Biography

American violinist Claire Wells is emerging as one of the most exciting and originalviolinists of her generation. Recognized for her personal musical voice, natural sense offreedom on stage, and vivid imagination, soloist and chamber musician Claire Wells captivatesaudiences with her compelling interpretations, making her a young artist to watch.

In growing international demand, Claire Wells has performed with orchestras includingthe Dallas Symphony, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra,and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, working with conductors such as LeonardSlatkin, Dima Solobodeniouk, and Andrew Litton. An avid chamber musician, Claireappears at eading festivals such as Chamber Music Northwest, Chamber Music Connectsthe World in collaboration with Christian Tetzlaff and Steven Is serlis, the IMS Prussia CoveOpen Chamber Music Festival in Cornwall, the Verbier Festival Academy, and the KryzyowaFestival in Kreisau, Poland.

Claire’s work is shaped by a broad, instinctive curiosity that guides her across periodsand styles, drawing her toward music she finds genuinely compell ing, from earlyrepertoire to contemporary works. Highlights include performing Kaija Saariaho’sGraal Theatre with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of DimaSolobdeniouk, as well as working on and performing Jorg Widmann’s Etude no. 3alongside the composer himself as part of the CMNW 2024 season.

1st Prize Winner and Commission Prize Winner at the Felix Mendelssohn BartholdyCompetition 2021, Claire has won top prizes at acclaimed international competitions, including the Michael Hill, Sibelius, and Indianapolis international competitions. She wasthe 2023 scholarship winner of the Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund, and most recently wasthe winner of the 2025 Susan Wadsworth Young Concert Artists International Auditions.

Born into a family of musicians, Claire Wells began playing violin and piano at the age ofthree. At the age of nine she became recognized as a child prodigy, winning the GrandPrize at the Vernell Gregg and Lynn Harrell National Competitions and performing on theacclaimed NPR radio show ‘From the Top’. In 2017, Claire started studying at the YehudiMenuhin School with teacher Lutsia Ibragimova, before moving on to study at the KölnHochschule für Musik und Tanz in 2020 with Mihaela Martin. Her former private teachersfrom childhood include Shelley Rich, Jan Sloman, Gary Levinson, Sandy Yamamoto,Emanuel Borok, Rudens Turku, and Brian Lewis.

Claire is represented worldwide by Young Concert Artists. She currently resides in Berlin,and is studying at the Kronberg Academy under the tutelage of Mihaela Martin, madepossible by the Opel/Dr. Schaefer patronage.

Download