Chloe, 27, is an advocate for increasing accessibility and diversity in the classical music world, and strives to create spaces that welcome all musicians who also happen to be
disabled, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and BIPOC/people of the Global Majority. Academic work in this area has included presentations on gender dynamics in piano literature, a narrative comic about the life of the black composer Joseph Boulogne, a programming project featuring mostly living, disabled composers, and an essay on the blurred lines of gender and sexuality in music. Some of Chloe’s favorite musical activities are accompanying, composing, chamber music, and singing in choirs with a special interest in Baroque and Renaissance repertoire.
During their academic career, they have worked with and attended masterclasses by Michael Mizrahi, David Kaplan, David Bell, Alicia Lee, Andrew Cooperstock, Alejandro Cremaschi, Robert Hill, and Dror Biran. Their most recent public performance was Oleg Plotnikov’s “Earth” at an animal rights demonstration in Denver, Colorado in October 2023.
As a teacher, Chloe believes in holistically guiding students to their goals, cultivating a warm and friendly environment, and respecting the student as a whole person. They accommodate all learning styles and love making the classroom as fun and encouraging as possible. Aside from piano, Chloe has experience playing viola, organ, harpsichord, and singing as a tenor. When they’re not playing music, they enthusiastically partake in amateur astronomy and stargazing. Other interests include drawing comics, board games, reading, writing, community outreach, and working with animals.
Chloe holds a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University (2021) and a master’s degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder (2023) both in Piano Performance. They are currently employed as a staff choir member and substitute organist for a local church in Orange, Texas and do part-time administrative work.
You can find Chloe’s 2024 Romantic Music Competition piano performance here.
Watch Chloe Braynen perform Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826 (6. Capriccio) by J.S. Bach for the 2025 International Piano Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.