Clara Maïda is a French composer both based in Paris and Berlin.
She holds a PhD by publication in Composition (University of Huddersfield, UK), a Master's Degree in Musicology, Creation, Music and Society (Paris 8-Saint-Denis University, FR), a French National Diploma for Classical Piano Teaching (Aubagne Cefedem-Sud, FR) and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology (Aix-Marseille University, FR).
She attended masterclasses and composition courses with Helmut Lachenmann, Philippe Manoury, Tristan Murail, Gérard Grisey, Magnus Lindberg, Harrison Birtwhistle, Klaus Huber and Marco Stroppa (Centre ACANTHES and CNSMDP-Paris Superior Conservatory of Music).
She was a Guest Composer of the BERLINER KÜNSTLERPROGRAMM of the DAAD for one year (2007-08).
She received several international composition awards such as a 1st Prize at KOMPOSITIONSPREIS DER LANDESHAUPTSTADT STUTTGART 2011 (DE), the BERLIN-RHEINSBERGER KOMPOSITIONSPREIS 2008 (DE), an Honorable Mention at EARPLAY DONALD AIRD COMPOSERS COMPETITION 2008 (US), an Honorary Mention at PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA 2007 (AT), a 2nd Prize at SALVATORE MARTIRANO MEMORIAL COMPOSITION AWARD 2003 (US), and Finalist selections at FRANCO EVANGELISTI 2022 Competition (IT), WORLD MUSIC DAYS 2020 (FR) MUSICA NOVA Competition (CZ, 2017 and 2008).
She also received several COMPOSITION GRANTS from the BUNDESREGIERUNG FÜR KULTUR UND MEDIEN 2022, the BERLIN SENAT 2015 and the AKADEMIE DER KÜNSTE Berlin 2006 (DE). And she was laureate of the HORS LES MURS PROGRAMME 2012 of the Paris FRENCH INSTITUTE.
She has been commissioned by prominent ensembles, festivals and institutions including the French MINISTRY OF CULTURE (with ARDITTI QUARTET, L’ITINÉRAIRE, 2E2M, ACCROCHE NOTE, PROXIMA CENTAURI and CÉSARÉ), RADIO FRANCE, ART ZOYD, ECLAT festival (Stuttgart), the Paris GRM, DONAUESCHINGER MUSIKTAGE, PARIS INTERNATIONAL GUITAR FESTIVAL, the French SACEM/KLANG! festival (Hamburg), the BERLINER KÜNSTLERPROGRAMM of the DAAD, the Berlin AKADEMIE DER KÜNSTE, the Marseille GMEM and LYON NATIONAL ORCHESTRA.
She was a composer in residence in several electroacoustic studios (ELECTRONIC STUDIO of the TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITÄT and STUDIO FÜR ELEKTROAKUSTISCHE MUSIK of the AKADEMIE DER KÜNSTE in Berlin, ART ZOYD Valenciennes, CÉSARÉ Reims, GRM Paris and GMEM Marseille).
Her musical works has been featured by numerous ensembles and performers (Arditti Quartet, Neue Vocalsolisten, KNM Berlin, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, Resonanz, L’Itinéraire, Accroche Note, 2E2M, NEM, MCME, EOC, Alternance, Proxima Centauri, OENM, UI New Music, CrossingLines, Orchestre National de Lyon, Pellegrini Quartett, Theo Nabicht, Thierry Miroglio, Armand Angster, Caroline Delume, Martine Joste, Jan Michiels, Heather O’Donnell, Seth Josel, Stephen Gosling and Michael Weilacher).
Her music has been premiered and performed within many festivals and institutions all around the world, among which the most prominent are CITÉ DE LA MUSIQUE/PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS (FR), RADIO FRANCE, MULTIPHONIES festival (MAISON DE LA RADIO, Paris, FR), LÉONARD DE VINCI OPERA (Rouen, FR), MUSICA festival (Strasbourg, FR), LES MUSIQUES festival (Marseille, FR), HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL (UK), SOUTHBANK CENTRE (London, UK), LUCERNE festival (CH), DONAUESCHINGER MUSIKTAGE (DE), the AKADEMIE DER KÜNSTE (Berlin, DE), ECLAT festival (Stuttgart, DE), ULTRASCHALL festival (Berlin, DE), DRESDNER TAGE DER ZEITGENÖSSISCHEN MUSIK (DE), WEIMARER FRÜHJAHRSTAGE (DE), MAISON DE LA RADIO (Geneva, CH), MIXTUR festival (Barcelona, ES), MÚSICA VIVA festival (Lisbon, PT), EMUFest (Rome, IT), GLINKA MUSEUM OF MUSIC (Moscow, RU), BENDIGO INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EXPLORATORY MUSIC (AS), CROISEMENTS festival (Shanghai, CN), FRENCH MAY festival (Hong Kong).
Her pieces have been broadcast on numerous radios in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico, Australia and South Africa.
Various articles have been published in music journals, reviews of psychoanalysis and literature in France and in Germany.
She was a Guest Professor of Composition at the ESCOLA SUPERIOR DE MÚSICA DE CATALUNYA (Barcelona, ES) in 2015.
She has been invited to present her interdisciplinary research at the intersection of music composition, structuralist psychoanalysis, Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy, and nanosciences during conferences, seminars, masterclasses and international musical and transdiciplinary colloquiums in various institutions in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia and New York.
Her discography includes Web-wave (Expériences de vol 10, 11, 12, 13, ART ZOYD Valenciennes's 4-CD Digipack, 2018) and two monographic CD's in corpore vili (DAAD/EDITION RZ, with the support of MFA, Berlin, 2010) and Anania Iniji (GMEM/METAMKINE, Marseille, 2002).
