Glenn McClure is a composer and Arts Integration Consultant. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Eastman School of Music and at SUNY Geneseo. His compositions have enjoyed a wide audience in the US (St. Olaf College, Florida State University, Auburn University, San Diego State University, the American Choral Directors Association Conventions in San Antonio, Texas and Orlando, Florida, and the Nat’l Kodaly Conference in San Antonio). Some of America’s finest conductors have championed his music (including Dr. Andre Thomas, Dr. Anton Armstrong, Dr. Paul Smith, Dr. Anthony Leach, Dr. Brady Allred, Francisco Nuñez and Dr. Janet Galvan). Mr. McClure’s acclaimed “Kyrie” from St. Francis in the Americas: A Caribbean Mass has returned to Carnegie Hall in New York City for three performances. His work has also gained audiences in Mexico, Italy, Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Mr. McClure’s work was featured by the St. Olaf Choir at the culminating concert of the World Symposium of Choral Music. His oratorio, “The Starry Messenger” was featured on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”

Mr. McClure’s main compositional interest lies in the mixing of classical music with ethnic music traditions. His work is published by Earthsongs (www.earthsongsmus.com) and Roger Dean Publishers (www.lorenz.com). His choral works, written for mixed choir, Treble Choir, Men’s Choir, soloists and children’s voices, use many languages including Vietnamese, Lakota, and Nahuatl. He is very interested in the use of non-traditional languages and music styles from many world cultures. He is experienced in dealing not only with the technical aspects of non European languages, but also in the ethnomusicological concerns involved in writing works that include traditional musicians.

Mr. McClure is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Continental Harmony Commission by the American Composers Forum. These commissions, like many of his musical compositions, have been born out of community initiatives and collaborations. He often works with a variety of community organizations to mold and shape his music into genuine expressions of the goals, interests and hopes of the communities from which they emerge. Furthermore, Mr. McClure used artistic activities to build bridges between diverse populations. Two current international projects include “Galileo’s Universe” (students, artists, educators in the US Italy and Germany explore the artistic influences on Galileo’s scientific work), and “Retelling the Story: From Slavery to Freedom.” This program allows participants in the US, England, and Ghana to share their perspectives on their shared history of the Atlantic Slave Trade. His world music opera, “Imoinda”, combines the creative efforts of artists and students in the US, Europe, and West Africa to retell an early slave story. His leadership has helped to establish numerous projects that place the Arts in service of community needs.

Mr. McClure is also a passionate advocate for the integration of the Arts into the education of children. He offers 300-400 concerts and workshops annually that animate a variety of areas of learning with hands-on musical activities. His award winning work in designing and implementing these programs in both mainstream and special education environments has gained the attention of numerous grants and foundations. He has developed customized arts integration programs that have served multiple schools for up to 10 years. These programs reach out to both mainstream students and special needs students in rural, urban, and suburban environments. In addition to arts based curriculum, his programs also use video conferencing and web based applications to link students and teachers with the counterparts around the world.

Mr. McClure lives with his wife and two children in Livingston County, NY. To learn more about Mr. McClure’s work, check out his web site at www.artforbrains.com.