Dr. Clint Needham '04 is both a BW graduate and has served on the BW Conservatory of Performing Arts faculty since 2012.
Dr. Clint Needham, professor of composition and composer-in-residence at Baldwin Wallace University, is the 2024 recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize for Mid-Career Artist.
He is one of three people chosen for the juried arts discipline prizes, which come with a $10,000 award. According to cleveland.com, "Jurors for the contest are artists, community leaders, and past winners."
"His work really wowed our jurors this year," Arts Prize executive director Effie Nunes told Ideastream Public Media. "Hopefully, somewhere down the line, we'll get to hear some of his music at one of our annual awards events."
Needham says he is honored to be chosen for the prize. "Cleveland has such a thriving arts community, and I count myself very fortunate to live and work in such a supportive city!"
LISTEN: "Inspiring Light" by composer-in-residence Dr. Clint Needham to celebrate BW's 175th anniversary. "I wanted to convey elements of boldness, introspection and hope," explained Needham. "BW has a storied history, a progressive present and an optimistic future as an academic and cultural institution."
Needham's music, which blends grunge, ska and hip-hop into classical works, has been described as "wildly entertaining" and "stunning, brilliantly orchestrated" by The New York Times, as well as "well-crafted and arresting ... riveting" by The Herald Times.
Needham has received commissions and performances by leading orchestras across the country, and his music has been recognized with numerous other awards, including the Barlow Prize, Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Aspen Music Festival Jacob Druckman Prize, two ASCAP Morton Gould Awards, the William Schuman Prize/BMI Composer Award and the Heckscher & Walter Beeler Prizes from Ithaca College.
In addition to his undergraduate studies at BW, Needham holds master's and doctoral degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
The Women's City Club established the Cleveland Arts Prize awards in 1961. This year, 178 artists applied for the juried prizes. The winners are Amber N. Ford, Clint Needham and Barbara Bosworth.
The recipients will be celebrated in a ceremony Oct. 24 at Cuyahoga Community College's East Campus.
WATCH & LISTEN: Premiere performance of Needham's "Cantata" for strings, harpsichord and chorus during the 2024 BW Bach Festival on April 13, 2024.
