Multiple Grammy award nominee Clarice Assad is a pianist, vocalist and composer.
Upcoming/In Development:
The Selfish Giant with Lila Palmer commissioned by ALT & Opera Saratoga
Select Stage Works:
The Crossing with librettist E.M. Lewis
The Disinherited with librettist Niloufar Talebi
Opera das Pedras with librettist Denise Milan
A Place Between Earth & Sky commissioned by Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre
Iara commissioned by PDX Contemporary Ballet/Northwest Piano Trio
Sin Fronteras commissioned by the Chicago Sinfonietta for CRDT
Orchestral:
Lilith commissioned by Tom Baron
É Gol commissioned by The Cabrillo Festival
Bonecos de Olinda commissioned by Boston Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
Cirandadas commissioned by the Boston Landmarks Orchestra
The Last Song commissioned by the Michigan Philharmonic
O Saci-Pererê commissioned by the Harris Foundation
The Disappeared commissioned by the Cabrillo Festival
MOST LIKELY TO SAY:
“Never give up.”
ON THE JOB:
“Connection is everything. Always listen, be open, be kind...go for that thing we don’t understand intellectually well, but that works miracles: that magical something called intuition.”
PRESS:
“A Serious Triple Threat.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“… a talent quite beyond compare.”
—All Music Guide
A prolific Grammy nominated composer with over 70 works to her credit, Clarice Assad’s numerous commissions include works for Carnegie Hall, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Orquestra Sinfônica de São Paulo, Chicago Sinfonietta, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Youth Orchestra, the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, Queen Reef Music Festival and the La Jolla Music Festival, to name a few. Her compositions have been recorded by Dame Evelyn Glennie, cellist Yo- Yo Ma, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and oboist Liang Wang. Assad’s music has been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, Queensland Symphony, and the Orquestra Sinfônica de São Paulo. Ms. Assad has served as a composer-in-residence for the Albany Symphony, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, New Century Chamber Orchestra, and the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. As a performer, Clarice has shared the stage with such artists as Bobby McFerrin, Anat Cohen, Nadia Sirota, Paquito D’Rivera, Tom Harrell, Marilyn Mazur and Mike Marshall, and performed at venues and festivals including The Netherlands’ Concertgebow, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Belgium’s Le Palais des Beaux-Arts, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Le Casino de Paris, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Caramoor International Jazz Festival. A passionate educator, in 2015 Ms. Assad founded VOXploration, an award-winning, trailblazing program which presents a creative, fun, and accessible approach to music education through meaningful, interactive experiences. Carefully curated to work equally well with participants of any age who have little music education or those having musical backgrounds, VOXploration has received grants and awards from Brazilian foundations such as CAIXA CULTURAL and SESC, as well as American grants from New Music USA and the McKnight Foundation. Ms. Assad has given masterclasses, residencies and workshops throughout the United States, Europe and Middle East. Born in Rio de Janiero, Clarice Assad is one of the most widely performed Brazilian concert music composers of her generation. She’s the recipient of the Aaron Copland Award and several ASCAP awards in composition. Clarice holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Roosevelt University in Chicago, and a Master of Music degree from The University of Michigan School of Music.