Claire Leslie-Turnbull is a classically trained flutist, singer-songwriter, and teaching artist who splits her time between Montreal and Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Originally from Grimsby, Ontario, she has built a multifaceted career spanning classical, folk, and traditional music. Claire currently works as a Program Coordinator for Canada’s Music Education Charity, MusiCounts.

Claire’s musical journey began at an early age—her mother, a classical flutist and music educator, introduced her to the flute when she was just two and a half years old. She grew up studying classical music and later on found a passion for folk music and taught herself how to sing and play the guitar. In 2023 Claire was Director of Operations, Development, and Communications at Denis Brott’s internationally-renowned Montreal Chamber Music Festival. From 2021 to 2023, Claire held the position of flute teaching artist at Sistema New Brunswick. She also worked as the orchestra manager and as a faculty member with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra. During her time as manager, Claire took the 100-musician youth orchestra on an incredibly successful trip to Carnegie Hall in New York City to participate in the Viennese Masters Invitational Festival. Claire has performed with many other orchestras throughout Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. She has most recently been a member of the Symphony New Brunswick, Tutta Musica Orchestra, Université de Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Francophonie, McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble, McGill Symphony Orchestra, and National Arts Centre Cappies Pit Orchestra.  In 2021 Claire released her first E.P. Her songs focused on turning stories into folk songs about people, places, and things. She is an emerging artist, who recently moved to New Brunswick and used her attic as a do-it-yourself recording space for her first release. She works with Zacharie Bachand on electric guitar and pedal steel and Sebastien Bachand on double bass. Her project began while working her way through the darkest months of 2020. These first few songs on the release came to fruition while gazing at the lake from her partner and bandmate Zach's childhood bedroom. The songs explore the unexpected feeling of meeting someone new, the weight lifted off your shoulders after finally letting something go, and that sting in the corner of your eye when you’re missing home. Since then she has had the chance to perform her music at the Festival de musique de chambre du Lac Baker, Flourish Festival, Paddlefest in St. Andrews, and Moncton’s International Women’s Day, to name a few. She has also notably joined renowned folk musician, Connie Kaldor on stage on the flute at the Lunenburg Harbour Folk Festival.

Claire received her Master's degree in Music Education at the Longy School of Music in 2022. She was also a member of the 2021 Global Leaders Program Cohort. She won the Sector Innovation Prize as a Hildegard Behrens Global Humanitarian Laureate for her advocacy project for music therapy and public health. She received a Graduate Diploma in Orchestral Repertoire from the Université de Montreal in 2020. She obtained her Bachelor of Music in Orchestral Performance from McGill University in 2019 and received a graduation award for outstanding achievement in flute performance.