Clare Sands
Landscapes & Soundscapes from the Emerald Isle (Ireland)
Clare Sands navigates through the heritage of her ancestors' Irish music with unique vigour and creativity. The young violinist and multi-instrumentalist combines traditional music with contemporary sounds and influences - as virtuosic as she is adventurous, free and fearless. Although still young, this award-winning musician already has an extraordinary and long career in music, while also being an open water swimmer and martial artist, winning a black belt and several medals for Ireland.
Clare Sands started playing the violin at the age of three and learnt traditional Irish tunes weekly from her father Seamus, while her mother Susan introduced her to the blues. After school, she studied Music and Italian at University College Cork UCC and completed a Masters with Honours in Composition and Creative Practice at the Irish World Academy. During her studies Clare developed her skills as a bilingual songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist, playing more than ten instruments. Since then, Clare Sands has been wowing audiences around the world with her groundbreaking fearless folk style and endless energy.
In these electrifying and wild performances, she takes her audience on an exhilarating journey of celebration, bold defiance and hope. After breathtaking performances at Glastonbury Festival/UK, Celtic Connections in Glasgow/Scotland and the Irish Arts Centre NYC/USA, Clare Sands toured the UK, various European countries and the USA in 2023. In September 2024, she will brilliantly open the 25th season of Klangkosmos NRW as a duo with Stephen Loughran.
"Endowed with the combined power of virtuosity, boldness and a touch of crazy spontaneity, Clare Sands has established herself as one of the most compelling and unique forces in Irish music". (Lucy O'Toole, Hotpress Magazine)
Xaver Fischer Trio