PHILOSOPHY

I build communities through song. Together, we use music to amplify local voices seeking justice and dismantling systems of oppression.

I believe whole-heartedly in the innate human gift to make and share music. The music educator's job is to teach all regardless of existing skill or experience.

As we sing together, we explore our personhood in a way that is impossible to replicate either alone or through any other medium. This art is an amazing demonstration of vulnerability and resilience, and I aim to share the beauty of the choral experience with incredible people from all walks of life.

Career & EXPERIENCE

Claire Minnis is an educator, musician, and conductor building purposeful musical communities celebrating all skill and experience levels. Claire inspires professional and novice singers to musical excellence together with a unified purpose of advocating for issues of justice through innovative programming and community partnerships. She currently serves as Director of Choirs at Rockwood Summit High School and Music Director at The Ethical Society of St. Louis.

Claire has performed with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, St. Louis Chamber Chorale, and Common Pulse; directed the St. Louis Women’s Chorus, Kirkwood Children’s Chorale, middle and high schools in the Parkway School District of greater St. Louis; and founded Justice Choir chapters in Grand Rapids and Chicago. She has performed across the U.S. as well as Ireland, Scotland, and England. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Millikin University, a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from Louisiana State University, and she is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.

Claire also maintains a private studio in voice, percussion, and piano. She performs acoustic folk/indie/alternative with friends and family on her guitar, ukulele, or banjo every chance she gets! 

personal

Claire grew up in Farmington, Missouri with her parents and sister, Grace. Music was integral to the Minnis household, whether the girls were singing “Baby Beluga” with their kindergarten-music-teaching father or the latest Manhattan Transfer arrangements with their jazz-singing mother. Claire was a dedicated musician and performer throughout her high school experience, ultimately reaching among the highest leadership positions in Choir, Band, and Theater.

Her passion for intersectional activism and commitment to identifying and dismantling systems of oppression is rooted in her own upbringing. At age eight, her parents divorced. Within the year, both of Claire’s parents came out to her sister and her. However, the family remained closeted throughout her adolescence due do prevalent social stigmas and a lack of legislative protections for the LGBTQ+ community. Her personal experiences of prejudice and discrimination as well as empathy and compassion fuel her commitment to accessible and inclusionary musical spaces.

She currently lives in Affton, Missouri. If she's out of the office and the sun is shining, she is most likely gardening or playing games and eating snacks on a dog-friendly patio with her husband, Jared, and their very good dog, Samson.