Clara Scholtes is a German violinist and a member of the Bavarian State Orchestra, where she performs in opera and ballet productions at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Her musical journey began in the Bavarian State Opera’s Children’s Choir, before she pursued violin and chamber music studies at conservatories in Munich, Barcelona, and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (Bloomington, USA). She studied with Markus Wolf, Raquel Castro Pego, and Mauricio Fuks, the latter of whom she assisted as an Associate Instructor for Violin at Indiana University. Her studies in the U.S. were generously supported by the Artistic Excellence Award and the Peter and Monika Kroener Dean’s International Fellowship. Additional artistic guidance from Pamela Frank, Thomas Zehetmair, Nora Chastain, Yuval Gotlibovich, Atar Arad, Cuarteto Casals, and the Pacifica Quartet further shaped her musical development. She is currently continuing her studies in the masterclass of Lorenza Borrani at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Florence.
From a young age, Clara gained orchestral experience in leading positions in several German youth orchestras, as well as touring extensively across Europe with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. She is also an active guest musician with ensembles such as Spira Mirabilis, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Munich Chamber Orchestra.
Beyond her work in modern performance, Clara has established herself as a versatile period instrument player. While at Indiana University, she studied Baroque violin and historically informed performance with Stanley Ritchie, serving as concertmaster of the IU Baroque Orchestra, where she frequently appeared as a soloist. She has since collaborated with leading early music artists including Ingrid Matthews, Amandine Beyer, Thomas Dunford, and Mayumi Hirasaki and was a 2018 fellow of the European Union Baroque Orchestra.
A dedicated chamber musician, she has performed at festivals including the Zermatt Music Festival, Orford Musique, and Festival Isaac Albéniz. She is a laureate of several competitions and has recorded for NAXOS. From 2014 to 2018, she was a scholarship holder of the German state foundation Cusanuswerk.
Clara plays on a violin by Stefan-Peter Greiner.
Clara Scholtes 