Claire Harris

Claire Harris is a Toronto-based collaborative pianist, specializing in opera and contemporary repertoire. Originally from New Zealand, Claire holds a Bachelor of Music from the New Zealand School of Music and a Master’s from the Royal College of Music, London, England. Prior to moving to Toronto in 2018, Claire was a staff accompanist at the Royal College of Music, London, as well as working with companies including English Touring Opera, the Rossini Young Artists’ Festival, Opera Alumnus, and the Academie de La Roche D’Hys annual opera workshop in France. She has performed internationally as a pianist in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall, London, the Porgy and Bess, Vienna, and appeared on radio stations from Guernsey to Bogotá, Colombia.

Claire is pianist with Crossing Borders, a company performing works by living composers across Canada and internationally, most recently touring Colombia with a programme of all Canadian and Colombian living composers. She also recently curated and performed a recital of Canadian art song with baritone Parker Clements at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. Claire is co-producer and pianist for Opera Revue, a Toronto opera company which has been featured on the cover of Opera Canada magazine, CBC National Radio and CTV National television.

She is also the pianist for Canadian Children’s Opera Company’s Principal Chorus, Associate Director with Opera by Request, Toronto, and Pianist with the Toronto Children’s Chorus, as well as working regularly as a répétiteur and coach with independent companies around Toronto and Ontario. Claire coaches students in the vocal program at the University of Toronto, as well as maintaining a private coaching studio. Claire is also the pianist for Amarras, a Toronto-based contemporary Argentinian Tango ensemble with whom she has performed in the USA and Argentina.