Eleven-year-old Clarissa Guadalupe Fussy began piano studies at age five for fun but discovered her passion for expressive and meaningful performance in 2024 when she began studying with Dr. Yuking Chou Brandenburgh. That same year, she earned Second Prize in the 8th Best Kabalevsky Performance International Music Competition (Age Group II). Clarissa is homeschooled and enjoys sharing her love of music with others, especially through performing at church, where she is grateful to honor the Lord through her playing. She also mentors her younger sisters and has begun teaching piano to her baby brother. Outside of music, Clarissa enjoys drawing, painting, creative writing, and riding in the tractor with her father during planting and harvest. She hopes to continue growing as a pianist and one day become both a performer and a teacher.
Watch Clarissa Guadalupe Fussy perform Hungarian, Op. 39, No. 12 by Edward Macdowell on the piano for the 2025 Romantic Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.