Claire Bourg was the first prize winner of the 2012 Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, among many other accomplishments.
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Claire Bourg, 17, is a senior at Metea Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois. She studies violin privately with Cyrus Forough.
Claire began studying the violin at age five and has received many awards and accolades for her playing including first prize winner of the 2012 Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, first prize winner of the 2012 Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition, second prize winner of the 2012 Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, third prize winner of the 2012 Blount-Slawson Young Artist Competition, and winner of the Farwell Trust Award presented by the Musicians Club of Women, among others.
Claire has appeared on National Public Radio’s From the Top radio program and has performed as a featured soloist with several orchestras including the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra and Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In February, 2013, she will perform the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor with the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra and on May 19, 2013, she will perform Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto in D Minor at Orchestra Hall with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Claire is an active chamber musician and has been a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Encore Chamber Orchestra for many years. In 2012, her Music Institute of Chicago string ensemble—Quartet al Dente–was a semi-finalist at the Fischoff Competition. In 2011, Claire was selected to perform with the Chicago Youth in Music Festival orchestra under the direction of Riccardo Muti and her string ensemble—the Amati Quartet–was selected to perform onstage with Yo-Yo Ma at Orchestra Hall.
Claire has performed as a featured soloist and chamber musician in many camps and festivals including the Bowdoin International Music Festival and the Indiana University Summer String Academy. She has participated in master classes led by Yo-Yo Ma, James Ehnes, Vadim Gluzman, Phillip Ying of the Ying Quartet and the Beethoven Project Trio.
In her spare time, Claire enjoys playing golf, traveling, teaching violin, and performing in community outreach concerts.