Maria Clara Valle

Biography

Maria Clara Valle is a Brazilian cellist, composer, arranger, and music educator, holding a degree from the Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ). Her career is marked by versatility across chamber music, contemporary ensembles, international projects, and theatrical composition. She was a member of the Itiberê Orquestra Família for ten years, participating in the recording of all three of the ensemble's albums, a project widely recognized for its artistic innovation in Brazilian instrumental music. She is currently a member of the string quartet cAis, with which she released the album Entre Rios (2023). Maria Clara has also been involved in a wide range of collaborative and authorial projects. She was part of the Coletivo Essa Mulher and is the creator and curator of "Som na Toca," a cultural project focused on artistic exchange and community engagement. Her performance work includes Marulho Septeto, a duo with Luísa Lacerda—with whom she recorded the EP Beira do Mundo—and the project Dois a Dois, which toured Brazil, Portugal, Germany, and Angola. In addition to her performance career, Maria Clara works extensively as a musical director and composer for theater, collaborating with artists and companies such as Ondjaki, Soraya Ravenle, Cláudio Mendez, Inez Vianna, and the Chilean company Tryo Teatro Banda. In 2019, she won the 6th CBTIJ Theater Award for Children for Best Original Composition and Musical Direction for the play Ombela, a Origem das Chuvas. As a music educator for over 20 years, Maria Clara teaches cello and music education to students of all ages. She has been part of the faculty at institutions including the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música and Escola Sesc de Ensino Médio in Rio de Janeiro, the Projeto Garoto Cidadão (Fundação CSN) in Congonhas (MG), and the Conservatório de Música de São João del-Rei, in addition to maintaining an active private teaching practice. With a career rooted in artistic depth, pedagogy, and creative collaboration, Maria Clara Valle brings sensitivity, precision, and narrative awareness to every musical project she undertakes.