A French composer born January 19, 1946 in Paris.
Claire Schapira studied the piano, notably with Marguerite Long, before obtaining a diploma for virtuosity in the harpsichord class of Huguette Dreyfus as well as a diploma in electro-acoustics in that of Jean-Étienne Marie at the Schola Cantorum (1971). In residence at the Villa Medici (1976-1978), she subsequently studied at Ircam.
Schapira is both a self-taught composer and a professional harpsichord player, though this latter career was cut short by an accident.
A multi-facetted artiste, Claire Schapira is a painter, sculptor, multidisciplinary writer and author. She puts her creativity at the service of art in all its forms of expression.
She is sensitive to the work of artistes such as Georges Perec, Italo Calvino, Raymond Roussel, Camille Claudel, Francisco de Goya, Egon Schiele, Joseph Pollock, György Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis and Alban Berg. Her works evoke human suffering, revolt and madness.
Schapira composes for all formations, with a preference for strings and the voice. Works include Immobiles for mezzo-soprano, soprano and instrumental ensemble, first performed by L’Itinéraire (1978); In pace for soprano, chorus and orchestra, first performed by the Chœur de Radio France and the Orchestre National de France (1978); Acheminement for two sopranos, five reciters, flute, percussion, harpsichord and double bass, first performed by soloists of the Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Jean-Claude Pennetier (1980); Sans craindre le vertige et le vent for harp and string trio, first performed by the Trio à Cordes de Paris (1985); Chant cousu for soprano and instrumental ensemble, first performed by the Ensemble Intercontemporain (1985); La partition de sable, opera commissioned by the French State (1985); Le ciel de mes yeux en pleurs for soprano and instrumental ensemble, first performed by the Orchestre National de Lille conducted by Arturo Tamayo at the festival Présences (1996); L'ombre de Cassandre, opera, a work for which she received` a bursary from the Fondation Beaumarchais in 2003; Requiem pour la Paix, commissioned by Radio France premiered in 2004 by the Maîtrise, Chœurs and Orchestre National de France conducted by Fabien Gabel.