Claire Wells

American violinist Claire Wells, born in 2001, is acclaimed by audiences and the press for her expressive musicality and rich, singing quality of sound. Solo concert engagements have brought her to halls like the Wigmore Hall, the Meyerson Symphony Center, Bass Performance Hall, Teatro Degollado, and Konzerthaus Berlin. Having won major prizes in international competitions, Claire Wells is the Mendelssohn-Prize 1st Prize winner and Commission Prize winner at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition 2021, 2nd Prize winner at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition 2023, and has taken major prizes at the Indianapolis International Competition, Mirecourt International Competition, Lynn Harrell Competition, among others.

Claire Wells grew up in a musical family, playing both violin and piano from the age of three. She studied privately with Brian Lewis, Sandy Yamamoto, and Emanuel Borok, and in 2017 attended the Yehudi Menuhin School with Lutsia Ibragimova. In 2020, Claire Wells studied with Mihaela Martin at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.

Wells has performed with major orchestras such as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jalisco Philharmonic, the Shen Zhen Symphony Orchestra, among others. A passionate chamber musician, Claire Wells has worked alongside majoartists such as Enrico Pace, Nobuko Imai, Frans Helmerson, Christian Tetzlaff, and Steven Isserlis. Wells has also taken coachings from the likes of Ana Chumachenco, Boris Kuschnir, Andras Schiff and Robert Levin. Claire Wells has performed at festivals such as the International Holland Music Sessions, Music@Menlo chamber music festival, Chamber Music Connects the World, Gstaad Festival, the Verbier Festival, and others.

She has been studying in the Bachelor’s programme at Kronberg Academy with Mihaela Martin since 2022, made possible by the Opel/Dr. Schaefer Scholarship. From 2025, she will continue her studies in the Master’s programme at Kronberg Academy. She plays a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin, generously loaned to her by a donor.