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, Darmstädter Ferienkurse, ReMusik (St. Petersburg), MATA (New York), Rainy Days (Luxembourg), Musikfestival Bern, SMC Lausanne, Koper Biennale (Slovenia), Close Encounters (Georgia), Ultima (Oslo), 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, TAG, 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 at the Zeiträume Biennale für neue Musik und Architektur 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. 

Paul Clift is the Artistic Director of Ensemble Recherche. His scores are published by Schweizer Musikedition and are also available online at www.babelscores.com.

Since its debut in 2002, EXAUDI has emerged as one of Britain’s leading contemporary music ensembles. Founded by James Weeks (director) and Juliet Fraser (soprano), EXAUDI is based in London and draws its singers from among the UK’s brightest vocal talents. EXAUDI’s special affinity is for the radical edges of contemporary music, at home equally with maximal complexity, microtonality and experimental aesthetics. EXAUDI celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2012 with major UK and international tours and new commissions from Matthew Shlomowitz, Joanna Bailie, Bryn Harrison and Aaron Cassidy, amongst others.
 
EXAUDI gratefully acknowledges support from the PRS for Music Foundation.

Moosic here..
https://www.youtube.com/@MoodooVanSpoon

Masahiro Aogaki (b.1991) is a Japanese composer currently based in Paris. In his recent compositional process, Aogaki has demonstrated a keen interest in redefining the identities and the integrities of instruments, voices, and texts, while also recontextualizing existing musical languages. Inspired by the poetry of Romanian surrealist Ghérasim Luca, he particularly explores the phenomenon of “stuttering” that characterizes Luca’s works, influencing his musical compositions.

In 2017, he obtained his Master’s degree in Composition from Tokyo University of the Arts under Ichiro Nodaira, and later graduated with highest honors unanimously from the Paris Conservatory (CNSMDP) in 2022, where he worked with Stefano Gervasoni, Luis Naón, Yan Maresz, Grégoire Lorieux, Yann Geslin, and Oriol Saladrigues. In 2022-23, Aogaki participated in the IRCAM Cursus led by Pierre Jodlowski and Simone Conforti. His first portrait concert took place in Paris in July 2023, and his piece Dé-monologue –Cinq poèmes de Ghérasim Luca– was nominated for Le Tremplin Musical of the Fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco in the same year. From 2023 to 2025, he was appointed composer-in-residence at the Conservatoire Claude Debussy in Paris’ 17th arrondissement, collaborating with Ensemble Court-circuit.

His works have been performed by various ensembles such as Orchestre de Picardie, Orchestre de Caen, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Court-circuit, Ensemble Fractales, loadbang, Bux Ensemble, Ensemble Reconsil, Ensemble Eins, Ensemble Muromachi, Ensemble Next, Collettivo_21, and Duo Jeux d’Anches, among others. Aogaki has participated in numerous masterclasses and received guidance from composers and ensembles including Tristan Murail, Allain Gaussin, Philippe Manoury, Thierry De Mey, Jean-Luc Hervé, Marco Momi, Jaime Reis, Sivan Eldar, Joji Yuasa, Misato Mochizuki, and Diotima Quartet.

He has been awarded grants from institutions such as the Meiji Yasuda Cultural Foundation, the Nomura Foundation, the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, the Kakehashi Foundation, and the Centre International Nadia et Lili Boulanger.
 
Some of his works are published by BabelScores.

Composer, pianist, blues harmonica blower, occasional conductor. Member of Ars Nova Ensemble Malmö and Hertzbreakerz. Composition studies in Malmö, Bologna, Graz. Stage works, orchestral, chamber pieces, solos. 

Vittorio Montalti (Rome, 1984) obtained his Composition Master degree with Alessandro Solbiati at the Conservatory G. Verdi in Milan and in Piano under the guidance of Aldo Tramma at the Conservatory S. Cecilia in Rome. Then he studied composition with Ivan Fedele at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and electronic music at the IRCAM-Centre Pompidou in Paris.

In 2010 during the Venice Biennale – 54th International Festival of Contemporary Music he was awarded the “Silver Lion”.

In 2016 he was awarded the “Una Vita nella Musica” prize by Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice.

His works have been performed at various festivals such as New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Gran Teatro La Fenice, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, IRCAM-Centre Pompidou, La Biennale di Venezia, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Roma Europa Festival, I Teatri di Reggio Emilia/Festival Aperto, Teatro Regio di Parma/Festival Verdi, Teatro Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto, Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Orchestra Regionale della Toscana, Milano Musica, Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Ex Novo Musica, Bergamo Musica Festival, Divertimento Ensemble – Rondò, Festival Pontino, Festival Traiettorie, Sinfonieorchester Orchesterzentrum|NRW, Italian Cultural Institute of Sidney, Melbourne, London, Paris, Strasbourg and many others.

He has been composer in residence at Italian Cultural Institute in Paris (2013), at American Academy in Rome – Marcello Lotti Italian Fellowship (2014), Civitella Ranieri (2017), FortissimissimoFirenzeFestival – Amici della musica di Firenze (2017), Divertimento Ensemble (2018), La Società dei Concerti di Milano (2018-2019).

He is a member of Nuova Consonanza and he also works as a curator for the MA/IN Festival.

Particularly interested in music theater, he has written four operas on librettos by Giuliano Compagno that have been staged in different productions. He has worked with stage directors such as Francesco Saponaro, Alessio Pizzech, Claudia Sorace/Muta Imago and Giancarlo Cauteruccio.

In recent years Vittorio is also active as electronic music performer. In particular with two projects: The smell of blue electricity, a 50 minutes project for percussions and electronics that involve Blow Up Percussion and Tempo Reale, and The great void, a work written for Gloria Campaner and commissioned by MAO – Museo d’arte orientale di Torino.

He teaches composition at the Conservatory “Alfredo Casella” of L'Aquila.

The works written until 2017 are published by Edizioni Suvini Zerboni – SugarMusic S.p. A.
Since 2018 his music is published by Casa Ricordi – Universal Music Publishing.

PH: Simone Petracchi

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