Amelia Clarkson: Women Make Music

‘White Doves’ is a new ballet by composer Amelia Clarkson in collaboration with choreographer Ruaidhrí Maguire. The piece reflects on peace in Northern Ireland from the viewpoint of the post-Troubles generation through a combination of abstract bird imagery and naturalistic depictions of violence-torn Belfast. The work follows the collaborators’ 2019 ballet, ‘Dear Frances’, and has been in development since early 2021, with research and development funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

With the support of the PRS Foundation, Amelia will create the new score and bring it to life with conductor and musicians. The ballet will be the first of its kind for audiences in Northern Ireland.

Amelia Clarkson is a composer from Northern Ireland. She creates politically-motivated music, juxtaposing classical training and folk influences in her approach. Recent work includes pieces for Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, Crash Ensemble, the Royal Air Force and the London Guitar Festival. In 2021, Amelia was the recipient of the National Concert Hall and Sounding the Feminists Mid-Career/Emerging Commissioning Award. She is a current PhD candidate at the Royal Northern College of Music, supervised by Laura Bowler and Gary Carpenter. Prior, she completed her masters at Trinity Laban as a Trinity College London Scholar and supported by the RVW Trust. She was Trinity Laban’s 2018 Musicians’ Company Medalist, joining their esteemed Young Artists programme.

The grant will be used for White Doves: a new Northern Irish ballet