From Thailand, to Exeter — and now to Carnegie Hall. Claire Charanachitta has done it all. After spending two weeks at Exeter, Claire is off to play piano at Carnegie Hall — and for the second time.
The city was to welcome Claire for a solo performance on Tuesday. She was selected to play along with about fifty other musicians after entering an extremely selective application process.
This will not be the first time that Claire has walked onto the same stage as some of the world’s most renowned musicians.
When Claire was only ten years old, she went through a similar audition process. After sending in a recording and being selected, she found herself peeking out the curtain on one of the most famous stages in the world.
Walking across the stage and looking into the sea of people, she felt incredibly nervous as any ten-year-old would. But once she sat and rested her fingers on the keys that she had made familiar to her after years and years of practice, she felt calm.
“Once I sit on the piano and play,” she said, “everything stops.” She hopes that the method will still apply on Tuesday, but to calm herself down before a big performance she always reminds herself of how fortunate she is to perform.
Her ability to wow the audience doesn’t just come from her calm composure on stage. Claire practices her instrument every single day and receives a great deal of support from her parents, teachers, siblings, and friends.
Here at Exeter, she takes advantage of the many practice rooms and pianos at the Forrestal-Bowld Music Center. Her friends come along to create a mock audience as she runs through her performance.
Practice, practice, practice — Claire knows the way to get to Carnegie Hall.