Arowah (Anjelica Cleaver)
Arowah (Anjelica Cleaver) is one of seven composers selected for a place on the 2024 RPS Composers programme. This has culminated in them writing two new pieces, commissioned by the RPS, for the Royal Academy of Music / Wigmore Hall Fellowship Ensemble, the Asaka Quartet. The premiere took place on 31 May 2024 at Wigmore Hall, with the string quartet performing What we carry and Espinho e Rosa, in which they were joined by Arowah on guitar.
On this page, Arowah introduces themselves in their own words, and shares links to their music, their website, and their social media platforms. We warmly invite programmers and commissioners to take a closer look at Arowah's work, and please be in touch with us if you would like to connect with them.
About Arowah
'Growing up I never thought it was possible for someone like me to be a real composer and at school was strongly discouraged from studying music beyond GCSE, but music was my greatest passion and after moving to London for work I started pursuing music as much as possible outside my office job. I played at punk nights, performed at protests, got involved in the jazz scene, formed a disco band, made lo-fi beats, started an experimental jam night and countless other projects trying to find a space that could hold the breadth of music I was trying to create. Despite my very DIY approach I was nominated for an Ivor’s Composer Award for Large Jazz Ensemble and received the Steve Reid Award.
In 2022 I fulfilled my dream of quitting my day job to become a full-time musician. Since, I have had a composition residency at Pretahub in Brazil though the British Council, was a Resident Musician at St George’s Hospital where I was commissioned to write a Healing Suite for the hospital community, have had my work for piano and projector premiered at Turner Sims, was commissioned to write protest music by Global Justice Now and Debt Justice and joined the Sound and Music New Voices Scheme, as well as writing and releasing music with a number of ensembles I run.'
Highlights
- Arowah has been commissioned for BBC Radio 3's 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century to write a piece for saxophonist Emma Rawicz and the BBC Concert Orchestra. In this World of War, Peace is What We're Fighting For celebrates the global peace protests of 2003.
- They are a finalist for Hildegard Commission and have been selected to have their composition premiered at National Sawdust by the National Sawdust Ensemble in New York.
- In 2022, Arowah was selected for Sound and Music’s New Voices Scheme.
- Arowah has worked as a Resident Musician at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, and was commissioned to write ‘The Healing Suite’ for the hospital community.
- They held a Composition Residency at Pretahub in Brazil through the British Council and performed at Fiera Preta festival.
- In 2020, Arowah was nominated for an Ivors Composer Award for Large Jazz Ensemble, for their piece, What Is Understanding.
- Arowah also received the 2020 Steve Reid InNOVAtion Award for outstanding emerging artists, in partnership with PRS Foundation.
Find out more
We are dearly grateful to RPS Members and a range of donors for supporting the RPS Composers programme, including the Delius Trust, The Fidelio Charitable Trust, Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, Idlewild Trust, John Ellerman Foundation, Presteigne Festival, PRS Foundation Talent Development Network supported by PPL, the Radcliffe Trust, the RPS Susan Bradshaw Composers' Fund, the Vaughan Williams Foundation, and several anonymous donors.
