Dr. Claire Vangelisti received her DMA from the University of Texas in Applied Voice, and has a MM in Vocal Performance from UT as well. Her undergraduate degree is a BM from Central Washington University. She grew up in a musical family, with her father being a secondary choral instructor and church choir director in Seattle, Washington. She first started singing in select choirs in 4th grade and continued with lessons in voice and piano throughout high school and college.

She has performed with the Austin Lyric Opera in several productions, including the roles of Papagena in Mozart's Die Sauberflote and other roles in Rigoletto, Tannhauser, and The Ballad of Baby Doe, and is an ALO Young Artist. She also has extensive experience singing oratorio literature. Among the oratorios she has performed as soprano soloist are Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Rutter's Requiem, Mozart's Coronation Mass and Mass in C Minor, Schubert's Mass in G Major, and Vivaldi's Gloria. She has performed these works with the Austin Chamber Consort, Northwest Hills United Methodist Church, Highland Park Baptist Church, and University United Methodist Church.

Dr. Vangelisti is an adjunct faculty member at Southwestern University in Georgetown, and maintains a large voice studio. She also has taught a two- week summer course in Portugal, giving a recital at the beginning of the course.

When asked about her thoughts on music, Claire related the following:

Music has always touched something deep within me. As are all the arts, music is a language that is universal and that everyone can understand and share. I also think it is very healing, and that my job, as a vocalist and a teacher, is essentially to share my humanity with others through music, so that they are able to discover, rediscover or be reminded of some humanity within themselves. A tall order, but what a privilege.