Hi, I’m Clay Barnard! I’m a freelance composer and arranger, pianist, performer, music director, and teacher. I’ve been writing music for years, and playing piano for years, allowing me the opportunity to perform and experience my music alongside my friends and fellow performers. I graduated from Murray State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition.

In my time as a composer, I have written over 275 original pieces and arrangements. The originals include scores for 10 short films, 2 madrigal dinners, a musical, a song cycle, and a mass. The arrangements span several genres of music: jazz, folk, pop, classical, bluegrass, video games, and more.

My pieces have been selected and performed by the KC VITAs Chamber Choir in Kansas City, Missouri and the Akron Symphonic Winds in Copley, Ohio. Of the films I've worked on, seven were for local and regional film competitions, and one was part of a national competition.

Outside of composition, I have had the pleasure of serving as a Music Director for several educational theatre programs of various levels and ages. From adults and college students to as young as 4 years old, I've been honored to have Music Directed shows like Into the Woods, Chicago, local cabaret-style shows, and Frozen Jr.

Currently, I have the privilege of performing with Disney Cruise Line, where I play piano for their live music offerings and entertain guests in the piano lounges across the fleet. Within just a year of performing with DCL, I have already played for over 125,000 guests!