Claire Forstman

Praised for her “masterful” playing (Bend Bulletin), Claire Forstman is the Company Pianist for Oregon Ballet Theatre and the Principal Keyboard for the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra.  Most at home in intensely collaborative musical spaces, she is the principal pianist this season for productions of Swan Lake (OBT), The Nutcracker (OBT), La bohème (Seattle Opera), La Traviata (Portland Opera), The Raven (Renegade Opera), and Little Shop of Horrors (Portland Center Stage). Claire works often as a freelance opera repetiteur and maintains an active coaching studio working with singers of local, regional, and international acclaim. At Portland Opera, she has been principal pianist for six productions in the past two seasons as well as for shows at Seattle Opera, Vashon Opera, Renegade Opera, OrpheusPDX, Opera Steamboat, Florentine Opera, and OperaBend. She recently made her operatic conducting debut in a performance of Jesse Preis’ The Raven with Renegade Opera.