Clara Maïda lives in Paris and Berlin. She turned to music composition after studying psychology at the University and music at the conservatories in Marseille and Nice and at the Cefedem-Sud of Aubagne (1st Prize in composition and 1st Prize in piano in Anne QUEFFELEC’s class, National Diploma for piano teaching).

She attended the master classes and composition courses of Helmut LACHENMANN, Philippe MANOURY, Tristan MURAIL, Gérard GRISEY, Marco STROPPA in the ACANTHES Centre and at the CNSMDP (Paris Superior Conservatory of Music).

She was the guest of the Artists-in-Berlin program of the DAAD (2007-08).
She received various awards such as the KOMPOSITIONSPREIS DER LANDESHAUPTSTADT STUTTGART (Germany, 2011), the BERLIN-RHEINSBERGER KOMPOSITIONSPREIS 2008, an Honorable Mention at EARPLAY DONALD AIRD PRIZE (USA, 2008), a Finalist selection at MUSICA NOVA (Czech Republic, 2008), the AKADEMIE DER KÜNSTE grant (Berlin, 2006), an Honorary Mention at PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA (Austria, 2007), the SALVATORE MARTIRANO MEMORIAL 2nd Prize (USA, 2003) and the Pedagogical SACEM Prize (1996), as well as commissions from DONAUESCHINGER MUSIKTAGE festival, the FRENCH MINISTRY OF CULTURE and L'ITINERAIRE, PROXIMA CENTAURI and ACCROCHE NOTE ensembles, the French SACEM (Klang! festival, NETZWERK NEUE MUSIK, KULTURSTIFTUNG DES BUNDES, Hamburg), the DAAD and the AKADEMIE DER KÜNSTE (Berlin), the LYON NATIONAL ORCHESTRA and the GMEM (Marseille).

Her pieces have been performed by various ensembles (ARDITTI STRING QUARTET, LYON NATIONAL ORCHESTRA, PELLEGRINI QUARTETT, KAMMERENSEMBLE NEUE MUSIK, PERCUSSIONS DE STRASBOURG, NOUVEL ENSEMBLE MODERNE, ENSEMBLE ORCHESTRAL CONTEMPORAIN, RESONANZ, L'ITINERAIRE, ACCROCHE NOTE, 2E2M, ALTERNANCE, PROXIMA CENTAURI ensembles...) within different festivals in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, Hong Kong, China, USA, Brazil and Mexico.

Her music has been broadcast in Germany (DEUTSCHLANDRADIO KULTUR, Berlin, DEUTSCHLANDFUNK, Köln, NORDWESTRADIO, Bremen, HESSISCHER RUNDFUNK, Frankfurt), in the United Kingdom (BBC, London), in Switzerland (DRS 2, Basel) and in France (RADIO France, Paris, and RADIO GRENOUILLE, Marseille).

She gave lectures at the UNIVERSITÄT DER KÜNSTE, the AKADEMIE DER KÜNSTE, the TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITÄT, MARIO MAZZOLI Sound Art Gallery and INVENTIONEN festival (Berlin), RENNES UNIVERSITY, the SUPERIOR SCHOOL OF ARTS in Rueil-Malmaison and the International Cultural Centre of Cerisy-La-Salle.

Two CDs have been published (in corpore vili, DAAD of Berlin and EDITIONS RZ, 2010, and Anania Iniji, GMEM of Marseille and METAMKINE Label, 2002).

Four articles For a nanomusic, Worstsaid Ho, worstheard Ho, ...ça écrit ça écrit ça écrit ça... and Instants-Passages respectively came out in Klangzeitort, Positionen, Filigranes n°6 and Cahiers bleus n°13 journals (Berlin, 2011 and 2010, Paris, 2007 and Troyes, 2000).