Violinist Claire Niederberger Gallagher, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a dynamic performer, collaborator, and educator based in the Houston area. A versatile musician, Claire is active as an orchestral and chamber player, and is a fierce advocate of contemporary music in all settings. She has premiered new works in Canada, Italy, and across the United States.
In Houston, Claire regularly performs with the Carya String Quartet, which is dedicated to promoting the works of women composers in vibrant community-based chamber music performances and educational programs across the Houston area. In addition to sharing the works of women composers, Carya is active in commissioning and premiering new works for the string quartet and frequently blends musical ideas with those of other art forms or the natural world in programming.
Claire is also active as an orchestral musician, serving as a core member of the first violin section in the Symphony of Southeast Texas. While at the University of Houston, she played with the AURA Contemporary Ensemble and frequently led the Moores School Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster. Claire has had the opportunity to perform in both solo and chamber music masterclasses for acclaimed musicians including Rachel Barton Pine, Kristóf Baráti, the Aizuri Quartet, and the Calidore String Quartet.
Claire was a founding member of the cross-country-based Oasi Trio, a clarinet/violin/piano ensemble dedicated to commissioning and performing new music, and greatly enjoys collaborating with artists of other mediums to create dynamic, multidisciplinary performances. With AURA, Claire had the opportunity to work directly with composers including Stacy Garrop, Stephen Montague, Paul Rudy, and gave the North American premiere of Piet J. Swerts’s Retro, for violin, saxophone, and piano. Their October 2019 production, COLONY, was a collaboration with the Psophonia Dance Company, and explored our symbiotic relationship with honeybees. This production was selected as part of the Cincy Fringe Festival for 2020.
Dedicated to education and community engagement, Claire is a passionate teacher and maintains a busy private teaching studio working with students of all ages and levels. She recently worked in the Education and Community Initiatives department at DACAMERA, a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to creating transformative musical experiences for all audiences. She assisted in organizing and presenting over 500 hours of arts-integrated lessons to students across the Houston area.
Claire received her Master of Music and Certificate in Music Performance from the University of Houston, and Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan. Her primary teachers include Dr. Kirsten Yon, Stephen Shipps, and Lorien Benet Hart. Recent festival appearances include Fresh Inc, Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival, Cortona Sessions for New Music, Texas Music Festival, and Orford Academy. She plays a Joseph Curtin violin built in 2000.
Outside of music, Claire loves to perfect her dessert baking skills, travel to new places, decode the NY Times Sunday crossword, and spend time with her little dog, Bruce.