Praised for her “seductive artistry” and “rare grace” (Classical Voice North America), violinist Clara Neubauer is establishing herself as a deeply expressive and authentic artist. She is winner of the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music from The Juilliard School and the Ana Chumachenco Award from the Kronberg Academy. Clara received her Bachelor’s and Master’s from The Juilliard School as a student of Li Lin, Catherine Cho, and Itzhak Perlman, and was a recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. Beginning this fall, she will attend the Kronberg Academy as a student of Mihaela Martin in the Professional Studies Program.
A passionate chamber musician, Clara has appeared at festivals internationally including the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Kronberg Chamber Music Connects the World, Taos, Four Seasons, Music From Angel Fire, Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Prussia Cove Masterclasses and Open Chamber Music, and Olympic Music Festival. She has performed on tour with Musicians from Marlboro and Taos on Tour and collaborated with artists including Mitsuko Uchida, Steven Isserlis, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Wiley, Donald Weilerstein, Ani Kavafian, and Gary Hoffman. Clara joins the Bowers Program at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for the 2027-2030 seasons.
This season, Clara looks forward to returning to the Marlboro Music Festival, as well as performances at the Rome Chamber Music Festival, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and Caramoor Evnin Rising Stars Program.
“lovely, heart-tugging sound distinguished by sylvan highs.”
- CLASSICAL VOICE NORTH AMERICA
Winner of the National YoungArts competition, Clara has appeared as soloist with the Symphony of Westchester, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn (play-conducting), the New York Concerti Sinfonietta, the Little Orchestra Society, Ensemble 212, and the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra. She has additionally won top prizes at the Adelphi Competition, the Symphony of Westchester Young Artist Competition, Ensemble 212 Young Artist Competition, and the Young Musicians Competition at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Clara was a Musical Ambassador for the Doublestop Foundation as winner of their Artist in You Competition and was featured on WQXR as part of their Young Musicians Showcase with her brother, Oliver. She was a Young Performer at the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Institute for five years and was chosen as one of five young artists featured at the chamber music fellowship program of the Olympic Music Festival. She served as concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra, including a recent performance with Maestro Gustavo Dudamel at David Geffen Hall, and performs as part of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Growing up in a family of professional musicians, Clara’s love for music - chamber music in particular - began from a very early age.
Her first experience with chamber music was playing duos with her older brother at the ages of 5 and 7, something which they joyfully continued for the following 19 years (and hopefully many more to come!). She is part of the Neubauer/McDermott Family Quartet, composed of herself, her brother Oliver, and her parents, Kerry McDermott and Paul Neubauer.
Clara is also a founding member of the Tobias Quartet along with Oliver Neubauer, Samuel Rosenthal, and Sterling Elliott. The Tobias Quartet was the ensemble in residence at Music From Angel Fire for two summers, where they traveled around northern New Mexico presenting educational programs to K-12 students and sharing musical topics in a fun and accessible way.
Born on 9/11/2001, Clara can be heard as the voice of the audio guide at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum along with Robert deNiro, available as a free app for download at the App Store. Her writing has been published in “Faces of Hope: Babies Born on 9/11”, and she has been the feature of interviews on TV Globo and CBS Sports (watch here), speaking and playing violin. This fall, she will perform at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in remembrance of the victims and legacy of 9/11 on its 25th anniversary.