Lauren Nicole Clare (Chickasaw)
A native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Lauren Nicole Clare is a vocalist, songwriter, producer, pianist, and educator. She currently serves as an instructor of voice at the University of Arkansas and is the founder and director of the VOICES vocal jazz ensemble. She is also the interim director of the University of Arkansas Inspirational Chorale for the ‘24-’25 academic year.
In 2011, she formed what is now known as The Allie Lauren Project. The Allie Lauren Project is an avant-garde collective of classical, alternative, and jazz musicians and has performed for The Oklahoma Film & Music Office SXSW Film Panel Event, Tourism Roadshows, Norman Music Festival, 35 Denton, Backwoods Music Festival, Sunday Twilight Concert Series, Wheeler Summer Music Series, Oklahoma City’s New Year’s Opening Night Celebrations as well as other numerous performances for the Oklahoma City Arts Council. Lauren has also performed works from this project in Chicago, St. Louis, New York City, and London. In 2018, The Allie Lauren Project was nominated for a regional Emmy award by the Heartland Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for their work with Outsiders Productions and The Grand Casino Hotel & Resort’s Play It Loud Season II.
In addition to her work for The Allie Lauren Project, Lauren works as a producer and songwriter for other artists and in 2019, she collaborated with her tribe, The Chickasaw Nation, in the production of her composition which was featured as the theme song for the nation’s annual meeting. Lauren has also performed alongside jazz heavyweights Michael Wolff, Dave Liebman, Papo Vázquez and Alexa Tarantino. Most recently, Lauren debuted a second project devoted to her love of jazz entitled Coloring Twelve. The collective debuted as a part of the Walton Arts Center’s Artosphere Festival on May 5, 2023.
Her auditory art has landed her on many museum stages in the region, most notably The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, The Momentary, and the world-renowned Crystal Bridges Museum on several occasions.
She is a member of the Jazz Educators Network, the National Association of Teachers of Singing,The Recording Academy and The Southwestern American Choral Directors Association.