From 11 – 15 April 2011 Nigel Clarke and Peter Sheppard Skaerved (Violin) are to be Artists-in-Residence  at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). During this residency Nigel’s violin concerto `Black Fire’ will be performed by the MTSU Wind Ensemble under the baton of Dr Reed Thomas. Nigel will also be conducting his wind orchestra work `Gagarin’ in the same concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic space flight, which took place on the 12 April 1961.