Clara McLain
About
Hello there! I am Clara, a classically trained guitarist on Galveston Island where I live with my beautiful daughter.
When I am not performing at an awesome event, or teaching my amazing students, or practicing for an upcoming concert, I am spending time with my little girl while I can still hold her with one arm.
My goal is to bring the highest quality of classical guitar music to all. After nearly two decades of hard work and dedication to my craft, I offer musicality and technical precision that I am proud to share.
Whether you are new to the guitar or you are an experienced guitarist looking to further your technical and musical knowledge, I want to help you achieve your goals!
With experience from my own private teaching, leading group classes at festivals, as well as teaching masterclasses, I have refined my methods for teaching students of all ages and skill levels.
I offer you a lesson experience that is centered around where you are, where you want to be, and how to get you there.
Clara McLain began the Childbloom Guitar Program with Clare Warren in Dallas, Texas when she was seven years old.
She has studied with the acclaimed guitarist and composer David Brandon at Texas Tech University in Lubbock; and commencing in April of 2012, she began studying privately with Robert Guthrie, Professor of Guitar at Southern Methodist University's renowned Meadows School of the Arts.
In competitions, Clara won first place in the high school division at the 2011 West Texas Guitar Festival and Competition in Odessa; she placed second in the high school division at the 2013 University of Texas Dallas Guitar Festival and Competition; she was a finalist in the high school division of the 2013 "Classical Minds" Guitar Festival and Competition in Houston; she was a finalist in the high school division of the 2013 Indiana University International Guitar Festival and Competition in Bloomington, Indiana; and most recently, Clara was a finalist in the professional division at the 2018 Mountainview Guitar Festival and Competition in Dallas.
Clara attended Brookhaven College in Farmers Branch, studying with Rodger Bennett, where she performed the Vivaldi Guitar Concerto No. 1 with the Brookhaven College String Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Matson Topper, and where she also received the Alice Jones Berding Award in Music.
In the fall of 2015, Clara transferred to Southern Methodist University, receiving the Honor Transfer, Veritas, and Artistic scholarships, and where, under the tutelage of Robert Guthrie, she earned her Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance in December of 2017.
Clara has been a featured guest artist and teacher at the Summer Guitar Conservatory, a project of Guitar Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free guitar education opportunities for students throughout Houston. Clara has also been a faculty member at the “Classical Minds” Guitar Festival and Competition in Houston, and a faculty member at the Houston Guitar Festival and Competition.
Clara currently teaches and performs in the Houston and Galveston areas