About

Musician & Composer

Claire Devlin is a Montreal-based saxophonist and composer. Since 2016 Claire has led her own group, the Claire Devlin Quartet, and in 2020 she released her debut album, “Anyone”. Claire is a member of several ensembles, including the Canadian National Jazz Orchestra, the Sarah Rossy Chamber Ensemble, the Plastic Waste Band, Bellbird, and Jean-Michel Leblanc’s Variétés Narratives, and she performs regularly with the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal, Rommel Ribeiro, Thus Owls, and the Equal Jazz Orchestra.

Claire grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, and started playing saxophone at the age of 12. In 2012, she was the recipient of the Rising Young Star award at the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival. Soon after, she moved to Montreal to study music at McGill University. Claire attended the Banff Jazz & Creative Music Workshop in 2017 where she met and studied with several renowned musicians including Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh, Tyshawn Sorey, Jen Shyu, and Stephan Crump. In 2020, Claire received a master’s degree in Jazz Performance and Composition at McGill University. In the ten years since moving to Montreal, Claire has performed with many accomplished musicians such as John Hollenbeck, Christine Jensen, Linda Oh, Jean-Michel Pilc, Okkyung Lee, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Jen Shyu, Anna Webber, and Matt Mitchell.


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Claire Devlin est une saxophoniste et compositrice basée à Montréal. Depuis 2016, Claire dirige son propre groupe, le Claire Devlin Quartet, et en 2020 elle a sorti son premier album, "Anyone". Claire est membre de plusieurs ensembles, y compris l'Orchestre national de jazz du Canada, l'ensemble de chambre Sarah Rossy, le Plastic Waste Band, Bellbird et les Variétés Narratives de Jean-Michel Leblanc, et elle se produit régulièrement avec l'Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal, Rommel Ribeiro, Thus Owls et le Equal Jazz Orchestra.

 

Claire a grandi à Ottawa, en Ontario, et a commencé à jouer du saxophone à l'âge de 12 ans. En 2012, elle a reçu le prix « Rising Young Star » au Prince Edward County Jazz Festival. Peu de temps après, elle est partie à Montréal pour étudier la musique à l'Université McGill. Claire a participé au Banff Jazz & Creative Music Workshop en 2017 où elle a rencontré et étudié avec plusieurs musiciens renommés tels que Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh, Tyshawn Sorey, Jen Shyu et Stephan Crump. En 2020, Claire a obtenu un master en interprétation jazz et composition à l'Université McGill. Depuis dix ans qu'elle vit à Montréal, Claire a joué avec de nombreux musiciens accomplis tels que John Hollenbeck, Christine Jensen, Linda Oh, Jean-Michel Pilc, Okkyung Lee, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Jen Shyu, Anna Webber et Matt Mitchell.

 

Discography ;; Discographie

As a leader

2023    Bellbird - “Root In Tandem”
2020    Claire Devlin Quartet - “Anyone”

As a sidewoman

2022    Thus Owls – “Who Would Hold You If The Sky Betrayed Us”
2022    Jean-Michel Leblanc – “Intriqué”
2021    Rommel Ribeiro – “Karawara”
2020    Jean-Michel Leblanc – “Variétés Narratives”
2020    Plastic Waste Band – “Revelations EP”
2019    Sarah Rossy – “The Conclusion”
2019    Plastic Waste Band – “Crushed”
2017    Plastic Waste Band – “Plastic Waste Band”
2016    Beth McKenna Jazz Orchestra – “Home: Montreal”
2016    Nic Gaumond Octet – “The Nic Gaumond Octet Cometh!”
2015    Beth McKenna Jazz Orchestra – “Start”

Performance Highlights ;; Spectacles Majeurs

2023     Bellbird – Ontario/Quebec Tour
Festi Jazz Mont Tremblant, Silence (Guelph), DROM Taberna (Toronto), Tranzac (Toronto), Minotaure (Gatineau), La Sala Rossa (Montreal)
 
2023     Featured Guest with the McGill Jazz Orchestra IITanna Hall (Montreal)
2023     Featured Guest at the Brandon University Jazz FestivalLorne Watson Recital Hall (Brandon)
2023     Ottawa SuiteGreat Canadian Theatre Company (Ottawa)
2022     Jazzlab Orchestra – Outremont Theatre (Montreal)
2022     Jazzlab Orchestra – Palais Montcalm (Québec City)
2022     Jazzlab Orchestra – Canada Tour
Jazz Bistro (Toronto), Yardbird Suite (Edmonton), Bassment (Saskatoon), Frankie’s (Vancouver), BuckingJam Palace (Calgary)
 
2022     Jazzlab Orchestra – Europe Tour
Italy : Social Theatre Valenza, Museo Nazionale di Matera, Délégation du Vietnam (Turin), Jazz Club Latina
France : Galerie Depardieu (Nice), Couleurs Jazz (Paris), Sunset/Sunside (Paris)
Switzerland : Kunsthaus Glarus
 
2022     Father John Misty – MTELUS (Montreal)
2022     Thus Owls – Residency at La Chappelle (Montreal)
2022     Plastic Waste Band – Ontario/Quebec Tour (Montreal, Toronto)
2022     Christine Jensen’s Equal Orchestra - Montreal International Jazz Festival
2022     Thus Owls - Sala Rossa (Montreal)
2022     Canadian National Jazz Orchestra - Jack Singer Concert Hall (Calgary)
2022     Claire Devlin Quartet – West Coast Tour
University of Calgary, Hermann’s Jazz Club (Victoria), Frankie’s Jazz Club (Vancouver), Yardbird Suite (Edmonton), BuckingJam Palace (Calgary)
 
2021     Orchestre National de Jazz de Montréal feat. Marie-Josée Simard
2021     Christine Jensen Tentet - Ottawa Jazz Festival
2021     Christine Jensen’s Equal Orchestra - Place Des Arts (Montreal)
2019     Orchestre National de Jazz de Montréal feat. Maggi Olin and Christine Jensen
2019     Jean-Michel Pilc’s Improvisation Workshop Project - Le Ministère (Montreal)
2019     Christine Jensen’s Equal Orchestra - Ottawa Jazz Festival
2019     John Hollenbeck’s McCQ feat. Anna Webber and Matt Mitchell - Ottawa Jazz Festival
2019     “Invisible Ink” with Jean-Michel Pilc - Upstairs Jazz Bar
2019     McClaudia Quintet with Linda Oh and John Hollenbeck - Café Resonance
2018     John Hollenbeck’s “McClaudia Quintet” (Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal)
2018     Claire Devlin Quartet - Ottawa Jazz Festival
2017     Okkyung Lee - the Stone (NYC)
2017     JM Jazz World Orchestra with Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Unicredit Pavilion (Milan, Italy)
2016     Jean-Michel Pilc’s “Songs Poject” Group (Toronto, Montreal)
2016     Orchestre National de Jazz de Montréal feat. Al McLean and Jean-Michel Pilc - L'Astral
2016     Beth McKenna Jazz Orchestra - L'Astral
2015     Beth McKenna Jazz Orchestra - Sala Rossa
2014     Claire Devlin Sextet - Montreal International Jazz Festival

Awards ;; Prix

2019 Canadian Graduate Scholarship (SSHRC)
2019 International Graduate Mobility Award (McGill)
2018 Schulich Graduate Scholarship (McGill)
2015 Nominated for the Oscar Peterson Grant for Jazz Performance (Hnatyshyn Foundation)
2014 Instrument Jazz Summer Session, Full Scholarship (Domaine Forget)
2013 Grace Evelyn Tuttle Scholarship (McGill University)
2013 "Take Five Plus Five" Harvey and Louise Glatt Scholarship Award (Ottawa Jazz Festival)
2012 J.W. McConnell Scholarship (McGill University)
2012 Bill Shuttleworth Memorial Scholarship (Capital Region Music Festival)
2012 Rising Young Star Award (Prince Edward County Jazz Festival)