Claire Wickes has performed as guest principal flute with the BBC Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestras, and sub-principal of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. She is currently on trial as Principal flautist of the English National Opera and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra. Claire also performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician, including recent engagements at St Martin in the Fields, St Johns Smith Square, the Royal Albert Hall Elgar Room, Cadogan Hall, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, and in Kyoto, Japan.
Claire studied for her undergraduate BA in music at Brasenose College, Oxford, where she held an academic scholarship and graduated with first-class honours. During her time at Oxford she studied the flute with Michael Cox, principal flautist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 2014 Claire completed her Masters degree at the Royal College of Music, where she studied with Daniel Pailthorpe and Gareth Davies. Whilst at the RCM Claire received awards from the H R Taylor Trust, the Worshipful Company of Musicians, the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, and the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund. Claire has been invited to perform as a concerto soloist on numerous occasions, and won concerto competitions at Chetham’s School of Music, Oxford University, and the Royal College of Music. She will be performing the Nielsen Flute Concerto with the RCM Philharmonic in March 2015.
Claire currently enjoys a diverse performing career incorporating recording, radio broadcasts, teaching, orchestral and solo playing. Recent recordings include the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Schumann Symphony cycle, the BBC series ‘Human Universe’ with the English Session Orchestra, and the forthcoming Pink Floyd album ‘The Endless River’. Claire is also passionate about contemporary music, and regularly collaborates with composers writing for piccolo, alto and bass flute, as well as works for flute and electronics. She won the prize for best interpretation of a contemporary work’ at the 2014 Aeolus International Wind Competition following her performance of Edwin Roxburgh’s ‘Stardrift’, and performed works by Peter Maxwell Davies at the BBC Proms as part of a London Sinfonietta project. Claire plays with the Multi-Story orchestra, an ensemble which brings Classical music out of the concert hall making it more accessible to new audiences, which has been described as ‘the most exciting development in classical music for decades, if not centuries’ (The Times).
Claire is the current Richard Carne Junior Fellow at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and offers special thanks to the Richard Carne Trust for their support.