Clara Frantzen is a violinist, composer, and conductor currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the Boston Conservatory. As a composer, they have had two of their compositions premiered by the Civic Orchestra under the guidance of Jessie Montgomery, through the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Young Composers Initiative. Before they were a part of the Young Composers Initiative, they participated in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Young Composers Program where another original piece was premiered. They also won first place in ILMEA’s Composition Competition in 2025 with their piece, “Ghost Light Vignettes”. As a violinist, they are currently studying with Sharan Leventhal at the Boston Conservatory. They were also a part of the Chicago Youth in Music Festival where they played alongside Civic Orchestra musicians as a high school student, and were principal second violin for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony Orchestra during the orchestra’s 2024-2025 season as well as their most recent tour to Spain and the orchestra’s first-ever performance at Lollapalooza. As a soloist, they performed Ravel’s “Tzigane” with the Oak Park and River Forest High School after winning the school’s concerto competition in 2025. As a conductor, Clara studied conducting and orchestration with Anthony Barrese and was his assistant conductor for the American premiere of Korngold’s opera, “Die Kathrin”, through Folks Operetta and the University of Chicago in 2022.