Originally from Bath, Claire Williams studied piano and early keyboards at the Royal College of Music in London. She subsequently completed a Master’s degree at Trinity College of Music, studying harpsichord and chamber organ with James Johnstone.
From 2016 she held the Fellowship in Harpsichord & Continuo at the Royal College of Music for three consecutive years – the first person ever to do so.
Claire is much in demand as a continuo player and accompanist, and can occasionally be persuaded to give a solo recital. However, she feels most at home when playing as part of a group, and enjoys working with a wide and varied range of ensembles. She has performed in venues ranging from the intimacy of the Handel & Hendrix Museum in London, to the expansive Royal Albert Hall, and everything in between. Claire has recently been appointed Ensemble Director for Musica Secreta, who are the UK's leading female-voice ensemble specialising in music of the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, written for and by women.
Claire has appeared in many major festivals, including Manchester, Bath, and Chelsea Festivals, East Cork Early Music Festival, Spitalfields Music, London Handel Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and Latitude. She has been a regular artist at Dartington International Summer School, Suffolk Villages Festival, and Brighton Early Music Festival. She is a familiar face at Benslow, having taught on the Baroque Orchestra and Baroque Chamber Music courses for the past few years.
