Claire Chenette

Claire Chenette is principal oboist with the Knoxville Symphony in Tennessee and simultaneously enjoys an active freelance career in Southern California. In addition to her work with Wild Up, she frequently performs with her folk band Three Thirds, the San Diego Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and Long Beach Opera, among others. An advocate of new music, Claire has been a featured chamber musician on the LA Phil’s Green Umbrella Series, the Monday Evening Concert Series, and Jacaranda, among others. She has had the honor of spending four summers at the Lucerne Music Festival in Switzerland under the direction of Pierre Boulez and Simon Rattle, performing at Salle Pleyel in Paris, with the Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra, Bang on a Can ensemble, Aspen Festival Orchestra, as principal oboist with the American Youth Symphony for three years, and as English Horn with the Debut Orchestra for two years. Claire received double degrees in oboe and religion from Oberlin College and Conservatory and a master’s degree in performance from California Institute of the Arts. She loves folk music, rhythm, foreign languages, Bach, books, bicycles, baking, and making jam and soap.