Paul Clift is an Australian composer born in 1978. As of 2009 he is based in New York, where he is a doctoral candidate in composition at Columbia University. He obtained an Master of Music at King's College, London and a Bachelor of Arts (Hon.) at Monash University Conservatorium. He also participated in the New Music Technology & Composition cursus at IRCAM; this culminated in the premiere of With my limbs in the dark for 5 musicians & dancer, composed in collaboration with French choreographer Alban Richard.

Paul's music often makes abstract associations with linguistics, as well as modernist literature & painting. His works have been performed in festivals such as Agora, Royaumont Voix Nouvelles, IMPULS, June in Buffalo, Centre Acanthes, Domaine Forget & the Darmstadt Ferienkursen. He has collaborated with ensembles such as Argento, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Instant Donné, Contrechamps, Itnéraire, ICE, Linea & Klangforum Wien. His principal teachers have been George Benjamin, Jean-Luc Hervé, Fred Lerdahl, Philippe Leroux, Fabien Lévy, Yan Maresz & Tristan Murail.

Paul is also active as a researcher and will notably presented his work at the International Computer Music Conference in Ljubljana in 2012. For more information, visit www.paulclift.net