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Richard Auldon Clark

Richard Auldon Clark is an American conductor and violist, founder and artistic director of [a=The Manhattan Chamber Orchestra], director of Instrumental Activities at Butler University's Jordan College of Fine Arts, as well as an artistic director/conductor of [a=The Butler Symphony Orchestra]. Originally from Apalachin, NY, Clark studied violin and viola in New York City with Raphael Bronstein, [a=Arianne Bronne] and [a=Lillian Fuchs], receiving bachelor's and master's degrees from the [l=Manhattan School Of Music]. Throughout his career, Richard Clark conducted more than 100 world premieres, and recorded over 40 albums. A fervent proponent of American contemporary music, Richard Auldon Clark included works by [a=Randall Thompson], [a=Victor Herbert], [a=Henry Cowell], [a=Alan Hovhaness], [a=Lukas Foss], [a=David Amram], and [a=Osvaldo Lacerda] in his repertoire. Some of his recent appearances include [a=Utah Symphony Orchestra], [a=The Louisville Orchestra], [a=Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra], [a=The Long Island Philharmonic], and [a=Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional De México]. In 1987, Richard Auldon Clark founded [a=The Manhattan Chamber Orchestra]. He also co-founded the annual Finger Lakes Chamber Music Festival (FLCMF) in 2001, and serves as music director. Before joining the faculty at Butler University, Clark had been teaching at [l=Rutgers University]'s Mason Gross School of the Arts and the Manhattan School of Music. As a composer, Clark has written and recorded numerous chamber works, and also collaborated with his friend, [a=Kurt Vonnegut], in the creation of several works based on his novels. Together they started working on the opera [i]Happy Birthday, Wanda June[/i] – a dark comedy influenced by Vietnam War, and based on Vonnegut's first play, which was performed on Broadway and premiered as film in 1971. A first operatic attempt both for Vonnegut and Clark, this project had been developing painstakingly slow, and came to a halt when the author died in 2007. Eventually, Richard Clark finished [i]Wanda June[/i], and Kurt Vonnegut's first opera was premiered posthumously in September 2016.