About
Clara George wears many hats as a musician; she can be found working as a hospice musician, songwriter, performer, utility musician, and teacher. Clara is a pianist, guitarist, banjoist, vocalist, and songwriter for the alt-bluegrass band, Five Cent Fireballs.
Clara holds music degrees from Interlochen Arts Academy and Oberlin Conservatory. She has worked in both the classical and popular music worlds. Clara has won numerous awards and competitions as a classical oboist, and has also performed on the Lilith Fair tour with her first band, Surrender Dorothy. She has performed with Sarah McLachlan, Martina McBride, John Williams, Sheryl Crow, and Itzhak Perlman.
Clara has spent more than 20 years sharing music with people with dementia. In the early 2000s, she collaborated with the North Bay Area Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association to bring music into the homes of people with Alzheimer's disease. Clara now works with The Front Porch, a nonprofit organization in Charlottesville, VA, leading weekly sing-alongs in memory care communities.
Clara makes her home in Charlottesville, VA, with her wife and three dogs. When she isn't picking her banjo or writing a new song, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and gardening.