Three-time GRAMMY nominated artist Clara Lyon is an accomplished soloist, chamber musician, improviser, and curator whose work connects sonic languages and artistic disciplines to create new pathways for imagination. Known for stylistic versatility, she is a sought-after collaborator in numerous contexts, from performances with groups like the Lydian Quartet and A Far Cry, to being a featured improvising soloist with San Francisco Symphony Musicians on their SoundBox series. From 2014-2023 she was a violinist and Director of Programs for the Chicago-based Spektral Quartet, during which time they commissioned and performed over 50 new works for string quartet with composers such as Anthony Cheung, Sam Pluta, Sky Macklay, Tonia Ko, George Lewis, Augusta Read Thomas, Hans Thomalla, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Bernard Rands, and many others, were nominated for three GRAMMY awards in three different genres, and were in residence at the University of Chicago’s Music Department.
Lyon is currently the Co-Artistic Director of Decoda, Carnegie Hall’s only Affiliate Ensemble, and is on faculty at the Greenwood Music Festival. She frequently performs and creates with duo partner Hannah Collins, and their current projects include collaborations with composers Evan Premo, Mazz Swift, Yaz Lancaster, Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, and video artist Nicholas Zoulek. A recipient of the Music Academy of the West Alumni Enterprise Award, and a prizewinner of the Irving M. Klein International Competition and the Schadt International Competition, Lyon has performed in solo and chamber music contexts around the world, and holds degrees from The Juilliard School and SUNY Stony Brook.
Lyon has continued to spearhead the release and distribution of two distinctive final projects of Spektral’s: Thus, the Night, an art film featuring Henri Dutilleux’s seminal work for string quartet, “Ainsi la nuit” alongside the work of visual artist Antonia Contro, was selected for the Montreal Independent Film Festival, Brussels Capital Film Festival, Rome Music Video Awards, and more, and will premiere at Aspen Film in March of 2024. Plain, Air – the quartet’s collaboration with composer Tonia Ko and NY Times Best-Selling author Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass), is a tribute to the unique ecology of the Great Lakes region, and their audio recording will be released with an accompanying chapbook, published by the Center for Humans and Nature Press, this July.
