Clare Brassil fell in love with the cello in her first year at high school. She studied voraciously with Nelson Cooke, grabbing an LMusA while still at school, then graduating from the University of Melbourne with first class honours in Music Performance (BMus). She studied in Croatia with Walter Despalj, funded by an E.V.Lewellyn String Scholarship and an Ian Potter Foundation Grant. She returned to Australia and continued her training in the classical disciplines of orchestral and chamber music, with help from such great cellists as Ralph Kirshbaum, Gaorg Pedersen, Nathan Waks, Madame Tortelier, David Strange, Michael Goldschlagger, and Rod McGrath. Through a busy freelance career, Clare has played with the Sydney, Melbourne, Western Australian and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra.

She followed her cello on many fine pop/rock adventures, playing live with Kanye West, Barbra Streisand, Missy Higgins, Kasey Chambers, Katie Noonan, Lior, Leonardo’s Bride and Olivia Newton-John. She has recorded for Jimmy Barnes, Gelbison, Sleepy Jackson, The Whitlams, Lior, Diesel, and for many advertisements and film scores.