Claire Metcalf – 1st Prize 2019

Claire Metcalf (15), a freshman at James B. Conant High School, studies under the direction of
Mrs. Betty Haag-Kuhnke and Mr. Taka Matsunaga. She has participated in master classes with
Vadim Gluzman, Ilya Kaler, Mauricio Fuks, Blair Milton, Jasmine Lin, among others. As a
violinist in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, Magical Strings of Youth, and the Midwest
Philharmonic Orchestra, Claire has toured the U.S., Portugal, the Czech Republic, Germany,
and Austria. In these countries, she has performed in concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, the
Berlin Dome, Walt Disney Hall, the Rudolfinum (the Dvorak Hall), Teatro Nacional de São
Carlos, among others. She was selected as the recipient for the Annual Paul Vermel Young
Artist Award, and will perform as a soloist with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra for their
2019/2020 season. She has won many awards in the competitions including Confucius, AMI,
Sejong and Granquist, and received Honorable Mentions at CYSO Concerto Competition,
Walgreens, and DePaul. This summer, Claire will be participating in the Northwestern
University Summer Violin Institute and the prestigious Bowdoin Summer Music Festival. Claire
also enjoys playing cello in the Bravura String Quartet, a student led group in the Schaumburg
area. Bravura often volunteers at senior citizen residency, hospitals, and public schools. In her
spare time, she likes to sew and is an avid motorcyclist.