Classical Californians: Ben Shirley

Ben Shirley

This week our Classical Californian is composer Ben Shirley, whose clarinet quintet High Sierra Sonata appeared on the Grammy nominated album American Stories, with Anthony McGill and the Pacifica Quartet. His path to classical music took him through playing bass with rock bands for several decades, as well as both addiction and recovery. He began studying classical music during the two years he lived at LA's Midnight Mission on Skid Row, and subsequently got a scholarship to continue his studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He's got selections that he discovered along the way, by Beethoven, Shostakovich, Austin Wintory, Kim Planert, Tchaikovsky, Jóhann Jóhannsson, as well as a football-themed bit of nostalgia.

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, mvt. ii - Danish String Quartet

Austin Wintory: "Nascence" from Journey Original Video Game Soundtrack

Austin Wintory: "To Know, Water" from Abzû Original Video Game Soundtrack

Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 10 in A-flat Major, mvt. ii - Emerson String Quartet

Kim Planert: "Skydance" - Budapest Scoring Orchestra, with Mariann Pleszkhan, cello

Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor "Pathétique," mvt. iii - Czech Philharmonic, Semyon Bychkov

Jóhann Jóhannsson: "Flight from the City"

Sam Spence: "The Over the Hill Gang" - Music from National Football League Films

Ben Shirley: High Sierra Sonata, mvt i "Buttermilk Morning" - Pacifica Quartet; Anthony McGill, clarinet