Described by Public Radio International as “powerful” and “poignant,” Joshua Clausen’s works frequently fuse strong rhythmic textures and intricate patterning with narratives from history, mass culture and current events.
Clausen is a 2018-2019 McKnight Composer Fellow, currently collaborating with ARENA DANCES and artist Kim Heidkamp on THERMAL, an interdisciplinary installation and evening-length performance at the American Swedish Institute, the chamber ensemble 10th Wave, and ceramic artist Anna Metcalfe. Other recent collaborations include Hold My Hand with ARENA DANCES (Fitzgerald Theater), Crossfire with HUB New Music (Boston), a mass choir performance of Requiem at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and the film VESSEL with members of the FIX collective, directed by Joe Horton (Minneapolis Institute of Art).
Previous honors include awards from the Jerome Foundation Fellowship, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the American Composers Forum and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Performances include the 2018 Tribeca New Music Festival, Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, Ensemble Mise-En, ShoutHouse, Verdant Vibes in Providence RI, and the American Composers Forum showcase. Clausen’s music has been featured on PRI’s The World with Marco Werman and Classical Minnesota Public Radio.
Clausen is a member of the Spitting Image Collective, and a board member of the 113 Composers Collective, both Twin-Cities groups dedicated to composer-curated programming,