Video: Brooklyn's Claire Chase, Winner of MacArthur 'Genius Grant',' Plays Flute by BQE

Brooklyn resident Claire Chase -- an "astoundingly" talented flutist -- has been awarded $500,000 over the next five years from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, an award commonly known as a "genius grant."

Photo by David Michale

The Kansas City Star (and Newsday) reported the list of winners last night, though the official announcement is today.

Chase is called an "arts entrepreneur who engages audiences in the appreciation of contemporary classical music and opens new avenues of artistic expression through her International Contemporary Ensemble."

The group's website says:

"Over the past decade Claire has given the world premieres of more than 100 new works for solo flute, many of them tailor-made for her, and she has produced and curated more than 500 concerts of contemporary music.

"First Prize Winner of the 2008 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Claire has given solo recitals recently at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and throughout the US. Claire released her debut solo album in October 2009 on the New Focus Recordings label featuring world premieres by emerging composers, which was named one of the Top Ten Releases of the Year by TimeOut Chicago."

In the above video, Ms. Chase performs Toccata from JS Bach's Toccata and Fugure, arranged by Sciarrino and performed next to the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

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