Claire Ward
Soprano
About
Claire is a British/Irish soprano based in London. In 2022 Claire became an Opera Prelude Young Artist and retuned to perform with Opera Holland Park in the chorus of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. A regular performer with Live Music Now, Claire was also a Britten Pears Young Artist in 2019. Previous roles include Frantik in the Cunning Little Vixen at Opera Holland Park in 2021, and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro which Claire understudied at The Grange Festival in 2019. In the same year Claire sang the role of Venus in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis with the Royal Academy of Music and made her Oxford Lieder debut with pianist Guy Murgatroyd. Claire performed Bach Cantatas as part of the Snape Maltings Proms 2019, conducted by Philippe Herreweghe and as a student, regularly performed in the Kohn Foundation/RAM Bach Cantata series with solo highlights of Bach’s Wedding Cantata BVW 202 in June 2017 and Mass in F major in October 2018. Further concert highlights include Brahms Requiem, Smyth Mass in D, Macdowall Magnificat, Haydn Nelson Mass as well as Mozart Exultate Jubilate and Mass in C Minor in De Montfort Hall, Leicester.
Teaching & Outreach
Claire is an accomplished voice and piano teacher with experience working with all ages, from young children to older adults. She holds a Distinction in the LRAM, the vocal pedagogy certificate from the Royal Academy of Music, an MA from the Royal Academy of Music and a First Class Honours degree in Music and French from Durham University. She has taught across the UK, France and Switzerland, for organisations including Brent Music Service, Blackheath Conservatoire and Summer Camps at Institut Le Rosey. Claire is also a workshop leader and performer in participatory concerts in a variety of settings.
Based in South East London, Claire works both with private students and as a peripatetic tutor in local schools. She has successfully prepared students for ABRSM exams, Oxbridge choral scholarship auditions, competitions and performances.
She enjoys helping students grow in confidence, improve technique and explore a variety of repertoire and does so with a supportive and tailored approach. Since March 2020, Claire’s lessons have been predominantly conducted online, with great success and progress achieved by the students.
If you are interested in lessons or workshop activities please do not hesitate to get in touch prices and availability.
“Claire’s teaching has completely changed the way I sing. Her enthusiastic and fresh approach to singing completely opened me up and my singing has taken leaps and bounds with her help. I am now a choral scholar at St.John’s College, Oxford and her help to prepare for the audition process was indispensable.”
18 year old singing student
“Claire has taught our children piano for many years now. Her positive and encouraging approach has meant they have stuck at it through secondary school while many of their peers have given up. Claire’s calm and approachable exterior, hides a very well organised, professional musician. We have been particularly impressed with how seamlessly she has adapted to the technological requirements of online teaching, including getting our daughter through her first online exam during the lockdown”
Parent of two piano students
Listen and Watch
Qualifications
- LRAM in Vocal Pedagogy with Distinction, Royal Academy of Music (2020)
- DipRAM Vocal Performance, Royal Academy of Music (2019)
- Master of Arts with Distinction, Royal Academy of Music (2019)
- BA First Class Honours Combined Honours in Arts, French and Music, Durham University (2016)
- Exchange student at Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Toulouse (2014-2015)
- Languages: Native English Speaker, fluent French Speaker, Conversational German (B1)
Claire Ward 