Claudia Schaer, Canadian recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician, is recognized internationally for her beautiful, intelligent and refreshing interpretations, her versatility as violinist and musician, and her intriguing programming. In 2014 she released a highly-acclaimed recording of the Bach Sonatas and Partias, hailed by Japan Bach Review as "... elegant, unique; a wonderful performance with secure skills." Claudia Schaer distinguished herself from an early age, earning her native Calgary's "Most Promising Violinist" medal at eleven years old.
Recent concert highlights include: performances at the prestigious Prussia Cove Chamber Music Festival; solo recital tours in Denmark and Switzerland of Bach's six Sonatas and Partias for Solo Violin; the Beethoven, Brahms, and Sibelius concerti in New York and Pennsylvania; the New York première of Max Lifchitz' violin concerto Intervenciòn (with the composer as conductor of the North/South Chamber Orchestra); world premières of concerti by Zosha di Castri, Andrew Thomas, Winnie Yang, Margarita Zelenaia; her debut at New York's Weill Hall at Carnegie in a diverse programme entitled Beyond Categories - from Bach to Boulez to Klezmer, which included collaborations with the Echo-prize-winning David Orlowsky Trio. Claudia also performs chamber music with members of the Berlin Philharmonic, at the Opera Barga summer festival in Italy, and at the "Thy Chamber Music Festival" in Denmark. Vermont radio featured her in a performance of the Ravel piano trio, and her world-premiere of Tyler Capp's Stranger Variations for Solo Fiddle appears on the Bridge Label. Dr. Schaer's interest in contemporary music and composition has led to performances in the Lucerne Festival Chamber Orchestra under Pierre Boulez, and collaborations with the Chamber Ensemble of the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the North/South Chamber Orchestra, the New Juilliard Ensemble, 20-21, and the European Musical Alliance.
Claudia Schaer has played in many renowned festivals around the world, including Prussia Cove, Barga, Thy, Banff, Bar Harbor, Hancock, Crested Butte, Banff, EAMA and JISA. Her artistry is influenced by her work with Pierre Boulez, Zoltán Székely, Lorand Fenyvés, Jaap Schroeder, and Joseph Silverstein, among other inspiring artists, as well as her mentors, including Otto-Werner Mueller, under whom she served as concertmaster of the Juilliard and Domaine Forget festival orchestras. Principal teachers include Sally Thomas, Ani Kavafian, Phillip Setzer, Pamela Frank, Dr. Lise Elson, Taras Gabora, Cenek Vrba, Olga Kotova, and Edmond Agopian.
A gifted teaching artist, Claudia Schaer has appeared as a Guest Professor at the Guangxi Arts College in Nanning, China, giving concerts and masterclasses alongside Juilliard faculty. During her studies the Accelerated Bachelor/Master's Program at Juilliard, Dr. Schaer assisted her teacher, Sally Thomas, at the Juilliard School, the Mannes School and the intensive summer Meadowmount School (founded by pedagogue Ivan Galamian).
Dr. Schaer completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University in 2011, with an additional Graduate Certificate in Philosophy and Music equivalency. She is a recipient of the Sonia Streuli Maguire Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award from the Swiss Benevolent Society of New York for her work in this program. Her writing for this degree turns to the groundbreaking composers Varèse and Boulez, and the relations between music, philosophy and mathematics. Her long-standing fascination with these subjects led to papers thereupon already during her previous degrees, as part of the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange and the Juilliard Scholastic Distinction programs.
Dr. Schaer's personal writing is published in Chamber Music America, Strings Magazine, the Stony Brook Press, the Juilliard Journal, and on her blog. She plays a violin by Ryan Soltis and a bow by François Malo.
SOMEWHAT CONCISE Biography
With beautiful and insightful interpretations, alongside intriguing programming, the versatile recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician Claudia Schaer meets with high acclaim from audiences and musicians alike. Her recording of the Bach Sonatas and Partias for solo violin is hailed for its "elegant, light touch and lucid timbre ... a wonderful performance" (Japan Bach Review) and unique "small softness at the beginning of the bowstroke" (American Record Guide).
Native of Calgary, Canada, Claudia Schaer was 11 when she received the "Most Promising Violinist" medal at the Canadian "Kiwanis Music Festival" as a student of Lise Elson, and she won prizes in international competitions thereafter. A graduate of the Juilliard School's Accelerated Bachelor/Master program, she served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Symphony, and as teaching assistant to her mentor, Sally Thomas, as well as receiving the "Sasakawa Young Leaders' Fellowship". She completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University in 2011, mentoring with Phillip Setzer, Ani Kavafian, and Pamela Frank, and writing about Varèse, Boulez, and the intersection of mathematics, philosophy, and music.
Dr. Schaer’s performances take her across North America and to Europe, where she has given many all-solo-violin concerts in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark, performing all six Bach Sonatas and Partitas, the Bartók Solo Sonata, and Boulez's Anthèmes, among other works. Her Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Debut included collaboration with the Echo-prizewinning David Orlowsky Trio; other highlights include performances at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Columbia University's St. Paul's Chapel, and Glencairn Cathedral in Pennsylvania.
An avid chamber musician, Claudia Schaer is a founding member of Trio Lucente, a new piano trio performing with spirit to standing ovations across the USA since 2023. She has also played in England's prestigious Prussia Cove festival, in the Danish "Thy" Festival, and with Berlin Philharmonic members in Italy's "Barga Festival", among others. Her international commitment extends further to China, where she has given performances and masterclasses in Guangzhou, Nanning, and Guilin, and is a Guest Professor of the Guangxi Arts College.
Claudia Schaer performed as guest soloist with the Pennsylvania Center Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Bronx, and the new-music Esprit Orchestra of Toronto, among others. She is currently a soloist and concertmaster of New York's North/South Consonance Ensemble, with which she gave the New York première of the Lifchitz Violin Concerto, alongside many other works. She is an advocate for creativity in music, and has inspired many composers to write for her. In addition to performing standard concerti, she has given debuts of violin-and-orchestra works by Zosha di Castri, Andrew Thomas, Winnie Yang, Max Lifchitz, Margarita Zelenaia, David Farrell, Lelio di Tullio, and Christopher James, to name a few. She has given the New York, American, and world premières of countless other compositions, also performing regularly with pianist Marc Péloquin.
For details about upcoming performances, and further information, please visit www.ClaudiaSchaer.com
Dr. Schaer's writing on music is available at www.ClaudiaSchaer.blogspot.com. Her Bach recording is available in person after concerts, as well as at www.ClaudiaSchaer.com/discography, and on iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp.
ThreE-sentence BIOGRAPHY
Claudia Schaer is a versatile recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician, recognized for her beautiful and intelligent interpretations and intriguing programming. Recently, she recorded the Bach Sonatas and Partias for Solo Violin; more info and recording available at www.ClaudiaSchaer.com/discography. She studied with and assisted Sally Thomas at the Juilliard School, and completed a DMA at Stony Brook University, writing about the intersection of philosophy and music.
Photography: Sasha Catiere