Performer, arranger and curator, cellist Clare O'Connell plays as a soloist and chamber musician. 

Since founding Behind the Mirror, a series of intimate chamber music concerts in Berkhamsted, her practise has developed into a mixture of performing, writing, arranging and curating projects in which she collaborates with musicians and artists who inspire her. She is most interested in the intent behind a piece of music and finding the perfect context in which to present it.

She is a member of contemporary music ensemble Lontano and the Storytellers Ensemble, a group of musicians devoted to the written word; she has a duo partnership with internationally acclaimed harpist Eleanor Turner; and performs regularly with musicians & collaborators such as Liam Byrne (viola da gamba), Tom Rogerson (piano), Milos Milivojevic (accordion), Viv McLean (piano), and Daniel Pioro (violin).

Her arrangements explore the parallels between composers both ancient and modern, allowing the music to speak on its own terms unconfined by historical context, and give the listener another lens through which to experience a piece of music as well as giving it another life. The often seemingly disparate groups of instruments used always afford a uniquely rich sonic experience. They have been performed in Westminster Abbey, the Wigmore Hall  and on BBC radio 3.

Clare’s recording output ranges from ultra classical contemporary chamber music by composers such as Michael Finnissey, Jennifer Fowler & Gabriel Jackson, to drones for Jonny Greenwood & sessions for Radiohead, Arcade Fire & Sir Paul McCartney. Her debut solo album The Isolated Cellist,  a collection of ancient & modern music for solo and layered cello was released by Stone Records in April 2021, and her second solo album Light Flowing, which features new commissions from Edmund Finnis, Emily Hall, Nick Martin, Natalie Klouda, Alex Mills and Emilie Levienaise Farrouch, was released with NMC Recordings in May 2025.

"she has a deep understanding of the way the music works and a joy in the simple act of playing which illuminates everything - from the most complex to the most basic music put in front of her." Harvey Brough - composer, producer, arranger