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| Claire Chase | |
|---|---|
| Name | Claire Chase |
| Birth date | 1978 |
| Birth place | Silver Spring, Maryland |
| Instrument | Flute |
| Occupation | Musician, Entrepreneur, Educator |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Associated acts | International Contemporary Ensemble, New Amsterdam Records |
Claire Chase Claire Chase (born 1978) is an American flutist and presenter noted for her championing of contemporary classical music, especially solo and new-music repertoire for flute. She is founder and executive director of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), founder of New Amsterdam Records, and a performer associated with premieres, commissions, and curatorial projects that bridge composition, performance, and advocacy within the contemporary classical music scene. Chase's work intersects with major composers, ensembles, festivals, and cultural institutions worldwide.
Chase was born in Silver Spring, Maryland and raised in a family engaged with music and the arts in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. She studied flute performance and contemporary repertoire at institutions including the Yale School of Music, where she trained with faculty and visiting artists connected to the New York School and the modernist and postmodernist traditions. Her education involved masterclasses and mentorships with prominent performers from institutions such as the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, and she attended summer programs like Tanglewood Music Center that exposed her to composers and ensembles active in late-20th and early-21st century music.
Chase launched her professional career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, performing as a soloist and chamber musician across North America, Europe, and Asia. She co-founded the International Contemporary Ensemble in 2001, which became a platform for commissioning and performing new works by composers associated with the downtown music scene, the Bang on a Can community, and the academic avant-garde. Chase's concert activity has included solo recitals, concerto appearances with orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and performances at festivals like the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Lucerne Festival, and the Bang on a Can Marathon.
Recognizing gaps in infrastructure for contemporary composers and performers, Chase co-founded New Amsterdam Records to support a generation of artists blending classical, popular, and experimental approaches. Through label-related initiatives and curatorial projects, she has advocated for new commissioning models, career sustainability, and expanded access to contemporary repertoire. Her advocacy work intersects with organizations such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Carnegie Hall community programs, and grantmaking bodies like the National Endowment for the Arts, promoting policies and practices that benefit living composers and emerging performers.
Chase has commissioned and premiered hundreds of works by composers linked to the contemporary classical ecosystem, collaborating with figures such as Steve Reich, Anna Clyne, David Lang, Caroline Shaw, John Zorn, Georg Friedrich Haas, Terry Riley, Pēteris Vasks, Kaija Saariaho, Jennifer Higdon, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Missy Mazzoli, George Lewis, and Matana Roberts. Notable projects include extended solo works exploring multiphonics and circular breathing, ensemble installations with ICE, and multimedia collaborations presented at venues like Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. She has also worked with conductors and artistic directors from institutions including the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on commission-driven programs.
Chase's repertoire emphasizes contemporary techniques, extended flute methods, and cross-genre experimentation. She frequently programs works employing microtonality, multiphonics, breath techniques, and electronic augmentation developed in collaboration with composers from the spectral music lineage, the postminimalist movement, and experimental improvisers associated with free jazz and electroacoustic practices. Her projects often blend solo virtuosic display with collaborative improvisation, multimedia staging, and site-specific performance formats inspired by venues ranging from concert halls to alternative spaces such as the Kitchen and Redcat.
Chase's contributions have been recognized with fellowships, prizes, and institutional residencies from bodies like the MacArthur Fellows Program (MacArthur "Genius" Grant), the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the United States Artists fellowship, and awards from arts institutions including the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Guggenheim Foundation. She has held artist residencies at centers such as the Baden-Württemberg State Academy of Music, the Monteverdi Music School, and university-based programs in the United States and Europe, and has received commissions funded by philanthropic organizations and national arts councils.
Chase's artistic outlook reflects influences from collaborators and pedagogues across generations, including Pierre Boulez-era modernists, minimalist figures like Philip Glass and Steve Reich, and contemporary peers who merge classical technique with popular and experimental sensibilities, such as Bjork-adjacent producers and downtown performers. She maintains connections to academic and festival networks, serves on panels and juries for institutions like the Berklee College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, and balances performing with administrative leadership. Her personal advocacy emphasizes mentorship, commissioning equity, and infrastructure-building for the next generation of composers and performers.
Category:American flautists Category:Contemporary classical music