Sholas).

In 2011-2012 Ewan is the Janet Bolten O’Sullivan Scholar at the Royal College of Music, completing an MMus in Composition for Screen. This study is also generously supported by the 2011 Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship, awarded through Creative New Zealand. Film scoring work completed as coursework at the RCM includes short films (including Cannes-selected The Outsider), and Ewan’s first feature film score, HotSpot.

In the concert hall, Ewan’s compositions have been performed by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the Southern Sinfonia and others. Notable works include Gethsemane (2000) for string orchestra and Reverie (2000) for soprano, clarinet and piano. As a conductor, a highlight to date has been the NZ premiere of James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross with GateSeven and the Tudor Consort, which has received repeated broadcasts on Radio New Zealand Concert. Several other exciting concerts of new music were conducted with GateSeven, which Ewan co-founded with Dylan Lardelli in 2003.

Born in Dunedin, Ewan’s early musical background was in orchestral and jazz trombone. In 1997-2000, he won various local and national music awards, including the 1998 New Zealand Young Composer’s Award, which encouraged him to study for his Bachelor of Music in composition at the University of Otago. While at Victoria University of Wellington School of Music in 2001-5, Ewan furthered his studies, learning from the nation’s finest composers, including John Psathas, composer for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. He also studied and gained much experience in conducting. Whilst in Auckland (2006-9) he worked as a music teacher at Auckland Grammar School and as Musical Director of the Auckland Wind Orchestra whilst pursuing his interest in film composition.

In London since 2009, Ewan has taught in two of London’s leading secondary school music departments: The London Oratory School and James Allen’s Girls’ School. His trombone playing continues within amateur orchestras such as the Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra. Further information about Ewan may be found at http://www.ewanclark.net, and some of his concert works may be heard at http://www.soundcloud.com/ewanclark.