Photo: Hitomi Image

Born in Rochester, New York, Claire Huangci showed an early affinity for the piano and was invited to the White House in 1999 at the age of nine. She studied with Gary Graffman and Eleanor Sokoloff at the Curtis Institute of Music before continuing her studies with Arie Vardi in Hanover, Germany. The American pianist gained international recognition by winning first prize and the Mozart Prize at the 2018 Géza Anda Competition and awards at other prestigious competitions, including Chopin Competitions in Europe and the USA, the ARD International Music Competition, and the Grand Prix of the Orchestre Chambre de Paris Play-Direct Academy. Her playing is characterized by confident and vibrant interpretations, breathtaking virtuosity, and an intelligent and thoughtful approach to sound. Driven by an irrepressible spirit of discovery, she demonstrates her versatility with an unusually broad repertoire ranging from Bach and Scarlatti through German and Russian Romanticism to Bernstein, Barber, and Florence Price. Since the 2024/25 season, Claire Huangci has been working with Alpha Classics. Following a highly acclaimed recording with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg of Mozart piano concertos, she released her solo album “Made in USA,” featuring works by the American composers Gershwin, Beach, Barber, and Wild. In early 2026, her new album “Piano Heroines,” focusing on German and American female composers, was released. As the first in a series of international orchestral engagements, Claire Huangci will make her debuts with the Baltimore and Bratislava Symphony Orchestras, the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rhineland-Palatinate State Philharmonic, the Santa Rosa Symphony, and the North Carolina Symphony during the 2025/26 season. She will embark on an extensive debut recital tour in South America, culminating in performances in Lima, Colombia, and Brazil at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Claire Huangci has already performed in major concert halls as a soloist and as a partner of international orchestras, and is a frequent guest at prestigious festivals.