Ottakar Kraus Memorial Scholarship (2000)

Beatrice Taylor Memorial Scholarship (1999)

Old Enfield Charitable Trust (1998)

Ricordi Opera Prize (2000)

Claire Pendleton studied at UCL/Birkbeck College, where she received distinction in Opera Performance and was awarded an Ottakar Kraus Memorial Scholarship. She then gained a Postgraduate Diploma at Trinity College of Music, studying with Wendy Eathorne and Geoffrey Pratley; winning several scholarships including the Ricordi Opera Prize and Beatrice Taylor Memorial Scholarship.
Whilst at college Claire sang as Madame Lidoine (Dialogue of the Carmelites), at Spitalfields Opera conducted by Andrea Quinn and received critical acclaim for the British fully staged premiere and the title role of Barber’s Vanessa, at the Bloomsbury Theatre conducted by Gregory Rose. Claire also performed in a masterclass for pianist & singer, with Julius Drake in the Holywell Music Room as part of the Oxford Lieder Festival. 

Operatic roles for ENO include a Laura (Luisa Miller), comedy fairy (Iolanthe), Nurse (Perfect American), Tetka (Jenufa), solo woman in Turandot, Old Woman (A Dog’s Heart), Suburban Mum (Two Boys), Tetka (Jenufa) and off stage voice (Caligula). She also covered, Janis Kelly in the role of Walt Disney's love interest, the Nurse, in Phillip Glass' The Perfect American, Mrs Naidoo (Satyagraha), a Flower Maiden (Parsifal) & Solo Woman (Thebans), Berta cover (Barber of Seville), Giulia cover (Gondoliers), Lakme soprano (On the Town), Vendor & Young Woman (Kismet), Mimi & Musetta for ENO Baylis, Mabel & Gianetta for ENO Friends. 
Outside ENO roles include Anna Bolena for Swansea City Opera, Rusalka for ‘I Maestri’ at St.John's Smith Square and Opera Box, First Lady (Magic Flute), for Opera Project and Opera à la Carte, Helmwige cover (Die Walküre) for Northern Wagner Orchestra, Aminta (Schweigsame Frau) for Garsington Opera Educational Project, Anna (Nabucco) at Blackheath Concert Halls, Mimi (La Boheme), Countess Almaviva (Marriage of Figaro), Michaela & Frasquita (Carmen) and Queen of The Night (Magic Flute) and High Priestess (Aida).


Claire has performed in many venues around the UK, Europe & South Africa. She has recorded the role of Blush of Morning, in Arthur Sullivan’s Rose of Persia, with the Hanover Band, which is now released on the CPO label. She has also recorded for Chandos, BBC TV and BBC Music Magazine. 

Claire’s oratorio experience includes Handel’s Messiah at Greenwich Naval Chapel in the presence of HRH Princess Royal, a performance in the Palace of Westminster, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Bardi Orchestra and with the Oxford Philomusica at the Sheldonian Theatre, Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with the Wolsey Orchestra, Bach Cantata 124 at Guildford Cathedral, Bach’s Mass in B Minor at St John’s Smith Square with the Brooke Street Band, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the West Sussex Philarmonic, Mozart’s Requiem with Oxford Philomusica at Christchurch Cathedral, Haydn’s Creation, Brahm’s Ein Deutsches Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Faure’s Requiem, Haydn’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Verdi Requiem at Portsmouth Cathedral, Enfield Choral Society & East Herts Guild of Singers. 

She has sung session & concert work, for London Voices, with ‪Nigel Kennedy‬ at Glastonbury, the Classical Brit Awards with Andrea Boccelli, ‪Sarah Brightman‬, Rusell Watson, Hatley Westenra and again with ‪Nigel Kennedy‬, all for Southwark Voices; Songs of Praise with ‪Katherine Jenkins‬ & ‪Aled Jones‬, ‪Sunday Night‬ at the London Palladium with Bruce Forsythe and also performed on The Parkinson show with ‪Luciano Pavarotti‬. She has studied with the distinguished soprano Marie McLaughlin. She has sung in various opera recordings with Opera Rara.

Claire is a member of the English National Opera.
In the 2017-2018 season she covered two major roles for the company; covering ‪Lesley Garrett‬ as Mrs Rutland in the world premiere of Nico Muhly's opera 'Marnie' and the role of Mrs Naidoo in ‪Philip Glass‬' opera, Satyagraha. For the ENO 2018-2019 season, Claire sang the role of Fido in Paul Bunyan, at Wilton’s Music Hall, the soprano soloist in Elijah in London & Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Norfolk. During the 21/22 season she covered Mrs Naidoo in Satyagraha. Claire sang the soprano solo in Verdi’s Requiem with the West Sussex Philarmonia in the autumn of 2023. It was a joy to be invited back, after performing Strauss’ Four Last Songs in 2022.
In the 23/24 season Claire sings Tetka in Jenufa & covers Berta in Barber of Seville at ENO.

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