Current projects:

On Monday, 22 August 2011, Michael Halliwell (baritone), Sue Newsome (clarinet/bass clarinet), and David Miller (piano) will give the world premiere of three songs from Padma's new opera-in-progress, ‘Two Moon Smile.’ The concert will be held in the Recital Hall East at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on Macquarie Street in Sydney at 7:30 pm. The pieces, arranged for baritone, clarinet and piano, include: Song of the Bees, All Skinned Out, and Lavender Air.
: : : : : download the concert brochure : : : : :

Recent projects:

Padma returns to the United States in March 2011 for a Clogs concert at the Ecstatic Music Festival at Merkin Hall, together with Shara Worden and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, led by Dianne Berkun.

The Ecstatic Music Festival concert on 12 March features the world premiere of Unattended Shadow, 3 Songs for Clogs and Children's Choir, with text by Susannah Keebler and Padma.

Following the show in New York City, Clogs travel to London to perform the work again on 8 May during the Barbican Centre's "Reverberations: The Influence of Steve Reich" festival, where they will be joined by the London Childrens Choir to perform Dessner's Tour Eiffel and Newsome's Unattended Shadow.

Padma describes his new choral piece as follows:

These three songs are a set of observations about people and places living on the fringes of society. The first is about someone from my own town, a bike rider, and ex Abalone diver. The only person in Victoria legally not required to wear a helmet on a bike. He lived in a small caravan, was very shy, and always tried to avoid the shadows as he rode about our town, shirtless, mostly shoeless, except in winter. He would make beautiful little cairns everywhere he went, leaving them for our eyes, hidden on the beach cliff, on the sides of roads, and down the forest paths.

The second is a group of my observations and thoughts about urban street people, and about our selves or myself. The final song is a set of observations about a particular church corner in Seattle. I was amazed at the range of people, their humility, nobility, and the mundane generosity of the food-givers.

Padma completed Chromatic Mirror in January 2011, a new solo xylophone piece commissioned by Dutch percussionist, Arnold Marinissen. He is now onto a new piece (on an operatic theme) for baritone, clarinet and piano to be performed in Sydney in August.

The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton. Clogs is proud to announce the release of Padma's new song cycle, The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, composed during his residency on the island of Ischia thanks to a commissioning and residency award from the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University. The Creatures is Clogs' fifth album and includes fine work by several guests, including vocalists Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond and Matt Berninger of The National.

The Firm (Adelaide composers' collective) premiered Padma's Piano Sextet, Longifolia, on its programme of new music on Monday, 30 November 2009. Also on the programme is Peter Sculthorpe's String Quartet No. 16 (2009 featured composer) as well as music by Firm directors, Quentin Grant and Raymond Chapman Smith. > Visit The Firm's website

Songs of Love and Despair: A musical tribute to the poetry of Pablo Neruda, was held at New York City's World Financial Center Wintergarden. Padma incorporated Neruda's poems into three new song settings: Quatros perros, Mathilde and Gracias, violines, which were premiered by Clogs and friends in April 2009.

The residency at Middlebury College with Clogs was a huge success. Clogs spent 10-14 November in Middlebury, Vermont developing new repertoire along with some outreach with composition and independent study students. The students and community came out to participate in a group improvisation at the lovely 3 Mill Street studio.

The antipodean January 2008 Shows:
(Note the double-header at the Sydney Festival)

Tue 15 Jan - Auckland, The Studio
Thu 17 Jan - Brisbane, The Zoo
Fri 18 Jan - Melbourne, The Corner
Sat 19 Jan - Melbourne, The Corner
Mon 21 Jan - Sydney Festival City Recital Hall: Clogs & The National
Tue 22 Jan - Sydney Festival City Recital Hall: Clogs & The National
Wed 23 Jan - Sydney Festival City Recital Hall: Clogs & The National

Bruthen Blues Festival
In 2006, Padma wrote for a song for the Bruthen community called "one small town" which was performed at the Bruthen Blues Festival in East Gippsland, Victoria. For the 2008 Bruthen Blues Festival he again worked on the music for a community play, writing for locals, and the local school children. Bruthen is a beautiful small country town, which in 2007 battled fires during the festival time.

Clogs
Improvised and new music ensemble featuring:

Padma Newsome, musical director, composer, violin/viola
Bryce Dessner, guitar, composer
Thomas Kozumplik, percussion
Rachael Elliott, bassoon

Albums
Lantern, Stick Music, Lullaby for Sue and Thom's Night Out
Available online at Amazon, CD Baby and Insound

Labels and distribution
Europe: Southern Records
United States: Brassland

2006 UK Tour: Clogs & The Books

28 Jan - Cube Cinema, Bristol
30 Jan - Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich
31 Jan - The Shed, North Yorkshire
1 Feb - The Arches, Glasgow
2 Feb - The Sage Gateshead, Gateshead
3 Feb - The Luminaire, London
4 Feb - Corn Exchange, Brighton
5 Feb - Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

Stick Music
© Clogs Music 2004

March 2005 review of
Stick Music on Pitchfork

Lullaby for Sue
© Clogs Music 2003

Thom's Night Out
© Clogs Music 2001