​Claire Chaix Music

Claire Chaix

 

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, Claire Chaix is an arranger, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Her background in classical music combined with her collegiate education in jazz harmony and theory as well as her love for funk, R&B, and all things 80s gives her writing a unique flavor. She specializes in arranging for string instruments, vocal parts, and live bands, and her compositions combine influences from across the genre board.

 

Beginning her musical journey as a pianist at the young age of 3, Chaix has always been surrounded by music. At age 6, she began studying viola, placing her in youth orchestras, and beginning her life long love for both collaboration and stringed instruments.

 

Inspired by the joy of playing in groups, Chaix began singing in choirs, and she quickly took to singing both classical and contemporary music. From 2007 to 2016, she was a member of the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra (formerly named the Young Musicians Program at UC Berkeley), the first and only choral youth orchestra in the United States. During this time, she studied classical piano under John McCarthy and further developed her love of collaborative music. With YMCO, she performed at numerous venues, including the reopening of the Presidio of San Francisco in September of 2014. The event was broadcasted nationally and attended by notable dignitaries. In addition, Chaix toured throughout Italy and Spain performing as a member of her church's choir.

 

In high school, she found her passion for arranging when she challenged herself to not only take up playing the cello, but also arrange contemporary music for her high school’s orchestra. Throughout her high school years, Chaix grew to be an experienced accompanist, organist, music director, producer, and arranger.

 

At Berklee College of Music, she arranged for many recording artists and live shows, including Singers Showcase: Aretha, Queen of Soul and Berklee's 2019 Commencement Concert. There, she arranged and conducted a live band of 45 members for an audience of  over 7,000, which included honorary doctorates Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott, and Alex Lacamoire. She also co-founded Berklee’s Underground Choir, an a capella chamber choir formed by students whose focus is to learn and record student compositions. She graduated summa cum laude in 3 years with a major in Contemporary Writing and Production.