Raised in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, Haitian-American violist Clara Prinston is dedicated to pursuing the intersection of music, place, and faith. Born into a musical family, Clara began to play the violin at the age of 5 and continued to play until she was led to switch to the “dark side…” AKA, the viola! While at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Clara was formally introduced to the instrument that now holds her heart, and went on to complete her Master’s degree in Viola Performance.
Before moving to Canada, Clara was very active in the music & arts community of her home region of East Tennessee. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in Applied Music and Linguistics. As a student, Clara began her tangential career in public radio at Knoxville’s NPR-affiliate station, 91.9FM WUOT, where she later served as the Senior Radio Programmer and Announcer for the Afternoon Concert. While there, she was able to share relevant stories not only through the music that she programmed, but also through the artists that she interviewed, including Tessa Lark, Nathalie Joachim, Nikki Giovanni, and more. In addition to this, Clara regularly performed with ensembles including the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Marble City Opera, and the Brevard Philharmonic, among others.
As a keen teacher, Clara began teaching violin at a young age and remained dedicated as a volunteer teacher at the Joy of Music Schoo ... view more »
Raised in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, Haitian-American violist Clara Prinston is dedicated to pursuing the intersection of music, place, and faith. Born into a musical family, Clara began to play the violin at the age of 5 and continued to play until she was led to switch to the “dark side…” AKA, the viola! While at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Clara was formally introduced to the instrument that now holds her heart, and went on to complete her Master’s degree in Viola Performance.
Before moving to Canada, Clara was very active in the music & arts community of her home region of East Tennessee. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in Applied Music and Linguistics. As a student, Clara began her tangential career in public radio at Knoxville’s NPR-affiliate station, 91.9FM WUOT, where she later served as the Senior Radio Programmer and Announcer for the Afternoon Concert. While there, she was able to share relevant stories not only through the music that she programmed, but also through the artists that she interviewed, including Tessa Lark, Nathalie Joachim, Nikki Giovanni, and more. In addition to this, Clara regularly performed with ensembles including the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Marble City Opera, and the Brevard Philharmonic, among others.
As a keen teacher, Clara began teaching violin at a young age and remained dedicated as a volunteer teacher at the Joy of Music School throughout her undergraduate studies in Knoxville, and by receiving supplementary training in the Suzuki Method for Books 1-3.
As a fellow at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, Clara has had the additional privilege of being coached by the leading violists of our time including Cynthia Phelps, Richard O’Neill, Karen Drefyus, and Milan Milisavljević. Her primary teachers have included André Roy, Jinjoo Cho, Geoffrey Herd, and Miroslav Hristov. Clara is honored to play on a 2016 Grubaugh and Seifert viola, on generous loan by the Virtu Foundation.
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