Clipper’s Story
Described as “one of the finest pianists of his generation…a consummate musician” by Fanfare, Clipper Erickson made his debut at age nineteen in Los Angeles as soloist with the Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra and later studied at The Juilliard School, Yale University, and Indiana University. While at Indiana, Clipper trained with the great British pianist John Ogdon, whose dedication to the performance of new music and lesser-known works of the past inspired Clipper to follow in his footsteps. Erickson proceeded to win top prizes at international competitions and now performs as soloist with orchestras and as a recitalist in venues including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Hall, and Symphony Space in New York.
In 2015, he released My Cup Runneth Over – The Complete Piano Works of R. Nathaniel Dett, a great African descent composer. Gramophone UK honored the album as a critic’s choice and best album of the year, writing, “This historically and musically important release not only fills a crucial catalogue gap but sets reference standards. No serious aficionado of the history of American piano music can afford to miss it.” His other albums have featured many premieres, as well as great masterpieces of the past.
Whether it’s R. Nathaniel Dett, the British composers Roger Quilter and Cyril Scott, his late friend David Finko (a submarine designer and engineer for the Soviet Navy before becoming a composer,) or living jazz pianist/composers Laurie Altman and Randy Bauer, Clipper loves discovering creators that don’t fit the mold.
As a teacher, Clipper is dedicated to nurturing the love and understanding of music in his classes at Westminster Conservatory and Temple University. He regularly gives masterclasses and performs in schools, encouraging and bringing out the gifts of future generations of musicians.
Clipper is a curious person by nature, seeking out what others miss. While some may say that the most played musical works are popular purely because they are the best ones and have risen above everything else by artistic merit alone, Clipper feels that biases of culture, race, gender, and age have influenced those choices throughout history.
Clipper’s Story
Described as “one of the finest pianists of his generation…a consummate musician” by Fanfare, Clipper Erickson made his debut at age nineteen in Los Angeles as soloist with the Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra and later studied at The Juilliard School, Yale University, and Indiana University, training with renowned British pianist John Ogdon. Erickson has won top prizes at international competitions and performs as soloist with orchestras throughout the US, as well as recitalist in venues including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Hall, and Symphony Space in New York.
In 2015, he released My Cup Runneth Over – The Complete Piano Works of R. Nathaniel Dett, a great African descent composer. Gramophone UK honored the album as a critic’s choice and best album of the year, writing, “This historically and musically important release not only fills a crucial catalogue gap but sets reference standards. No serious aficionado of the history of American piano music can afford to miss it.” His other albums have featured many premieres, as well as great masterpieces of the past.
Whether it’s R. Nathaniel Dett, the British composers Roger Quilter and Cyril Scott, his late friend David Finko (a submarine designer and engineer for the Soviet Navy before becoming a composer), Joseph Lamb (an Irishman who had a textile business and wrote ragtime), or living jazz pianist and composer Laurie Altman, Clipper loves discovering creators that don’t fit the mold.
As a teacher, Clipper is dedicating to nurturing the love and understanding of music in his classes and private lessons at Westminster Conservatory at Rider University and Temple University. He regularly gives masterclasses and performs in schools, encouraging and bringing out the gifts of future generations of musicians.
Clipper is a curious person by nature, seeking out what others miss. While some may say that the most played musical works are popular purely because they are the best ones and have risen above everything else by artistic merit alone, Clipper feels that biases of culture, race, gender, and age have influenced those choices throughout the ages. By actively elevating the works of often overlooked demographics in classical music, Clipper exemplifies his greater goal of bringing about social change. He embraces his work as a musical poet and works to be an “unacknowledged legislator” of the world by giving a voice to underrepresented yet masterful composers.
