Portland-based composer Ryan Francis’s music has been described as having an “aggressively original musical language that uses nuance, precision and stylistic-variance to create music that is at once lush, probing and inventive” (WQXR). Recent and ongoing projects include Voynich Transcriptions for clarinetist James Shields, The Living Fabric, a collaboration with violinist and composer Emily Wells, Prophet Cycle for the Prophet-6 synthesizer with pianist Conor Hanick, and Quartet for four monophonic synthesizers. Francis’s works for dance include two ballets with choreographer Pontus Lidberg, SNOW (2015), and Stream (2013).  Francis has also collaborated with artists of diverse media, including artist Nancy Davidson and artist/writer Andrew Hussie.  

Commissions include the American Composers Orchestra, the Banff Centre of Canada, Metropolis Ensemble, Fear No Music Ensemble,  Chatter, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, El-Sakia String Orchestra of Cairo, Cadillac Moon Ensemble, Columbia Symphony of Portland, Pacific Symphony, Oregon Ballet Theater, New Juilliard Ensemble, and the New York Youth Symphony. Francis’s music for piano is available from Tzadik Records, performed by Vicky Chow.

Learn more about Ryan from this interview with Oregon ArtsWatch here