I was born in Munich, Germany, as the sixth child and we had a very creative home. My musical experience began with singing and playing instruments, with nativity plays, Orff-Instruments first, then the recorder, with opera performances (already on the modern flute) at home. Pergolesi's La serva padrona and Mozart's Bastien und Bastienne, always occasion-related, for the 25th wedding anniversary of my parents and the 50th wedding anniversary of my grandparents. Plenty of space at our house to perform the operas in the garden. But my decision to make music in my whole life came through my oldest brother, who unfortunately was severely disabled in a traffic accident. When I sat with him at a concert, he told me during the interval: ‘Now I've really forgotten that I'm disabled!’ With this sentence, he gave me the conviction that anything is possible with music. Even the most terrible fate seemed surmountable.
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Claire's website
The first thing you do when you pick up your traverso to start the practice day, and why?
I love to improvise, particularly preludes, many different kinds of preludes, in the style of Hotteterre or Quantz, to check that my whole body is flexible, all the muscles from the lips down to the feet. And then I always play long notes, to make my sound rich and carrying.
Any recurring piece to play every day, and why?​
No, it always depends on what I need to play.
Do you have a daily routine?​
Yes, I like to sight-read a few pieces so that I get to know more literature. That's a fun routine. My serious routine is Trevor Why Book 6, all those small exercises to make my fingers fast and flexible, also with different fingerings, but only when I have enough time to do it properly. As a side effect, I also get a nice and relaxed sound in the low register.
What kind of goals do you set for your practice?​
I try to determine and make the affects audible in every kind of practice. Not always easy, but it is my goal to make an imaginative text perceptible with the help of these affects, with as many colours and surprises as possible. I try to think in a conversational way, with discussions and arguments between several people.
Do you do any systematic warm-up?
If I have enough time, I start with moving tones (scales, arpeggios, thirds etc.), then with messa di voce tones of varying lengths and the opposite of messa di voce (i.e. alternating start forte – go to pianissimo – end forte again), with different combinations of dynamics (i.e. piano to mezzopiano, or piano to mezzoforte, or pianissimo to fortissimo, etc.). This helps a lot the shaping of the notes. But above all, no matter how little time I have, I try to practise without stress. And if there are difficult passages, to practise them with rotating attention, that is like shifting your focus from one of the factors that affect your playing to another (like from the sound quality to a finger focus, or posture, musical phrase or something else).
Any distinctive characteristics of baroque flute daily practice vs. modern flute or other instruments?​
Today, the differences are not so great for me, but when I started with baroque flutes and all the other historical flutes, the realisation in my body and the attention to the resonance chambers, especially in the mouth area, but also in the upper body, etc., was the greatest for me.  And then, above all, the creativity: on the baroque flute I was able to become audible more quickly, in my opinion, and that inspired me. I don't like to play what is written, and I follow what Domenico Corri's said: “music played as it is written is unbearable”, one of my favourite sayings
What are the key elements and unmissable points of daily practice?
Whenever possible, practise with joy and a creative spirit, never mechanically. Think in texts, in theatre language – be convincing.
How long and distributed should warm-up and practice be?
Short sessions, but at the highest level. Clever breaks, during which one can read sources or other contemporary testimonies. This is how one is newly inspired for the next session. And then, if I have the time, I do that throughout the whole day. Today, unfortunately, this is too rare. And playing by heart, it connects me to the body and soul more directly.
Any  specific tip to address difficult technical passages during daily practice?
Yes, with rotating attention, practice difficult points. Repeat at least four times, always placing the focus somewhere new. First on a clear affect, then focus on the posture, then relaxed fingers, then relaxed ankles, etc. Always change the focus. Practice with a system but be creative.
Are there any tools that are particularly useful for practicing?
Yes, I love to practise with my Étienne Loulié 1696 chronometer.
​That movement of the pendulum ... it changed me because it's a movement between two points, it's not a click.
​It's the movement which fascinates me as it makes you play in a completely different way, especially, following slow beats even in fast pieces.
Any other general advice, suggestion, tip?
We should always reflect on why we make music: to touch the minds of the listeners; what moves us, and how can we touch others.
How do you advise your students as far as structuring their daily practice?
It is very individual, depending on how much previous experience and physical and mental abilities they have. For me, becoming technically proficient is an important part of being able to show the affects in the music without obstacles. Therefore, scales, arpeggios, caprices, etc. 
Do you suggest or teach a warm-up routine?​
Yes, I tell them what I do or what I find helpful for the student, but then they should decide for themselves. However, I do get stricter if someone still can't play scales and thirds fluently after a while. That's just part of being able to play music.
Are there any specific pieces particularly beneficial to be played regularly in daily practice?
Yes, I think it is essential to practice pieces with lyrics. Be it Air et Brunettes by Hotteterre, Monteclair etc. or Italian, French or German arias, where I try to make the lyrics audible on the instrument. And if it's just instrumental music, then add lyrics to it and make them audible. Always sing them first ;-). You can use this kind of text-based work at all levels. Interestingly, children still do it, but often professionals and adults no longer do it. Yet the 18th century is so extremely text-based that I often miss it in training. We talk too much about sound and too little about text, speech, rhetoric... unfortunately, still.