Clarice Assad
Biographical Information
Introduction:
Clarice Assad is a genre-breaking, Grammy-nominated, Brazillian-American composer. Assad has had an impressive career both in the concert hall and the recording studio. She has released six albums that have blurred the lines between classical, pop, and jazz music. She has also composed three operas, numerous orchestral works, and solo works of all varieties. She has worked with famous orchestras, and famous musicians from many different musical backgrounds. And she has been hailed as a leading composer whose music draws from many diverse sources. On this topic, Clarice Assad has said, “The only thing that I can come up with is (musical) fusion, I enjoy mixing elements from other places. Because I come from a different country and I've traveled to so many places in my life. If you see my DNA makeup, it’s all over the place.”
Early Life:
Clarice Assad was born in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro in one of Brazil’s most famous musical families. Her family is of Lebanese ancestry and her father, Sergio Assad, was one of Brazil’s most famous guitarists. Clarice Assad started learning how to play the piano when she was 7 years old. But she ran into problems when she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danos syndrome. Ehlers-Danos Syndrome is an inherited disease which effects joints and other connective tissue. The syndrome’s symptoms made playing the piano very difficult. But Clarice still found ways to make music. She discovered that her ability to sing was unaffected by the disease. Clarice would become a jingle singer, which would become an important part of her career as a composer later in life. However, she would eventually recover the use of her joints and would go on to have a career as a pianist. She started taking piano lessons with well-known piano teachers in Brazil and the famous Natalie Fortin when she lived in Paris with her father. She would eventually work as a theatrical pianist in Brazil before moving to the United States. Clarice originally moved to Chicago with her father, but she would end up enrolling in a film scoring program at Berklee College in Boston
Career:
Clarice Assad was excited about her film scoring program at Berklee. However, she realized that it was not the right program for her after finishing her first semester. She said, “I thought I was going to write (music) for real people, but film scoring meant that you write music for computers. It was about music production. And I thought, ‘oh, I don't want to write music for computers, I want to write music for human beings.’” She moved back to Chicago where she would receive a Bachelors degree from Roosevelt University. She would also earn a Masters degree from the University of Michigan. Assad’s first album, Invitation, was an important step in her career. In this album, Assad showcased her piano abilities and her talents as a singer. If you listen to this album, you can hear two important aspects of Assad’s musical style: her individuality and her ability to seamlessly combine genres. Interestingly, if you were to ask Assad if she is a classical composer, she would probably say that she does not consider herself to be one. While many of her pieces are performed by classical musicians and prestigious orchestras, her albums and works draw inspiration from many musical genres. For example, she has composed a concerto for scat singer and orchestra. In her 2014 album, Imaganarium, she created music that was “experimental” with pop, jazz, and latino rhythmic influences. And in her 2021 album, Archetypes, she focused on universal themes and characters that she explored through 12 entirely unique sound worlds. Classical music critics have praised Clarice Assad’s musical style for its compelling and genuine combination of genres. But Assad has described her style in her own words, saying, “…I’m a storyteller. It comes from my upbringing in Brazilian popular music, listening to the lyrics… There's always a story to be told.”
The uniqueness of Clarice Assad’s musical style has been noticed all over the United States and the world. Today, Assad is thriving as a composer. She has had works commissioned by the Los Angeles Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo. She has been a composer in residence with the Albany Symphony and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. And she continues to pursue adventurous new collaborations with ensembles and musicians like Yo-Yo Ma, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and the Turtle Island String Quartet.
Resources:
Third Coast Review Article:
https://thirdcoastreview.com/2021/04/16/feature-clarice-assad
I Care if You Listen Interview:
https://icareifyoulisten.com/2021/04/5-questions-to-clarice-assad-composer-performer/
All Music Biography:
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/clarice-assad-mn0000312895
The Volterra Project Biography:
https://www.volterraguitar.org/bio-clarice-assad.html
