Clarkson makes history with Ulster Orchestra

The Rain Keeps Coming, a newly commissioned work by PhD student Amelia Clarkson, will receive its premiere by the Ulster Orchestra at the Ulster Hall, Belfast, on Friday 10 October.

At 29, Clarkson becomes the youngest female composer ever commissioned by the Orchestra, marking both her debut with the national ensemble and a significant moment in its history.

Credit: Carrie Davenport

The premiere follows a landmark year of orchestral activity for Amelia. In January, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland gave the world premiere of her work, I Float Between, at the National Concert Hall, Dublin and earlier this year, she recorded Wings of Peace with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for BBC Sounds’ The Music and Meditation podcast.

Looking ahead to the performance, she said: ‘Composing for orchestra is always a mammoth challenge, but one I adore. The palette of colours is so vast and there is so much room to play. It is such a privilege to compose my first work for my national orchestra at this stage in my career.’

The new work is representative of the composer’s voice and her creative process, which often draws on nature, literature, and mythology to navigate contemporary issues, creating sound worlds where beauty and fragility coexist. 

‘The Rain Keeps Coming is a celebration of the relentlessness of life,’ Amelia added. ‘We move through these constant cycles of joy and pain, leading us to renewal and reflection. At times it feels overwhelming, as though we’re drenched by it all, and yet there is also wonder in that persistence. This piece is about finding the magic in feeling alive, even when caught in a downpour.’

Alongside music for concert hall, Clarkson has dedicated much of her practice to dance. She recently created Ephemeral for the Dutch National Ballet’s Junior Company 10th Anniversary tour of the Netherlands, and co-founded Belfast’s Six Dance Collective, which produced the city’s first-ever ballet and brought local dance back to Belfast’s Lyric Theatre.

7 October 2025