Draft:Clara Biermasz

Clara Biermasz, born March 30, 1981, is a pianist and piano pedagogue from the Netherlands, currently residing in Vienna.

Personal Life
Clara comes from a family with a rich artistic heritage. Her great-uncle, Louis Biermasz, was a violinist and a student of Eugène Ysaye. He served as the concertmaster of the Orchestre Lamoureux de Paris and was a member of the Crickboom Quartett, which included Matthieu Crickboom, Léon van Hout, and Joseph Jacob. Her great-aunt, Maria (Mies) Biermasz (1910–1987), was a painter. Clara lives in Vienna with her husband, cellist Adam Javorkai, and their two sons, Ruben (9) and Aron (6).

Early years and studies
Clara began her musical journey at the age of 4 with the violin and started playing the piano at 11. She pursued her studies at the Academy of the Arts in Utrecht, the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, earning her Master of Arts with distinction in 2012.

Career
Clara has been recognized at numerous international competitions. Her accolades include the 1st Prize (VSB Prize) and the Youth Jury Prize at the Princess Christina Competition in the Netherlands, northern region (1996), the first prize in the category of chamber music and 'Primo Premio Assoluto ' – the overall winner in all categories at the international competition 'Premio Città di Padova ' in Italy (2008). In 2008, Clara was also a prize-winner at the '18th International Chamber Music Competition Thessaloniki in Greece. She gave concerts globally as a soloist, a chamber musician, and a lead accompanist, collaborating with renowned artists like Pieter Wispelwey, Johannes Moser, Adam Javorkai & Reinhard Latzko, violinist Lieke te Winkel, tenor Ramón Vargas, mezzo-soprano Karin Strobos, writer Jan Brokken and members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Clara has performed on stages at prestigious venues and festivals worldwide, including the Wiener Konzerthaus, at the Beethoven Festival Wien, at the Chopin Festival in Gaming (Austria), at the Palazzo Albrizzi in Venice, the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, the Chopin Centre in Szafarnia (Poland), the Chopin Center in Hamburg & Darmstadt (Germany), the Dutch Embassies in Vienna, Cairo and Muscat, Vredenburg in Utrecht, de Doelen in Rotterdam,  the Muziekcentrum Frits Philips, Eindhoven, the Hermitage Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and at prestigious festivals like the 'Settimane musicali al Teatro Olimpico' in Vicenza.

Biermasz served as a jury member at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for children & youth in Szafarnia, Poland, at the Princess Christina Competition in the Netherlands, at the Prima la Musica Competition in Austria and as a honorary president at the International Chopin Competition in Tangshan, China.

She has held masterclasses for the Kodály Society Wales (England) and continues to teach at the Masterclasses Gutenstein (Austria).

Clara Biermasz has been a scholarship-holder of the Cultuurfonds, the Willem Mengelberg Foundation and received a scholarship from the City of Vienna.

Premieres
In 2015 she premiered the piece "Nocturno" for piano and orchestra by the Austrian composer Hannes Raffaseder and in 2019 she premiered his piece "berührt, bewegt, verbunden" for violoncello and piano. During the XXXII. Chopin-Festival in Gaming, Austria, she premiered the piano quartett "Umkreisungen - Annäherung an Chopin" by the Austrian composer Franz Thürauer with the Wiener Klavierquartett, consisting of violinist Sandor, viola player Alexander Park, cellist Adam Javorkai and pianist Clara Biermasz.

Artistic director
Besides her musical career, Clara is artistic director of the Dutch Chopin Foundation & Chopin Festival Nederland and since 2019 vice president of the International Chopin Society in Vienna.

Her roles in these organisations show her commitment to promoting and preserving the legacy of Chopin's music. Her work as an artistic director involves curating performances, fostering young talent, and organizing events that bring together musicians and audiences to celebrate the beauty of Chopin's music.

As the president of the Dutch Chopin Foundation in the Netherlands, Clara plays an important role in shaping the society's initiatives and programs. Her contributions to these organisations have been instrumental in promoting Chopin's music to a wider audience and nurturing the next generation of musicians.