College of Music

Fabiana Claure is a multifaceted concert pianist, educator, and entrepreneur. Her diverse musical career and successful business experience, as well as her international background—having lived in the US, Bolivia, and Cuba—have allowed her to gain an empowering and global perspective towards music and entrepreneurship education. Fabiana is the Director of Career Development and Entrepreneurship in Music at the University of North Texas where she is spearheading the creation of the entrepreneurship program. She is the Founding Director of UNT's Music Entrepreneurship Competition, has created an internship program for music students, and is on the advisory board for UNT's Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including marketing for musicians, music entrepreneurship, career development in professional music, and performing arts management. Fabiana is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Superior Academy of Music in Miami, FL. Her Academy has been featured twice on national television (PBS) and its students have gone on to earn recognition locally, state-wide, and win full scholarships in Universities. Fabiana's prior work includes being the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Regional Associate for the state of Florida where she created an extensive network of teachers and executed national strategies, acting as the key spokesperson and representative for the Royal Conservatory.  As a recipient of the College Music Society’s Yamaha In-Residence Fellowship, she organized and performed in a series of lecture-recitals and co-wrote an article published in the CMS’s Newsletter. Fabiana holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance degree with cognates in Music Business and Entertainment Industries from the University of Miami. Her research in the field of music entrepreneurship led her to author her doctoral dissertation entitled "The Entrepreneurial Concert Pianist: A Study of The Diverse Trends Used to Complement a Performing Career." Fabiana is also an internationally certified examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music and travels throughout the US and Canada assessing students' musicianship. 

As an entrepreneur, Fabiana won Second Prize, Best Written Plan, and Best Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards at the University of Miami's Business Plan Competition.  She also received a P.E.O. Scholarship, being selected among eight hundred candidates from the US and Canada, which allowed her to purchase a grand piano.

As a pianist, Fabiana has pursued her career nationally and internationally, performing extensively in the US, Bolivia, Cuba, and Spain. She has appeared in music festivals such as the Piccolo Spoleto International Music Festival (Charleston, South Carolina), the Iberoamerican Music Festival (Havana, Cuba), the Leonel Morales International Music Festival (Granada, Spain), and the COFES International Music Festival (Cochabamba, Bolivia). Her CD, "Fabiana Claure, Debut Album" features a wide-ranging selection of piano repertoire from Bach to Cuban music.  As a soloist, she has performed with the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Frost Symphony Orchestra, the College of Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfonica Iuventas, and the Valencia Youth Orchestra in Spain. As a duo-pianist, she has been featured along with her husband, pianist, Dr. William Villaverde, with the International Piano Series Chamber Orchestra (Charleston, SC). She and her husband also recorded a duo-piano sonata by Celius Dougherty released in the album “Serenader.”

Fabiana obtained First Prize in the University of Miami Concerto Competition. She won Second Prize in the Southeastern Piano Competition and was a winner in the Arthur Fraser Young Artists Piano Competition. The College of Charleston awarded her with the Edwin Davis Peacock Awards for the excellence of her piano performances. In Bolivia, she won First Prize in the "Mus-Art" Young Pianists National Competition and First Prize in the "Franklin Anaya" Piano Competition.
   
In addition to her DMA from the University of Miami, Fabiana received a Master’s and Artist Certificate in Piano Performance from Southern Methodist University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the College of Charleston, and a Pianist, Professor and Chamber Music Instructor Diploma from the National School of Arts in Havana, Cuba. Fabiana's main teachers include Ana Maria Del Carpio, Miriam Cruz, Andres Alen, Enrique Graf, Joaquin Achucarro, and JB Floyd. Her language skills include English and Spanish. Fabiana is a member of the College Music Society, the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association, and serves as treasurer for UNT's chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.

Website for Career Development and Entrepreneurship in Music