Richard Carrick
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Richard Carrick, a Guggenheim fellow, writes music of spatial depth and robust stasis, characterized by continual development and the evocation of profound human experiences. Described both as "charming, with exoticism and sheer infectiousness" and "organic and restless" by The New York Times, Carrick's music is influenced by his multicultural background and experiences as well as his commitment to inspire professionals, audiences and youth through composition and live performance.
A 2015 Gugak International Workshop Fellow, Carrick is writing a new work for Korean traditional instruments for the Pacific Rim Festival. His latest piano works, la touche sonore sous l’eau and Les Ciels de Kigali, were both premiered by Marilyn Nonken. His music has been programmed and presented internationally at festivals including NYPHIL BIENNIAL, ISCM World Music Days-Switzerland, Mid-American New Music Festival, and Darmstadt Summer Festival, and performed by musicians including the JACK Quartet, Nieuw Ensemble, Sequitur Ensemble, Musica Nova (Tel Aviv), Tony Arnold, Magnus Andersson, Steven Schick, Rohan de Saram, and others.
Carrick is co-founder and co-artistic director of the contemporary music ensemble Either/Or, winner of the 2015 Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. As conductor and pianist, Carrick has worked with many celebrated composers including Helmut Lachenmann, Jonny Greenwood, Chaya Czernowin, Elliott Sharp, George Lewis, Alvin Lucier, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Iancu Dumitrescu and Rebecca Saunders. Carrick conducting E/O's ambitious presentation of John Cage's Party Pieces brought together 125 renowned composers from around the world.
Carrick became Chair of Composition at Berklee College of Music in September 2016, after living a year in Kigali, Rwanda composing and developing teaching programs, including a new arrangement of the Rwandan National Anthem. He has presented masterclasses and lectures throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. He has been a teaching artist for the New York Philharmonic, through which he has mentored hundreds of young composers internationally. Carrick was Associate Adjunct Professor in Music Composition at Columbia in 2011 and 2013.
A US citizen born in Paris of French-Algerian and British descent, Carrick received his BA from Columbia University, PhD from the University of California-San Diego with Brian Ferneyhough, and pursued further studies at IRCAM and the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague. His works are distributed by Project Schott New York.