Claire Howard Race

Claire’s ability as a musician has been described as "The most musical and sensitive playing ... beautiful music making, timing and texture and patience"

Claire obtained First Class Honours and the University Medal from Newcastle Conservatorium, before continuing her postgraduate piano accompaniment studies at the Canberra School of Music, and finally at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Claire has received scholarships to participate in master classes with Teresa Berganza and Miguel Zanetti in Spain, sparking an on-going commitment to the promotion and performance of Spanish Song. In 2009 Claire performed in Granada, Spain for the 6th International Festival of the Interpretation of Spanish Song and has previously performed in Toluca, Mexico and Islay, Scotland as part of a Spanish Song recital series with the soprano Alison McNeill and guitarist Javier Hernandez Tagle. Claire has performed in Edinburgh at the International Fringe Festival and the Ruhr Klassische Musik Festival in Marl, Germany. She has been awarded the Broadwood Junior Piano Accompanist Fellowship from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and in addition to winning Lieder and Accompaniment prizes at the RSAMD and the Russian Song Accompaniment Prize, Claire has been recognised with sponsorship from the Geoffrey Parsons Trust, Tait Memorial Trust, Hope Scott Trust and the Alex Menzies Memorial Fund, the latter being awarded "to an outstanding accompanist" at the RSAMD.

Together with the clarinettist Lucy Downer, Claire competed in the semi-finals of the 2009 International Israeli Music Competition. Recent performances have included St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square (with Lucy Downer), the Henley and Amersham Festivals, London, the Paisley Festival, Glasgow, Australia House, The Strand (with baritone Jeremy Vinogradov), Overseas House (London & Edinburgh), and the premiere performance of the Spanish Song Cycle Canciones Imaginarias (with soprano Georgia Knower) – settings of Lorca texts by the composer Paul Sarcich. Among others, Claire has accompanied for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, The Little Opera Company and the Esterhazy Singers, London.

Claire joined us at the ListenLounge for Hayden Wiseman’s “No More Night” project. It was a joy to have her with us, and we look forward to her future, personal, projects.