Clare Wheeler

Clare Wheeler

“Clare’s musical world is one of mature lyricism, kaleidoscopic harmonies and thoughtful use of words. This is music to get moved and excited by. Her combined talent as composer, singer and pianist draw together strands of contemporary jazz and classical music to create an engaging and natural synthesis - the future continues to unfold!…” Tim Garland, saxophonist, composer.

Clare is a singer and composer in the contemporary jazz field. As well as performing her own original material and re-setting jazz standards, she sings with various ensembles (including the 45 piece Heritage Orchestra), and performs works by other contemporary composers. Growing up in East Africa, she moved to England in 1997 to study classical violin at Chethams School of Music in Manchester, before moving to London to study singing and composition on the jazz course at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Recent performances with The Heritage Orchestra include London Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival and The Big Chill, following the album launch at Hackney Empire in June. Her own sextet performed at the HMS President for this year’s City of London Festival, and she recently sang at the 606 Club with her jazz quintet.

“Clare is a rarity amongst singer-songwriters for she is considerably more than that. Not only is she an improvising singer, both literate and expressive, but she is a composer/lyricist of considerable scope. Her influences are wide and varied and she attracts instrumentalists of the highest calibre who play with equal depth and understanding. Clare has found her own voice - in every sense - and she is developing into a musician with a clear concept and a remarkable freshness in her sound”. Pete Churchill, composer, singer/pianist.