Ms. Clara is an orchestral, chamber, and solo violinist and educator from Houston. A recent graduate of Northern Illinois University, she earned a Performer’s Certificate and a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance under the instruction of Mathias Tacke. During her time at NIU, she served as Concertmaster, Assistant Concertmaster, and Principal 2nd Violin of the NIU Philharmonic.
She has twice served as an Orchestral Fellow at the Texas Music Festival, where she played under the baton of renowned conductors including Hans Graf, Mei-Ann Chen, and Carl St. Clair. She has played with numerous orchestral ensembles across the country in venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Symphony Center, and Houston’s Jones Hall. She has also performed with soloists Brinton Averil Smith and Emily Bear.
Clara is also an avid chamber player and soloist. She recently won the 2018 NIU concerto competition and received an Honorable Mention in the 2018 NIU chamber music competition. In addition to her private studies, she has played in master classes for Herbert Greenberg, Lucie Robert, Cyrus Forough, and many others. She has also received chamber coachings from Spektral Quartet, the Arianna Quartet, and the Avalon Quartet.
Her passion for teaching began a decade ago, and she has many years of experience teaching both private lessons and early childhood music education classes. She combines her extensive knowledge of music with her exuberant personality to create a teaching environment that is equal parts educational and fun, and she is constantly inspired by her students’ energy, enthusiasm, and love of learning. When not playing classical music, she enjoys performing improvisational Django Reinhardt style jazz.