Claire Chenette is a versatile solo, chamber, and orchestral musician particularly devoted to the performance of contemporary music on the oboe and English Horn. A native of the Midwest, Claire is quickly gaining recognition in Southern California performing in sold-out concerts with various projects, festivals and ensembles such as the REDCAT Xenakis Festival, the American Youth Symphony, and the Center Stage Opera. Claire holds the English Horn position with the Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles

An emerging expert in contemporary oboe technique, Claire has worked with many notable composers, including Pierre Boulez at the Lucerne Festival Academy in Switzerland, Terry Riley and the composers of the Bang on a Can collective, and Rebecca Saunders, whose work Claire edited for performance on the American style of oboe. Claire has collaborated with countless composers in the creation and performance of new works, and is a sought-after clinician in extended oboe techniques.

Claire has presented her solo projects in recitals throughout the United States and in Turkey, and has appeared as soloist with the award-winning Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, giving a memorized performance of Berio’s “Chemins IV (su Sequenza VII)”. Her additional solo engagements have included appearances with acclaimed jazz and world percussionist Jamey Haddad at the Cleveland Orchestra’s Severance Hall and with the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble. Claire also composes and performs for the unique two-oboe pop band “Bearcubes,” which has toured throughout the United States. She can be heard on the band’s debut album, released in the summer of 2010.

Claire received a BM in Oboe Performance and a BA in Religious Studies from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Alex Klein and Robert Walters. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Oboe Performance at the California Institute of the Arts, where she is studying with Allan Vogel.