Claire Chase
flute
Claire Chase is a musician, interdisciplinary artist, curator, and educator dedicated to the creation of new ecosystems for contemporary music. She has premiered hundreds of new works and is the first flutist to receive both a MacArthur Fellowship (2012) and the Avery Fisher Prize (2017). Chase is the music director of the 2025 Ojai Music Festival and served as the Richard and Barbara Debs Creative Chair at Carnegie Hall in 2022–23. She has performed as a soloist with major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and the London Philharmonia. Recent projects include premieres of two duo concertos, one by Dai Fujikura and the other by Felipe Lara with vocalist and bassist Esperanza Spalding and conductor Susanna Mälkki, which was named one of the Best Classical Music Performances of the Year by The New York Times.
In 2013, Chase launched Density 2036, a 24-year commissioning project reimagining the solo flute repertoire. Now in its 12th year, the initiative includes commissions, performances, recordings, and educational initiatives. She is the artistic director of Density Arts, a nonprofit advancing the flute in the 21st century.
As an undergraduate at Oberlin Conservatory, Chase co-founded the International Contemporary Ensemble, where she served as artistic director until 2017 and performed as a member for many years. She is currently a professor at Harvard University and a Creative Associate at The Juilliard School.